General Motors’ best-selling Buick, the subcompact Encore, has a new face and body — and also a sibling. Both vehicles, each carrying the Encore name, saw the light of day Monday at Auto Shanghai, but only one will grace dealerships on this side of the Pacific.
Buick is a big deal in China, and today the SAIC-GM joint venture thrust four Buick-badged vehicles on that depressed, yet still largest auto market. One is an electric vehicle, the Velite 6 MAV (Multi-Activity Vehicle) — a four-door hatch that blends the boundaries of crossover and wagon.
Another, the GL8 Avenir concept MPV, is a high-end van that’s as close to production-ready as a van can get. The Avenir-sub-brand isn’t just for North Americans, you know; Chinese buyers would also like to shell out more dough to attain that status-elevating label. The GL8, if you weren’t aware, debuted in 2016.
Now, the 2020 model-year Encores. GM teased the models earlier this year, leading to some confusion as to which Encore would eventually become the American Encore. Until now, both Chinese and North American Encores were the same vehicle, but GM decided to split the nameplate, adopting the emerging-markets GEM platform for the more affordable of the two.
It now seems that the longer-wheelbase Encore GX (seen at the top of the page) is the one we’ll get, as that model rides atop familiar architecture. According to GM Authority, the Encore GX adopts GM’s VSS-F platform and is classified as “subcompact plus,” thus implying additional interior volume versus the outgoing generation.
GM filed a trademark application for the Encore GX name in the U.S. last year.
Beyond this, there isn’t much else to go on. This was a Chinese debut, and the automaker would only say that both models make use of eighth-generation Ecotec engines, as well as a nine-speed Hydra-Matic transmission or continuously variable automatic.
Encore sales rose 5.7 percent in the U.S. last year, with 93,073 units sold. Compare that to the second best-selling Enclave, which moved 49,647 units in 2018. In the first three months of 2019, Encore sales slipped 3.4 percent.
[Images: General Motors]
Those who love their Encores really seem to love them.
I have a Classroom Aide who is on her 3rd.
That’s some sub VW reliability if she’s gone through 3 of them when the car is only one generation old.
Or she could be leasing….
Yeah the Encore has been around since 2013 calendar year. Could have had a few 24 month to 36 month leases in that time.
Ok, I admit. I didn’t even read the article, just waiting for Norm
He smoked a last gen CTS-V in a tuned Encore and it regularly gets 57mpg on the highway!
It’s Buick’s number one seller. They sell mostly to women-according to an article I read.
The folks down at the bingo parlor are going to love this
Will this be another Chinese-made Buick in the US? It doesn’t seem like the Envision is that much of a seller.
They sold 31,000 units in 2018. Down about 26% (U.S.) from 2017.
I’m wondering if they’re planning to phase out the Envision due to difficulties involved with Chinese imports and stick with just the Encore. That was my read on subcompact plus.
The Envision is selling quite poorly in what otherwise is an improving market segment.
The Encore is built in South Korea at the Bupyeong plant in Incheon. GM announced on March 29, 2019, that Asia-Pacific Regional HQ was being opened within the plant, so I’d say that is a very strong commitment to continue Trax, Mokka, and Encore production in South Korea.
In theory, production could be moved to Mexico where the first generation Trax is built. There is some fringe wishful thinking that the Encore/Trax could go to Lordstown, but I’d say the chance of that is zero.
Given that China gets a different platform than the rest of the world, I would say it is a safe educated guess the US version won’t be built in China.
What “world”? Last time I checked Buick only existed in China, US and Canada.
It looks like a hunkered up frog chilling on a rock. Another “home run” by the trainwreck known as GM!
That actually looks somewhat appealing, unlike the current which resembles a clown car.
The old one had clownish proportions, but Buick detailing. This one has normal proportions but surface development and detailing that makes it look like many other discount CUVs from H-K or Nissan.
Well observed.