Officially Official: 2012 Buick Regal GS unveiled ahead of LA debut

General Motors left us on the edge of our seats at this year’s Detroit Auto Show when its Buick Regal GS show car was unveiled. A few months later, GM confirmed that the sportier Regal was headed for production, and now, just a short time before the sedan’s official debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show, we have official information and photos of the production-ready car. Ladies and gentlemen, the 2012 Buick Regal GS has arrived.

GM has, of late, made great strides to rework Buick’s image here in the United States, trying to inject some youth and enthusiasm in a brand that has long been associated with a much older crowd of buyers. This top-rung Regal is based heavily on the performance-oriented Opel Insignia OPC, one of Europe’s most praised sport sedans, and while the U.S.-spec car you see here certainly looks like it’s fresh off the boat, it has been toned-down in its transoceanic journey. We get the Opel’s beefed-up visuals with large, fang-like air intakes up front, big exhaust-work out back and optional 20-inch satin chrome wheels (19s are standard, if that’s more your style), but where the Regal GS begins to separate itself from the Insignia OPC isn’t visible from outside.

Buick dealers reportedly clamoring for more Regal models amidst strong early sales

The 2011 Regal is Buick’s latest attempt at reinventing its own brand image. Apparently, the plan is working even better than Buick thought it might – dealers are asking for more. In fact, in their monthly re-orders, dealers are asking for twice as many cars as General Motors can actually provide.

Currently, the Regal is built in GM’s Russelsheim, Germany plant and production has just begun on the 2.0-liter turbocharged model (read: not the higher-output GS that will arrive sometime next year). Production of North American Regals will soon be shifted to The General’s Oshawa, Ontario facility.

IIHS awards 2011 Buick Regal Top Safety Pick

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) just wrapped up its battery of batterings on the 2011 Buick Regal, and the results have netted “Good” ratings for front, side, rear and rollover impact protection.

Additionally, the Regal is the seventh vehicle from General Motors to earn a Top Safety Pick award, which includes the aforementioned rollover test where the Regal excelled. Buick’s Euro-born sedan was able to withstand almost five-times its weight – up from the federally-mandated standard of 1.5 times.

The Regal joins its Buick sibling, the LaCrosse, along with the 2011 BMW 5 Series, Ford Taurus, Hyundai Genesis, Toyota Avalon and Volvo S80 as a Top Safety Pick in the large car segment. Full press release after the break.

Review: 2010 Buick Enclave CXL AWD

There was a time when Buick was the brand of choice for doctors, lawyers and politicians. Its cars were elegant enough to show success without being overt signals of wealth, they were the epitome of inconspicuous consumption. But that was a long, long time ago. Buicks of the last 30 years look like slightly disguised versions of a run-of-the-mill Chevrolet, with a bit more chrome and better seat fabrics.

Buick design went from purposely understated to flat-out dull, and the average age of the brand’s buyers shot up to over 70 in the mid-2000s. If it weren’t for Buick’s success in China, the Trishield would have likely followed Oldsmobile into retirement. But instead of mothballing Buick for good, General Motors decided to finally give the brand what it really needed: new and exciting products. Former Vice Chairman Bob Lutz went as far as to say that Buick’s new products were going to compete against Lexus. We were all a bit skeptical, but one vehicle began making believers.

The Buick Enclave took many by surprise when it debuted in early 2007 with attractive styling and a well-appointed cabin. And since production started, the Enclave has proven to be a strong seller. In fact, the Enclave continually beats the combined sales of its crosstown rivals, the Ford Flex and the Lincoln MKT.

Report: Buick Verano compact coming in 2012

As July’s By The Numbers showed us, American buyers are quick to forget the pain of having to fill up a full-size pickup or SUV when gas prices are in the $4-per-gallon range. Without the guiding hand of Uncle Sam pushing the car-buying public towards smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles, consumers are all about being large and in charge in the passing lane. But According to Automotive News, General Motors is keen to the fact that fuel won’t stay cheap forever, and to prepare for a returning tide of buyers rushing to small cars when oil goes sky high again, the company is planning a more diminutive product lineup.

If the Automotive News article is on its mark, we can expect to see a new compact Buick called the Verano as well as a hybrid version of the Lacrosse. There’s no telling exactly which architecture the baby Buick will use for its bones, but the Chevrolet Cruze wouldn’t be a bad bet in our eyes. Likewise, GMC will see the introduction of a production version of the Granite concept and Chevrolet should have the all-new Aveo join its ranks along with the Spark city car. Automotive News even says that The General is planning to shrink theImpala. Sounds good to us, but when it comes to Buick, these small-car rumors crop up nearly every year.

Buick to expand line with coupe, convertible and wagon?

Buick conducted another in its series of webchats and this time product marketing director Roger McCormack attended the party. One of the first real signs of the brand’s rebirth came three years ago with the debut of the Riviera concept. Since then, Buick has focused on launching its mainstream, higher volume products like the LaCrosse and Regal, and the Riviera coupe has languished on the sidelines.

However, McCormack says the coupe concept could live on as a production model. He acknowledged that acoupe is receiving “very strong consideration” and admitted that a convertible would help excite customers, but wasn’t prepared to make any announcements. Even a wagon was not ruled out and could be among the first to join the lineup. A be-hatched version of the Insignia already exists in Europe and a prototype withRegal badges has been spotted in Michigan in the past. No doubt Buick will be watching the sales of theAcura TSX Sportswagon when it arrives this fall in deciding what to do with the Regal. The full transcript of the chat is available here.

New Bentley Mulsane Limousine Priced from £220,000 in the UK, Sales Start Next Summer

Bentley’s new flagship limousine, the Mulsanne, will arrive in the United Kingdom in the Summer of 2010 with a starting price of £220,000 (including taxes and delivery charges), which comes to about US$365,000 or €242,000 with the current exchange rates, the company announced today.

Powered by a twin-turbocharged 6¾-litre V8 engine that delivers a hefty 512 horsepower, the luxury Bentley flagship will offer buyers a wide variety of personalization options including a palette of 114 paint colors, 21 carpet colors, nine wood veneers and 24 different interior leather hides to choose from.

Bentley said it has already held more than 1,000 private customer previews of the Mulsanne at the company’s factory in Crewe, England as well as a series of preview events held at dealerships across the UK, Continental Europe and the United States, and that early customer interest exceeds 2010 production targets

“Even at this very early stage, the expression of interest we’ve received easily exceeds our 2010 production targets,” said Stuart McCullough, Member of the Board for Sales & Marketing for Bentley.

“The Mulsanne’s credentials are a pure expression of Bentley design and craftsmanship, and that’s struck a chord with Bentley enthusiasts across the globe as well as many of the potential customers we have welcomed for tours in Crewe this year. We’ve been encouraged by the positive commentary, notably from our American customers as the Mulsanne was privately previewed in seven metro markets across the country.”

Production of the Mulsanne will commence at the firm’s Crewe headquarters in England in the second quarter of 2010 with each example taking about nine weeks to build.