We have seen plenty from the 2017 Opel-Vauxhall Insignia in the form of heavily cladded spy photos, but we finally have our first look at the upcoming 2017 Buick Regal, courtesy of Automotive News.
The next-generation Buick Regal has spotted testing on U.S. roads and wears a few different styling cues than its Opel-Vauxhall cousin, including the winged, front grille, which has a darker hue akin to the 2017 Buick LaCrosse.
The biggest change is the overall profile of the vehicle from Opel to Buick. The Buick keeps a more traditional C-pillar with an elegant, sloping roofline, whereas the Opel-Vauxhall has a much more fastback look. This is evident in the spy shots placed side-by-side. Both cars look nearly identical from the front clip to the B-pillar, however.
It’s possible to expect the Opel Insignia to debut later this year, with the 2017 Buick Regal to follow before a 2017 introduction. Meanwhile, the Holden Commodore will receive either the Buick or Opel look to mark a 2018 model year for the sedan.
Comments
Part of me actually expected a picture to tell what direction Buick decided to go with the next generation Regal; whether the car would look like a rebadged Opel Insignia or given Buick’s Avista concept car, Buick may go with something that resembles Opel’s Monza concept car.
GM is getting silly with unique regional variants. One global Insignia branded midsized sedan is more than adequate.
Opels aren’t sold in North America nor are they known here. It would be unnecessary marketing to sale Opels and cars would have to be modified anyway if they were imported here from Germany. That would make them more expensive. GM’s doing right.
You missed my drift. I’m saying that only one global body style is necessary. In addition, I think each regional brand should use the same vehicle name i.e., Insignia by Buick or Insignia by Holden; this is especially true given the damaged nature of Regal and ither Buick name plates.
The Euro variant is sexy! Damn sexy. Unfortunately, the US spec model looses something in translation.
Most younger people don’t remember the old 80’s Regal. I don’t remember it. I don’t think Buick wanted to gamble on a Regal hatchback yet. I think that they will eventually release the new Verano as hatchback in North America but the North American market probably isn’t ready to buy a large (D Segment) cars like the Regal as such.
That’s not a Buick!
LOL Yeah it’s an Opel morphed into a Buick and nothing wrong with that IMO.
I agree they are going the Monza route.
Note the large rear tires. This could be an AWD performance model here? GS or what ever they call it.
GM has gone the global model even more so now and only the name and badges will be changed accept for some minor tuning per each market needs.
I can’t see a real difference between the Opel and the Buick. The dark triangle on the Opel’s C-pillar is just some piece of vinyl taped there — just to confuse the Russians.
It is the optical effect of that triangle which might confuse the eye, or rather the brain interpreting what the eyes see. How do you say “optische Täuschung” in english?
How do you say “optische Täuschung” in english? = optical illusion
The current Insignia is available as a sedan, hatchback and wagon. It is possible that the Insignia shown will be the hatchback version, and the Regal is sporting the sedan bodywork in the rear. The differences are very subtle though. The Insignia should break cover in the fall, and I expect the Regal will be close behind… LA in November, perhaps.
The body shape of the Insignia sedan and hatchback is the same. The only difference is that the hinges of the back hatch is above the rear window, at the roof for the hatchback, and below the rear window just for the trunk for the sedan. Maybe that the back seats can be better folded in the “hatchback” than in the “sedan”, but I don’t know.
I insist that the body shape of the two cars shown in the photos shown in the “Automotive News” is the same for both.
I’m sorry but who really cares in the USA? Didn’t Buick sell like 20k Regals last year? They should shut down the brand an bring back Pontiac.
Buick does extremely poor in North America and their numbers here proves that. It still cannot shake it’s boring reputation.
I personally like Buicks, but I am just stating the cold hard truth.
Buick was only kept alive after the 2009-10 bankruptcy because “how were they supposed to sell the Buicks in China if the division is discontinued back in the United States”.
Buick commands higher transaction prices than Pontiac and requires very little NA specific R&D. This is why Buick is more profitable and worth saving.
This new Regal may sell in larger quantities. Also, Buick outsells many brands including Acura, Infinity, Subaru, and Volvo and, therefore, is far from a dead brand.
Add to that over 1 million units in China each year.
It would be an idiotic move to shut Buick down. They should go the other way and find ways of expanding it’s reach.
It’s just hard to expand it’s reach as no one is drawn towards them besides the Chinese. DeliveryMan just mentioned that in his earlier post and he is correct. Buicks do not fare well in North America.
jamdown I am up to expand the reach, but how? Not many consumers even want them here/
That’s more a failure of Marketing rather than product design — but the new marketing campaigns are better in creating awareness of the brand. Still, I think a lot more could be done.
Automotive News published this statement: “The Regal is expected to be built on the same global sedan platform that underpins the recently launched Chevrolet Malibu, which has a wheelbase nearly 4 inches longer than the version it replaced.” So why doesn’t GM put in the same new Voltec powertrain that the 2016 Hybrid Malubi will have, increase its MPG into the 40’s, and continue to electrify its lineup?
Who said that the new regal won’t have it?