Reports indicate that the Buick Regal, including the Regal TourX, will no longer be available in the U.S. This decision comes despite some demand from enthusiasts for the wagon model, reflecting the overall decline of wagons in the American market.
The discontinuation of the Regal was confirmed by Buick and GMC’s communication chief, Stuart Fowle, in a conversation with Motor Authority. This move eliminates the Regal series, joining the already retired LaCrosse sedan and Cascada convertible, leaving Buick with a lineup solely comprising crossovers—the Encore, Enclave, Envision, and the new Encore GX.
“Buick’s focus on SUVs aligns with the current trend among consumers. Nearly 90 percent of Buick sales this year have been crossovers,” Fowle mentioned. “While the Regal will cease to exist in the U.S. and Canada, it will still be procurable in China, where the demand for sedans remains high.”
During 2019, Regal sales saw a 12.07% decline in the third quarter, even as the brand’s total sales for the year increased by 10% to 157,855 units. Among those figures, only about 8,849 units were Regals, as per the latest quarterly report from GM Authority.
Buick follows Ford in eliminating conventional car models from its lineup in favor of popular crossover SUVs. While Ford expressly stated its intent to phase out cars from its U.S. range, Buick’s decision seems to have been more circumstantial.
Previously, Buick relied heavily on Opel for supply, engineering, and manufacturing support. However, with GM selling its controlling interest in Opel to PSA Groupe, the fate of models like the Regal, LaCrosse, and Cascada, all based on Opel platforms, was sealed.
The new Encore GX ditches its Opel roots for a fresh GM Korean-made platform, also used in the 2021 Chevy Trailblazer. Even though the Buick Enclave shares its architecture with the Chevrolet Traverse and Cadillac XT6, GM maintains the engineering rights to that platform. The Buick Envision, built in China, remains unchanged with its Opel-sourced platform.
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