Shanghai GM, a joint venture between General Motors and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) has taken the wraps off the new Chinese market Buick Regal. With the exception of a few minor styling details like the new grille, the side air-vents and the addition of turning signals on the exterior mirrors, the Regal is in essence a rebadged Opel Insignia. Even though Opels are offered in the domestic market, GM execs considered that the Insignia would sell better as a Buick since -believe it or not- the American brand is more popular among Chinese consumers.
Scheduled to hit Buick’s Chinese showrooms in late December, the new Regal sedan will be offered initially with two 4-cylinder petrol engines, a naturally aspirated 2.4-liter unit developing an output of 165HP and a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine producing 217HP. Both versions will be offered with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard with Buick announcing 0 to 100km/h (62mph) times of 9.8 and 7.8 seconds for the Regal 2.4L and 2.0T respectively.
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