Our spy network in the US has thrown up these shots of what looks like the Buick Regal testing on the other side of the Pond. It’s very close to the Chinese-market Buick Regal built by Shanghai-GM and commentators reckon the Insignia-based family car will be sold in the US alongside the LaCrosse as part of an expanded Buick line-up.
All of the above-named mid-sized GM models are based on the Epsilon II platform that underpins the European-spec Insignia family, so that means a comfy front-drive architecture and plenty of gadgets. It’s largely engineered in Europe.
How does the Regal differ from the Insignia?
That vertical, waterfall grille is new – but much of the body language is clearly linked to the Insignia.
GM had been expected to sell this car in the US as the Saturn Aura, but that programme was suspended as part of GM’s financial woes. With Buick now a central pillar to the new GM brand, word is that the Regal could be offered as a cheaper, four-cylinder model within the range.