Along with the technology, safety, and styling enhancements offered on the redesigned Buick Regal and Regal GS, is the newly available advanced all-wheel-drive.
While those in the Snowbelt, and perhaps many further south this winter, associate all-wheel-drive vehicles with wintery weather, the Regal’s on-demand automatic AWD system is designed to help provide better control in all weather and road conditions, including dry surfaces.
Using a system that can distribute power both front to rear and side to side, the Regal is able to shift torque to the wheels based on vehicle data and driver input. When trekking through snow and icy conditions better control is achieved through improved traction and stability with drive to all four wheels.
The same ideas are applied during spirited driving and even emergency maneuvers on dry or wet pavement. With the ability to transfer power to the rear, the Regal AWD is not depending on the front wheels to do it all. This, combined with HiPer Strut front suspension, results in enhanced control from less torque steer and understeer when the driver needs traction the most, such as exiting a corner.
“With power going to all four wheels and the ability to transfer power to the wheel with the most grip, we’ve helped enable the driver to have maximum control on all surfaces,” said James Walter, Regal AWD engineer. “This system is constantly monitoring several inputs and anticipating action. It can be very beneficial in keeping the rear of the car balanced during an emergency maneuver.”
At launch in a straight line, the core of the AWD system splits the torque approximately 50/50 between the front and rear wheels. The system is constantly calculating and redistributing the torque. In the Regal GS, selecting the Sport or GS Interactive Drive Control modes heightens the AWD system sensitivity and shift up to 15 percent more torque to the rear wheels for improve traction and stability during performance driving.
An active Haldex module directs drive to the rear wheels. This system uses an electronic limited slip differential, or eLSD, which can rapidly shift torque between the two rear wheels to make the most of vehicle stability and cornering capability. A more neutral balance, less torque steer and understeer for maximum grip results in optimal acceleration, cornering and handling during performance driving in the Regal GS AWD.
AWD is available on all 2014 Regal models equipped with the new 2.0L Turbo engine that produces a refined 259 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. The Regal is the fourth Buick in the current lineup to offer AWD, alongside Enclave, Encore, and LaCrosse.
Did you know NASCAR had homologation rules as recently as the 1980s? Neither did I.
Just
117 LeSabre Grand Nationals were built in order to homologate the
streamlined rear quarter window for NASCAR competition. It was not
turbocharged and just one run of cars were built to be sold in areas
near the Daytona 500.
It was supposed to be built in black and
white, but just black was built, along with one red one. All the info
you could want on the LeSabre GN is available here.
Source: Jalopnik
With only 547 examples made, the Buick GNX is easily one of the most sought after American cars of yesteryear. The GNX had the performance to go along with its devilish good looks, packing a 276 horsepower turbocharged V6 under the hood – which made it faster than even the Corvette at the time. These all-black monsters are hard to come by in good shape, which might explain why this mint 1987 GNX fetched $106,000 at Barrett-Jackson’s recent auction in Scottsdale, AZ.
The car just so happens to be the lowest mileage GNX in existence, having only traveled 11 miles since the Miller Beer Brewing Company bought it and stashed it away in 1987. Prior to its sale at Barrett-Jackson, it was part of the Michael Jenkins Collection. Sporting serial no. 442, this GNX looks like it has been stuck in a time capsule since 1987. It still has the original window sticker, as well as the original invoice and purchase order. It hasn’t even been washed since it left the dealership more than 26 years ago.
The GNX might just be the coolest car Buick ever made and ever will make. That is, unless they produce another black two-door wearing the GNX nameplate, which they trademarked once again back in 2012.
Source: http://gmauthority.com
Creative approaches lead to top honors
Ace Metrix has recognized Buick as a 2013 Brand of the Year for its creative advertising campaign last year.
The Ace Score is the measure of ad creative effectiveness based on viewer reaction to national TV ads. A unique sample of at least 500 people, representative of the U.S. TV viewing audience, scores each ad.
“Buick took the Luxury Auto category – winning with a steady cadence of clever ads that focused on technology, performance and value. They edged out Mercedes and BMW for the top spot,” said Toula V. Thomas, director, insights & analytics at Ace Metrix.
This award follows the brand’s fourth consecutive year of retail sales gains. Buick’s U.S. retail sales – those to individual customers – for 2013 were up 13 percent over 2012, reaching the highest level since 2006. Total U.S. Buick sales increased 14 percent in 2013, also the highest in the past seven years.
