The 2021 Buick Envision introduces a brand-new second-generation for the nameplate, arriving with revised styling inside and out, more standard safety tech, and a turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder powerplant. Now, according to Buick Marketing Manager Rob Peterson, the latest Envision “can appeal to audiences at the need and want levels.”
Peterson provided the insight in a recent interview with GM Authority executive editor Alex Luft. The framing of the second-gen crossover as appealing to buyers at the “need and want levels” is interesting, as it demonstrates that the new Envision can not only satisfy in terms of basic transportation, but also appeals in terms of being an emotionally driven purchase, something that a customer desires on a deeper level.
Overall, Peterson indicated that GM and Buick are excited about the launch of the new Envision, saying that it’s a vehicle with “great standard safety, connectivity, beautiful proportions, and broad appeal.”
Hopefully, these attributes help the latest second-generation 2021 Buick Envision perform better than the previous generation in terms of sales. As GM Authority covered previously, the last Buick Envision was one of the slowest-selling vehicles in America, with reports indicating a surplus of units sitting on dealer lots – highly discouraging, especially when considering the overall popularity of the crossover segment.
The all-new 2021 Buick Envision began arriving in ports in December, with inventory under one unit per dealer as of late January.
As a reminder, the 2021 Buick Envision takes design inspiration from the 2018 Buick Enspire concept vehicle, and looks the part of a high-end crossover thanks to a new fascia and sleek lines. Inside, the Envision offers an available 10.2-inch diagonal infotainment screen, while safety tech features include Lane Keep Assist, Following Distance Indicator, and Automatic Emergency Braking.
The Envision rides on the GM E2 platform, with motivation sourced from the turbocharged 2.0L I4 LSY gasoline engine. Output is routed through a nine-speed automatic transmission.
Production takes place at the GM China (SAIC) Jinqiao plant in Shanghai, China.
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Comments
Ok, Just before “China Squad” strike i would say… “CHII-NYA” …i’m the first, take that!
Slider, not sure how to take that. Are you attempting to be funny?
So here’s the better way to put things into perspective. Why are so many American’s willing to give Japan their money and yet so many nag about GM assembling a car in China? I’m 53 years old and in my time on earth, I have not seen nor recall China doing anything to the USA like Japan did at Pearl Harbor. Shame on anyone who purposely gives Japan a dime! Shame on GM for “partnering” with Honda. I think anyone who buys a Japanese brand car should hang their head in shame.
virus doesn’t count? 450K+ deaths so far … that is like 200 pearl harbors if you are counting deaths.
of course trump’s incompetency was a bigly assist.
Dan,
How many dimes are you giving Japan? You sell Mazda don’t you? I like your conviction, don’t see any substance. Here’s my wants and needs. I want the Invasion built in the US. I need it to come down the same assembly line as the XT4 in Fairfax.
Jofa: You are 100% correct in that I work at a Volvo and Mazda store. I do so ONLY because it’s very close to where I live and I have an amazing boss who works great with my sophisticated schedule with my two younger children. When you live in LA, you must find work close to your home or you spend the better part of the day in traffic. With that said, I hate the Mazda’s. I really don’t sell as I work in the fleet department. My job is internet and customer service related. In the few times I’m dealing with someone looking, I do my best to suggest that they look at a Buick or Chevrolet or Ford or Chrysler product. The more I send away from Japanese brands, the better my day.
For 12 very long years I worked at a Buick, Cadillac, GMC and Honda dealer back in the midwest. That experience with Honda is what put me where I’m at today. Horrible company to work with. The fact that I did a term paper on Pearl Harbor in college didn’t help much. The icing on the cake was when I traveled to Japan and saw first hand how they really feel about Americans. It was my very personal experience with Honda (and now Mazda) along with what I have learned about the Japanese culture that has firmly established that there will NEVER be a Japanese brand car sitting in my driveway.
Sorry, Dan, but this is just another cop out.
That doesn’t make you a bad person, and we’re (almost) all guilty of the same thing to some degree, but recognize your rationale for what it is: a cop out.
Remember the “needs vs. wants” concept.
You need to provide for your family. You want to do so in L.A.
You need food, water, shelter. You want to do better than the bare minimum level of each.
