The 2016 Opel Astra is poised to do very good things for the brand in Europe. It’s all but officially confirmed Holden will be receiving the new-generation of Astra on its shores later in 2016. The 2016 Astra was most recently confirmed for Buick in China as the Verano hatchback and Verano GS.
Will the United States be next on the list? More importantly, should it? That’s what we’re bringing to you for today’s community question.
As an overview, Buick continues to be branded as “white space“, allowing General Motors to fill niches it sees fit with “affordable luxury” as the motif behind the tri-shield this decade. Therefore, it seems a Buick Verano hatchback makes all the sense in the world, where it would most certainly play ball with the likes of Audi A3 and other competitors.
A Verano GS also seems like a plausible next step for the GS badge, after gracing the Buick Regal for the past few model years. It may also be a real shot in the arm to have the younger folk take a serious look at what Buick wants to stand for in the present. A model such as a Verano hatchback and GS could be another notch in ensuring consumers don’t remember Buick for floaty sedans from their childhood.
We won’t delve into speculation or wish lists on powertrains (though all-wheel drive and a potent four-banger sound like a good start), but simply turn it to you now. We’re not asking if Buick should add a Verano hatchback and GS just because they’re good cars, we’re asking if it fits in the brand’s newfound strategy.
Vote in our poll, and discuss your choice in the comment section right down below.
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If Verano is going GS, it should have a Haldex AWD setup with a rear-bias off the line, switching to front-bias on the highway.
That would polevault Verano into direct competition with Golf R. And fill the gap with Focus RS, though I suspect Verano would have a luxury premium attached. Still, with an automatic 8-speed, it would satisfy buyers like me that love RS's rear bias... but hate the manual-only tradeoff.
There's no reason to do go GS on Verano otherwise, because... well... people should just buy a Golf R otherwise.
Definitely. I hope there's a 2 or 3-door variant in the works.
gm must not build cars because vw build cars to
Considering the direction Buick wants to go and the market it is trying to chase I think this would be an appropriate entry to add to the line up.
Absolutely, yes and YES! There's no reason not to. Fill in that white space!