It's a bold move from Buick. Replacing the Regal sedan with a wagon and a five-door hatchback coupe. It's a move that could see the brand competing with the likes of Volkswagen's all-new Arteon Grand Turismo, BMW's 2018 4 Series Gran Coupe, and Audi's A5 Sportback.
The current Regal sedan is built at GM's Oshawa, Ontario plant, but that is expected to end later this year. The new Opel Insignia-based cars would be built at a German Opel plant. That's according to a report from Automotive News describing the new Buicks. The all-new Insignia Grand Sport and Insignia Sports Tourer (wagon) were revealed at the Geneva Motor Show last week.
The Regal has long been a midsize sedan, with the current model bringing back the name in 2010. Sedan sales have been suffering, though, with Canadian midsize sedan sales dropping off 11 percent in 2014, 8 percent in 2015, and another 11 percent in 2016. Sales in the US haven't been any better, down 20 percent this year. On the crossover side of the charts, Buick SUVs such as the 2017 Encore have been making big gains.
Enthusiasts have long been asking for more wagons, and four and five-door coupes from luxury brands have been selling well. It's also easier to turn a wagon into a 2017 Volvo V60 Cross Country or Volkswagen Golf Alltrack-style lifted crossover than it is to do the same to a sedan.
The 2018 Regal is expected to debut April 4th, a week before appearing at the New York International Auto Show.
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