“This award reinforces that our campaigns are really speaking to consumers and spreading the word about Buick’s great lineup of luxury vehicles,” said Sandra Moore director of Buick advertising and sales promotion.
In addition, an Enclave ad called "Landing" was the highest-performing luxury or non-luxury automotive ad since Ace began testing in 2009. To date, Ace Metrix has tested nearly 2,800 automotive ads, and “Landing” outperformed the luxury auto norm by 20 percent. Enclave recorded its best-ever sales in 2013.
To be considered for Ace Metrix Brand of the Year, brands must have debuted five or more unique pieces of creative advertising within an industry or category containing more than 100 pieces of creative and five qualifying brands. A brand’s body of work decides the award.
1. The Blues Brothers (1980)
2. To Live and Die in LA (1985)
3. The French Connection (1971)
4. Bullitt (1968)
5. Ronin (1998)
Refreshed full-size sedan achieves top overall mark in stringent crash tests
The 2014 Buick LaCrosse has received the highest possible 5-Star Overall Vehicle Score for safety as part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s New Car Assessment Program.
“Safety is one of the pillars of the Buick brand and our flagship continues to echo this essential element to our customers,” said Jeff Yanssens, chief engineer of the LaCrosse. “Not only do we offer advanced safety technologies in the 2014 LaCrosse, but we designed and engineered the core of the car to perform well with respect to crash safety.”
Employing many advanced technologies – including the use of camera and radar – to help avoid crashes, the refreshed full-size sedan offers one of the most comprehensive collections of standard and available safety features in the segment. Helping the driver identify potential crash situations, visual, and audible or where available, seat vibration alerts are initially used by these systems. If a crash threat appears imminent, some systems can even intervene and apply the brakes.
The available safety and convenience features include:
Safety Alert Seat – A patented General Motors’ technology, the driver’s seat works with many of the advanced safety features, providing seat vibration pulses indicating the direction of a potential crash threat.
Automatic Collision Preparation – Radar technology detects a possible crash threat and alerts the driver. If the system detects that the driver does not apply the brakes, this feature intervenes to automatically trigger the brakes in an effort to reduce crash damage.
Forward Collision Alert – If the camera technology detects a possible crash threat, the system will send an alert.
Full-speed-range Adaptive Cruise Control – Radar technology senses traffic in front of the LaCrosse to adjust vehicle speed, including bringing the vehicle to a complete stop and accelerating again upon driver request.
Lane Departure Warning – A camera-based lane detection system can warn the driver of unsignaled lane changes. The camera, mounted near the inside rearview mirror, identifies lane markings, and provides alerts.
Lane Change Alert – Under most driving conditions, the system helps to inform the driver of fast-approaching vehicles in the next lane that are up to 230 feet (70 meters) behind the car. The LaCrosse is one of the first vehicles to offer this technology.
Side Blind Zone Alert – Using radar sensors on both sides of the vehicle, the system scans for other vehicles in the blind zone areas of the LaCrosse and under most driving conditions, indicates their presence with light-emitting diode, or LED-lit symbols in the outside mirrors.
Rear Cross Traffic Alert – Based on the radar sensors of side blind zone alert, it can warn the driver of vehicles in traffic when backing out of a parking spot – including angled parking. Visual, and audible or available seat vibration alerts are triggered if moving vehicles are detected.
Rear Vision Camera – In reverse, the camera provides a view of the area behind the LaCrosse, shown on the display in the center stack infotainment system.
The General Motors Foundation is making a quality preschool education possible for 256 children in Detroit’s most challenged neighborhoods through a $500,000 grant in support of the Education Achievement Authority (EAA) of Michigan.
“Early education is a critical factor in the long-term success of our children. This very generous gift from the GM Foundation will make a huge difference in the lives of our children, and we are very grateful for the support,” Education Achievement Authority Chancellor John Covington said.
Established in 2011, the EAA took over and is turning around 15 persistently failing schools in Detroit. The GM Foundation funding enabled the EAA to expand its reach into early learning and create 16 new “GM Foundation Early Learning Classrooms."
“The GM Foundation has made a commitment to fundamentally improve the lives of our children and the larger community,” said Michael J. Brennan, president and CEO, United Way. “This investment will go a long way in laying the foundation for success for some of Detroit’s youngest children. We applaud the type of corporate leadership the GM Foundation has shown time and again.”