With your amazing boss, sophisticated schedule, and job in the fleet department of what sounds like a big deal organization, I’m guessing you’re doing better than just OK.
Japan WAS a definite threat, in the 1930s, ‘40s, and again in the ‘70s and later.
China IS a definite threat NOW.
I do not blame you for wanting to do the best that you can for yourself and your family.
But do not deceive yourself about what you do.
I am sure there are people who sell drugs to kids because that’s how they can make the money they need to live in LA and not spend hours commuting in traffic.
There were probably Concentration camp guards who did what they did because “If I don’t do it, somebody else will, and maybe they won’t be as nice as I am.”
I really don’t need 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, and 2 fireplaces on 15 acres with a stream and a pond in the Catskills. But for me, that was downsizing from a bigger house on a half acre lot in a Long Island suburb of New York City.
And it was as downscale as my Beloved Beautiful Wife would go without making my miserable life even more of a living hell than she already does. (Just kidding, Love of My Life and Only Ray of Sunshine in this Valley of Darkness).
Plus, she and I both WANTED it.
As well as the Japanese televisions, the French champagnes, the Italian wines, etc.
So we’re (almost) all guilty.
Own it, or change.
BTW, if you’re still reading this, I (almost) always enjoy reading your posts, and (almost) always agree with what you say.
I hope I have not offended you or anyone else with my clumsy but well intentioned writing.
@Old Bryan: No offense taken. Thanks for the well stated thought. I’ll try to keep this short, but…..
A little more history: As I’ve stated, I worked at a Buick, Cadillac, GMC and Honda store for 12 of the 18 + years. That was a great store, but they pushed so hard on the Honda which didn’t settle well with me. I tried to stick in out and just couldn’t, as they basically were ignoring the GM side and pushing the Honda side. I tried to be the GM guy and offered for them to let me just sell the GM and used, but they insisted that we all must sell the Honda’s. I finally quit. After moving to LA (which was supposed to be temporary), I tried a Cadillac only store and then a Chevrolet only store. Because this is LA, the import brands sell at much higher numbers than American brands. I was literally starving and wasn’t able to support myself and my two children after a very bad divorce. That’s when I had to take on driving Uber just to keep food on my table and a roof over my head. Doing this ensured that I would not lose my kids with a now ex-wife making things really bad. I continually drove past this Volvo/Mazda store daily (only 1.7 miles from where I lived) and finally swallowed my pride and stopped in to see if they were hiring. With my background, they hired me on the spot and I was able to be placed in the fleet department where I really don’t “sell”. Within 7 months of starting there, I was able to stop driving Uber and I have a boss who went through a very similar family situation as me. This level of understanding was greatly needed to help me move on.
With that said, yes I chose to work with a brand (Mazda) that I’m not fond of and I did it for my family. If I were able to take my kids and move back to Illinois and work for a GM or Chrysler store, I’d do it in a second. But the courts have been firm and I will NEVER move away from my kids. Working with Volvo is great and I have no issues with them. I’ve also given Mazda a chance and went into this with an open mind, but they have proven to me that all the Japanese brands have one thing in common: They think they are the best and want to dominate the market. Plus, I still drive my GM products even if they really don’t like it.
So call it what you will. I call it doing whatever I have to do for my kids and to survive.
I’m SELF Employed Mr. Berning. I created my OWN job with decades of skills I developed working as someone else’s “slave”. I got tired of it. I rolled the dice. I took the risk. At great personal sacrifice. I’m sure MY back has been against the wall FAR more than yours. I ALSO worked for Uber under the Obama sloth economy just to keep my house. With a cushy car “Sales” job where you take advantage of 80% of your “Customers” who don’t have the slightest clue about what a car is “worth”, what their “trade” is worth, what the Dealer paid for it & when to walk out of the showroom. It’s no wonder how thousands of car sales staff are making six figures for a product everyone needs & basically “sells itself” as the famous ad said. My lifetime experience with the dreaded car “sales” process is usually how ill informed that person is about the EXPENSIVE product they’re supposed to be “selling”. AND my Grandfather actually SOLD Buicks his whole life. Didn’t sit in a showroom waiting for the “customer” to waltz in the door. BTW, before I “F-off”, the most ostentatious, pretentious, materialistic individual I worked for was a multiple car Dealership OWNER who was “gifting” his son a $2mil waterfront mansion just after spending $500k on a NYC wedding. We called him the “lucky sperm”. Keep those clueless car buying customers coming in, apparently the profit margin on car sales is quite healthy. I keep that experience on mind when I’m buying my “Certified” used vehicles coming on off their “fleeces”.
