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2018 Buick Regal/Opel Insignia

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Just a few more pictures of the new Opel Insignia. ( I had not seen the tan/black interior before)
Although not 100% sure yet, we are probably getting the hatchback version pictured above as our next Buick regal. 
Which will be unveiled early next month.
So I thought it might be interesting to see more pictures.
Again, I think it would be a great move from GM to sell the hatch here. 
It could be the start of something.
The sad thing though, is that this new Regal will probably be the last Buick based on a German product.
Which is really too bad.
The current regal does feel (And is) very German. So does the Cascada.
I thought the Buick/Opel thing was working really well.
I wonder what GM has in store for Buick in the next few years…

Conversation 15 comments

  1. Vince – With the introduction of the Chinese-built Envision… it's obvious what GM plans to do.

    More Chinese Buicks for the U.S. market is what's coming.

  3. At first, I liked the styling of the new Insignia, apart from the shape of the tail lights. They look depressing to me, for some reason.
    But what the press photos kind of hide, is the fact that the small rear window behind the rear door actually isn't a window at all, but black plastic. You know, 1st generation.Cruze style… which looks horrible in real life. Added to that, when the chrome line under the rear windows is missing (which will be the case on most Insignias), the styling totally goes to shit.
    So nice press photos, but Nother fail from GM's styling department. I hooe PSA fixes this asap.

  4. Nice design spoiled by the big dent on the sides. Why do designers always take things one step too far?

  7. The brown car is actually a medium spec car. Not the base model.
    "Our test car, a mid-spec Insignia Grand Sport Tech Line manual retailing at £23,910 (with £3900 worth of accessories that included the IntelliLux headlights, a newly-offered £705 glass sunroof and £555 worth of two-coat metallic paint) "
    (From autocar.co.uk)

  8. I guess the lack of chrome around the window makes it look super basic.
    The Buick version will be more upscale, as is the current one.
    it will also only come with the 2.0 Liter Turbo.

  9. If the Alpha platform is any indication, I think GM will be just fine without Opel.Anything utilizing the Alpha has been proven to outhandle anything in it's class. I like the sedan body style better than this hatch, but if both are offered for US sale, even better for the consumer. Not crazy about the side etching, but the upswept line from the front of the rear wheelwell upward to the taillights is a nice touch. (Ala Lexus IS.)

  12. As far as the future of Buick and Opel, I think the answer if fairly simple: All future Buick vehicles will be based on Chinese Buick designs retaining GM owned platforms and all future Opel vehicles will be German designs on Groupe PSA platforms. Once the current Encore/Mokka, Cascada, and upcoming Regal/Insignia have run their course, there will be no future product sharing between Buick and Opel in the future. The current US market Verano, which was based on the previous gen Astra sedan, will disappear from the US market after the 2017 model year with no replacement. As far as I know, the new gen Chinese market Verano sedan is not sold anywhere in the world as a new gen Astra sedan (and this 2nd gen Chinese market Verano sedan looks like it was designed as a Buick vehicle from its inception instead of simply slapping Buick cues on an Opel design like the current Chinese market Verano GS hatchback).

    I'm not sure how well this new Insignia based Regal will do in the US market if it is offered solely as a 5-door hatchback sedan. US buyers tend to generally prefer the more traditional three box trunk layout in their midsize sedans. Additionally, the current Chevrolet Malibu (which shares its platform with this new gen Insignia/Regal) is a nice looking midsize sedan which offers the traditional trunk layout and doesn't have the cheap looking black plastic slab bogus window on its C-pillar. The Malibu should also be less expensive than this new gen Regal 5-door sedan. The new Regal would have to offer something more special/unique than a 5-door layout to make it more attractive to buyers than a Malibu.

    I think Buick may be more successful with the Regal Tour-X wagon if the ride height is correct and it has the proper faux crossover appearance. This may appeal to US buyer preferences for crossovers and give Buick something that it doesn't already offer at its other brands. One question remains, however: If the Regal Tour-X wagon is successful, will GM allow Buick to develop a next gen version once this Opel based version runs its course? A next gen Opel derived version won't be available to Buick. It will be an interesting situation to watch, for sure.

  13. "I think Buick may be more successful with the Regal Tour-X wagon if the ride height is correct and it has the proper faux crossover appearance."

    Perfect recipe to lose tons of money.

  14. "Perfect recipe to lose tons of money."

    How so? US buyers seem to be obsessed with the appearance and increased ride height of crossovers and SUVs; they generally don't want a conventional wagon. If US buyers were stampeding dealerships to obtain conventional wagons, I'm sure manufacturers would be flooding the market with them.

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