Buick’s ‘Commodore’ crossover misses out on V6

UPDATED: 06/04/2017AMERICANS will miss out on V6 power when Buick launches its version of General Motors’ global large all-wheel-drive crossover wagon, the Regal TourX, that will be sold elsewhere as the Opel/Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer and Holden Commodore Tourer.

To be launched in North America later this year, the high-riding wagon will be offered only with a 186kW 2.0-litre turbo petrol powertrain driving four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission and twin-clutch intelligent all-wheel-drive system, meaning only Australians and New Zealanders will have access to the normally aspirated 3.6-litre V6 version with its 230kW of power and 370Nm of torque.

Like Opel and Holden, Buick will sell the high-riding wagon alongside the five-door hatch that it will call Regal Sportback (Vauxhall/Opel calls it Insignia Grand Sport and Holden will simply badge it Commodore).

The superseded Regal sedan – a rebadged current-generation Insignia made in Canada – will be dropped in favour of the new 2018 range imported from the same German plant that will supply both Insignia and Commodore.

The US and Canada will not only miss out on the V6 – a reworking of the current global 3.6-litre V6 – but also the 2.0-litre diesel that will appear across the range in Insignia and in the Commodore liftback (the Tourer will be exclusively V6 in Australia, at least at launch).

The Regal TourX will also come only in all-wheel-drive form, as will the Commodore version.

The announcement of the Buick Regal TourX for North America came just a few hours before Holden revealed details of its version (see separate story).

In the US, Buick will pitch the TourX as a premium product, or as its press release puts, “attainable luxury”.

However, pricing and full specifications have been held back until launch in the fourth quarter.

The Commodore will be the third of the three GM variants to hit showrooms, showing up in Australia in the first quarter of 2018.

GM has also just announced that it will replace the Regal sedan in China with the all-new version and that it will make its debut at the upcoming Shanghai motor show.

In China the Regal earns handy sales for GM’s joint venture with SAIC Motor, with the company shifting 71,000 units last year.

The Chinese version is made in China alongside the larger Buick LaCrosse and top-selling Buick Excelle GT, and comes only in four-cylinder petrol form.