Can Danny say “hypocrisy”???
MossmanMike: Don’t know if you have ever had your back against a wall or if you were ever in a position where you were literally two weeks from becoming homeless where you would certainly lose your children. I pray you were never in that place. I was. I made a decision that was good for me and my kids. For that I will NEVER apologize. My kids are more important than my pride.
My good side says that I need to realize that you know nothing about me and leave it at that. The other side of me says to tell you to go f-off.
It’s just another boring crossover. My 1984 Buick LeSabre is way more exciting to drive than this thing. I got rid of the weak 307 Oldsmobile engine and replaced it with a strong running 455 Buick engine along with a TH 350 transmission. I added a few goodies like an AutoMeter 160 MPH speedometer, 3 inch dual exhaust with glasspack mufflers, high duration camshaft kit, etc. One time I wanted to find out how fast this car could go, but I chickened out when I got to 150 and then I slowed down. The thing I move most is listening to the sound of those glasspacks. Nothing beats the sound of a big block V8 engine with the right set of glasspacks. I think it sounds almost as good as the General Lee from the Dukes of Hazzard tv show. Most of the time I will drive with the windows rolled down just so I can hear those glasspacks. The only bad thing about my car is the gas mileage. I’m getting about 8 or 9 miles to the gallon on the highway. My other car is a 2007 Lucerne and I plan to keep driving this car until its time to take it to the junkyard. The only thing that I hated about this car was it had leather seats. I went to a upholstery shop and I ad the seats redone in Royal blue crushed velvet cloth. I love that fancy looking cloth. It was popular in the mid to late 1970s but you don’t see it that often today except on lowriders. Maybe I will put some glasspacks on this car too. Hmm I wonder how a V6 engine sounds with glasspacks
L Cooper,
Not sure I would have done everything you did to your ‘84, but I sure love what you did with your engine swap.
A BUICK engine in a BUICK!
What a concept!
Any chance we can swap YOU into MARY’S job at GM?
But sadly, young son, I am a senior member of the old fart segment of the population.
I prefer my Buicks big, luxurious, elegantly understated in design, deceptively powerful … so far, pretty much like your LeSabre …. but QUIET.
Sooooo close.
BTW, check out Vice Grip Garage on YouTube for Derek’s posts on his ‘56 Special, and ‘ 63 and ‘68 LeSabres. (The backstory on the Special is particularly heart warming. I get more sentimental as I get older.)
Derek, too, has a thing for Buicks.
Have fun with yours.
George, I keep saying this:
Prior to WWII, the U.S. was a second or third string military power.
So what did Japan worry about?
Our damn near unimaginable industrial power, and its potential to churn out enough military hardware to crush any enemy.
We need factories here.
We need technology here.
They are not mutually exclusive.
I am not getting into whether or not it was implemented correctly, but MAGA was not an evil idea.
The battle of Midway took place six months after Pearl Harbor, we had four aircraft carriers. By the end of 1943, Halsey was rampaging up and down the South Pacific. He had seventeen fleet carriers in task group 58.
B-I-N-G-O George!!!
so what did the previous generation appeal to? the want and need of lots of cash on the hood?
I don’t need it but I want it, this new Envision that is.
Why does the author write-“Hopefully, these attributes help the latest second-generation 2021 Buick Envision perform better than the previous generation in terms of sales.” A GM exec can and should be a cheerleader. The author should not be one. This should say GM is hopeful that these changes… Don’t shill unless you are on GM’s payroll. Thx
Envision can’t justify two global manufacturing lines with Opel gone. I’ve said this one million times: Accept Chinese Buicks or the brand will be shuttered.
GM, after one decade, has failed to reinvent the Buick. Consumers may be a few years younger but the Tri Shield isn’t anything more than a place holder for future Hummers.
It’s time to bring back a model or two for Oldsmobile!
Lansing, Michigan (former Olds HQ) makes Cadillacs, production would be far greater supported, than any model built overseas.
