If the Regal will be a North American variant of the Insignia, could there be a performance model similar to the Insignia VXR? I think Buick needs something like that to take on Acura.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carrevi..._s_tronic.html

This Insignia VXR is 3989 pounds, which is about the same as the TL SH-AWD.

I'd rather have the DI 3.6 than the 2.8 PI turbo.

 

It would be neat to see a car like that on the automotive landscape.

But like I've said previously, it'll be heavy, expensive, thirsty and probably not that fast.

 

You would be dropping about 20 hp and 50 lb ft of torque. I like the looks of the cars though. It would be great to get a Regal Super here in the US.

 

 

I think Buick/Opel has the right hardware to do the job of competing with the likes of the Audi S4 and Acura TL, but there will likely be a brand perception issue for a while longer here in the US.

Cadillac should likely be the one competing on this level since it's GM's luxury performance brand. Even then, I think there's still a perception issue even though Cadillac makes a great product. Buick will need a huge streak of luck and an endless marketing budget driven by the right minds in order to change its image. Just as the G8 was never a BMW-fighter in terms of status and overall quality, I'm not sure Buick and Audi can be mentioned in the same sentence.

The upcoming Ford Taurus SHO will likely suffer a similar fate trying to compete in that $38-$45k range. At that level, it seems people either want a nice Taurus ($30k MAX?) or they want a tried and true luxury performance car ($55k?). And at that upper eschelon, they don't want a gussied up version of the same rental car model that's been around for years. Is an Audi a better car? I think the answer is less obvious now that Buick is transforming, Cadillac has come out swinging, and the fact that there will be much cheaper, comparably capable models on the market from American Manufacturers. What remains is the perception issue--that takes time to fix.

 

It was going to take more than marketing to make the G8 a BMW fighter. On the road, it was a BMW fighter, inside, it clearly wasn't.


Buick will need marketing, but more than that it needs product. The Enclave is selling well and to a younger demographic. I am betting the LaCrosse will as well. The best thing that Buick to do to appeal to a younger generation is to stop making cars that look like they are for grandma. With the Enclave and LaCrosse, they have done just that.