Regal On Facebook: I'm Not Chinese And I'm Not The Crosstour

Edward Niedermeyer
by Edward Niedermeyer

The US-spec Buick Regal is receiving a better-than-Crosstour reception at Facebook, where official photos are showing some slight visual differences from the Chinese-market model. Against all the odds, the US-spec Buick appears to have dropped the Chinese version’s aftermarket-worthy fender vent. A more-subtle grille is another unexpected but welcome maturation. Or is that regression? This Buick’s as clean as the Insignia, somehow doing without the acres of chrome and tacked-on baubles that too often signify “American luxury.” Predictably, the most common comment on the new Facebook page is “needs ventiports.” Chinese-market Regal, for comparison, after the jump.

Edward Niedermeyer
Edward Niedermeyer

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  • Power6 Power6 on Oct 19, 2009
    The silver picture is a US production-spec Regal released by GM. I don't know much about the Facebook stuff, but it appears that picture was posted by a another user, it is part of the commenter pictures, not the official pictures posted by the Regal Facebook. Not that it isn't a production version, but it might not be. It certainly isn't an offical looking photo, looks like it was snapped while someone was getting into the car, you can see the motion blur and the drivers door is open.
  • Joeaverage Joeaverage on Oct 19, 2009

    George A - exactly. I like the Chinese version better and everything you said. psarhjinian - and exactly what you said. ANOTHER product that gets it right and then potentially quickly killed off. WHAT THE **** is GM thinking??? ONCE AGAIN GM CAN get it right in other countries but seems determined to **** it up repeatedly here. Are they TRYING to hand the American car market to some other company??? Sell me the Insignia with a manual 6-spd tranny and the German suspension and undiluted personality and I'll buy BUT don't orphan it in a year or two like the have repeatedly done with the Opels and Holdens. It doesn't make me want a GM North American bland-mobile instead - it just proves that GM is capable of some good stuff but WON'T sell it here for a price that a working man can afford. Of course I've known that since I lived in Europe 15 years ago. Good stuff to be had from GM but we can't have it. Sure they have the Impala and Malibu but to put it like my 9 year old might: YUCK! I don't want anymore of this! More 80% right styling. If they bring the right Opels here unaltered I don't care whether they badge them as Saturns or Pontiacs or Buicks or Oldsmobiles. Just don't F-them up and make them into floaty sponges for wafting down the suburban streets to your next doctor's appointment. We have a couple Buicks in the family. GOOD cars but so BORING. Get them here and I'll just do what the Sprinter guys do - buy the Mercedes badges and make the van into what it really is. Same with the Opels. Is this even a relevant conversation though since GM sold off Opel? Anyone? How can GM be SO STUPID to repeatedly F-up their product lines??? I am SO FRUSTRATED with them!!!! Sell Opels here already!!!! And don't quit in 24 months because you claim they aren't selling. Never mind that you have not promoted it like you have other Gm products. ADHD indeed... FYI - I'm not buying any products built in China out of principle. I might as well buy an American built Honda again (one of several Hondas I have been very happy with). It's about keeping the maximum number of American workers employed if I'm buying a domestic ya know? And so I gotta ask - are the ventiports generally stick on? Can I just pry them off? Not a fan of them...

  • SaulTigh Unless we start building nuclear plants and beefing up the grid, this drive to electrification (and not just cars) will be the destruction of modern society. I hope you love rolling blackouts like the US was some third world failed state. You don't support 8 billion people on this planet without abundant and relatively cheap energy.So no, I don't want an electric car, even if it's cheap.
  • 3-On-The-Tree Lou_BCone of many cars I sold when I got commissioned into the army. 1964 Dodge D100 with slant six and 3 on the tree, 1973 Plymouth Duster with slant six, 1974 dodge dart custom with a 318. 1990 Bronco 5.0 which was our snowboard rig for Wa state and Whistler/Blackcomb BC. Now :my trail rigs are a 1985 Toyota FJ60 Land cruiser and 86 Suzuki Samurai.
  • RHD They are going to crash and burn like Country Garden and Evergrande (the Chinese property behemoths) if they don't fix their problems post-haste.
  • Golden2husky The biggest hurdle for us would be the lack of a good charging network for road tripping as we are at the point in our lives that we will be traveling quite a bit. I'd rather pay more for longer range so the cheaper models would probably not make the cut. Improve the charging infrastructure and I'm certainly going to give one a try. This is more important that a lowish entry price IMHO.
  • Add Lightness I have nothing against paying more to get quality (think Toyota vs Chryco) but hate all the silly, non-mandated 'stuff' that automakers load onto cars based on what non-gearhead focus groups tell them they need to have in a car. I blame focus groups for automatic everything and double drivetrains (AWD) that really never gets used 98% of the time. The other 2% of the time, one goes looking for a place to need it to rationanalize the purchase.
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