After a few premature leaks surrounding the regular Buick Encore and the new Buick Encore GX, the brand has teased both sub-compact crossovers ahead of a global debut in China.
Buick published teasers and new information for both models on Tuesday, which show the Encore and Buick Encore GX from the rear in a dimly lit photo. All we can make out from the teaser are the winged taillights that have become a trademark Buick look in recent years in some form on various models. Never fear, however, because we’ve already seen photos of the crossovers ahead of time.
As a refresher, the regular Buick Encore is not the model destined for the U.S. Instead, we’ll be graced with the Encore GX. It’s unclear if the crossover will keep the “GX” suffix when it goes on sale on these shores, however. The two models also ride on entirely different architectures. The Chinese model sits on GM’s GEM platform, an architecture that will be used for emerging markets like China and South America to consolidate platforms. The U.S. model rides on the VSS-F platform, one of GM’s new vehicle set platforms for front-wheel drive vehicles.
The powertrain information Buick shared may not be entirely relevant to the U.S. model either, but both new crossovers will feature CVTs and a nine-speed automatic transmission. Engines were not shared in the announcement, but GM Authority previously reported the crossovers will feature a 1.3-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine that will make 133 horsepower.
When the crossover is revealed for the U.S., expect production to remain in South Korea with the GM Bupyeong plant supplying the car. In China, the car will be made locally.
Both the Encore and Encore GX will be revealed at the Buick Brand Night in Shanghai, China, on April 15th.
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Comments
Poor China is having a hard time as of late. Economy is tanking, major banks and experts now admit China probably won’t see any significant growth for years to come, and it looks like Machete Mary’s gamble on China everything is not going to pay off anytime soon or at all. Then again China is a lot of smoke and mirrors, corruption, and hype for political agendas. Might explain why all the other manufacturers in the world diversified their investments globally much better than GM as they weren’t all blinded by the bs on China.
Great to see other Asian nation’s be more open-minded to foreigners and foreign businesses than China, and now picking up a lot of former Chinese manufacturing as a result. Automobiles could follow suit.
I have a 2018 Buick Encore. Super great little crossover and I love it. I still miss my Jeep though, but I’m excited to see the new one we will get here. In the article above, I read this several times: “The powertrain information Buick shared may not be entirely relevant to the U.S. model either, but both new crossovers will feature CVTs and a nine-speed automatic transmission.”
So I’m still not clear on what the US version will be, but I can tell you 100% for sure that if they stick a CVT in it, I’m out! I may not be a sport-car type driver, but I refuse to ever again drive a car with a CVT (Yes, I have had several. Hate them). Because I still like my Jeep’s, this may make the choice a lot easier come March 2020 when it’s time to get my new car.
It’s just one dark teaser photo, but to my eyes, the tail lamp on the model on the left (the China-only Encore, correct?) looks longer, its sculpting looks sharper, and the shape of the passenger side mirror looks slightly different. Both look good, but, based on the spy shots that GM Authority has already shown of each, I think the Encore GX will look more refined overall.
General Motors CEO Mary Barra may need to consider dropping the price of the 2020 Buick Encore because sales growth is slowing with 93,073 for 2018 compared with 88,035 for 2017; one has to think people might be thinking that people may be opting for something bigger and more engine options like the Chevrolet Equinox which sold 332,618 units in 2018 compared with 290,458 in 2017.
It looks less distinctive than previous builds. It’s not ugly, but it resembles a lot of others similar models in the road, so I say “Meh!”