The majority of boomers who are in their late 50’s and mid 60’s, (huge segment) have fond memories of what once was the number one selling mid size car in America (the legendary 442/Cutlass).
The Rocket emblem would represent not only a fast rise in renewed interest for an historic brand, but a much needed boost for GM.
Time to build the Chinese stuff in Lansing and call it an Olds. That’s the only way I’d buy one. My M-B was made by Americans and it’s almost time for a new one.
To Mr. Rob Petersen: As a decades long GM Pontiac customer turned Buick Regal customer after GM & FEDs killed off Pontiac, I don’t WANT or NEED a Buick built in China!!! Do YOU get that Sir???
To Mr. Jonathan Lopez: When When When are you going to sit down with Mr. Rob Petersen to “discuss” this VERY REAL issue of current & future Buick customers refusing to buy a product made in a country run by a communist Authoritarian Militaristic Regime with a dispicable murderous RECENT human rights record???
Build the G-D thing ANYWHERE but CCP China!!!
Interesting how nobody mentions the UAW Union aka the mob that had a part in almost killing GM, FORD AND CHRYSLER…who bty is owned by Fiat so the money does not stay in America either. This coming from me who works for UPS but our union is much better run then the UAW will ever be. Bottom line blame whoever you want the days of purely American, Japanese, European are long gone every car is assembled with parts from all over the world…heck I never thought in a million years that the Toyota Supra would be a BMW…yuck that’s like letting Honda build the Corvette!
If the Envision was made solely in the US, Buick would probably discontinue the car considering that for every envision sold in the US, 4.8 were sold in China (based off 2021 sales figures). So let’s see, no smart business executive would EVER move a production line when the ratio is that horrible. Buick would be throwing away a lot of much needed cash and resources in order to pay shipping and other fees to transport the Envision to China. This is why Buicks only hope is the emerging luxury/premium market for millennials like me who don’t care about the cars origin.
Adam said it best who cares where the car is made if people like it they will buy it. Most younger people don’t care where a car is assembled this whole post sounds like a home team/ away team football game!
Bottom line GM will be building cars in China and Mexico to cut cost . That whole American pride thing is fading away as well . Deal with it or find another car manufacturer to buy from
When CCP China attacks Tiawan & thousands of American Troops die, what color is your new Chinese made Envision gonna be???
When CCP China jails & executes 1000’s of young Hong Kong “Resisters” what color is your cool looking Chinese Envision interior gonna be???
When CCP China decides not to buy another Trillion of USA debt making your dollar worthless what wheel package will you order for your stylish Chinese Envision???
While CCP China is currently demanding the WHO investigate the USA (yes us) for the “Origin of COVID19” are you splurging for the upgraded “Avenir” Chinese Envision???
As we hear of yet another Chinese CCP National being arrested by the FBI for masquerading as a College “Research” Fellow or “Professor” & stealing Intellectual Property from our best in the world College Research Programs will you get the upgraded safety package on your new Chinese Envision???
Well, the Japanese actually DID kill thousands of Americans and that didn’t stop people from buying their cars. Were you one of them?
Ted,
No, I wasn’t.
Not directly, anyway.
And when I think of American companies, I don’t have to wrack my brain to come up with ICONS.
What could be more American than a big, crude, loud, and earth shaking Harley – Davidson?
But much to my shock and dismay, Harley-Davidson bought shocks and forks from Japan as well as T-shirts, sweat shirts, jackets, hats, and vests from China. And who knows what else.
How about Chevrolet, then?
You know, “Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet!”
Or is it more accurate these days to say, “Martial arts, sushi, fortune cookies and Chevrolet”?
My point is that “we the people” have the ability to change things by voting … with our soon-to-be-worthless-on-the-world-market dollars.
The choices might not be great, at first.
Face it: The foreign made products succeeded because they were cheaper, and better.
But if we all get together behind a “VERY WELL MADE in the USA” push,
bring back pride in American Made labor practices,
and not try to squeeze the last drop of blood out of retailers by demanding the lowest prices for everything …
MAYBE……..
If you’re so against Chinese built products may I suggest throwing out virtually all electronics and appliances that you own? Chances are they were assembled or had a stop in China during their production.
It’s not that affordable to build in this country why else do you think companies moved production off shore. Cheap and weak labor laws.