"Baby Enclave" and "Baby LaCrosse" Confirmed for Buick

[nsap]

"Baby Enclave", "Baby LaCrosse" Confirmed for Buick
GM showed dealers both small-scale upcoming Buick products.
www.gminsidenews.com
October 17, 2009
By: Nick Saporito
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Screen shot from GM commercial with speculated "Baby Enclave" in the background.

Update: GMI has been told that the "Baby Enclave" is going to be based on the Gamma II platform that will underpin the next-generation Chevrolet Aveo and is similar in size to that of the Nissan Rogue. An independent source of GMI's also confirmed this evening that the GM Executive Committee has approved the Gamma II Buick crossover.
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Back on August 10th General Motors invited a swarm of Twitter users and bloggers to the GM Design Dome to preview essentially every future product that GM has coming. Of course the Twitter users that were there at the time were tweeting about the products as they saw them. Of which, we heard about three Buick's. The first was the Regal, which GMI has extensively uncovered over the last two days and the other two were more hush-hush. One was a small car and the other another crossover.

As everyone knows by now, GMC-Buick dealerships were invited to Detroit for a meeting with GMC-Buick management regarding the new products that both brands will be getting going forward. Aside from the Regal dealerships were shown the other two new Buick's. The first was a small car based on the Delta II compact car platform. Two dealerships that attended the event have told GMI that the car looked like a "baby LaCrosse" from a design perspective. The dealerships were not told what the small car will be named, however rumors have surfaced on the web that the small car will be named "Verano." GMI has confirmed with the U.S. Trademark office that General Motors Company has issued a trademark for "Buick Verano" back on May 20, 2009. Production for the car is slated to begin sometime in 2011.

The other future Buick shown to dealerships was the now-famous "Baby Enclave." The dealerships GMI has talked with stated that GMC-Buick management were calling the vehicle the baby Enclave as well. The vehicle is expected to be on the Gamma II platform, which will underpin the Chevrolet Aveo and a GMC crossover. It is also suspected that a clay model of this vehicle was shown in the background of GM's May the best car win commercial featuring Chairman Ed Whitacre. Like with the small car, the baby Enclave has been rumored to end up with the name "Encore." That name would certainly fit with it's big brother, the Enclave. Like with the Verano name, GMI did confirm with the U.S. Trademark office that GM has filed a trademark for the name "Buick Encore" on June 8, 2009. The baby Enclave is expected sometime in 2012.

It is important to note that the names for the two new Buick's have not been finalized as of yet. GM did not even tell the dealerships the speculated names, however GMI is fairly confident the names will be finalized based on sources we have talked to.

[Suziebob]

So is the Astra not coming anymore?

[Taglane]

Encore is gonna be a great name for Marketing- that's for sure!

[dewey9315]

The Buick Family is growing!

[Taglane]

So is the Astra not coming anymore?

Maybe this "baby lacrosse" is the rebodied Astra Sedan

[nsap]

So is the Astra not coming anymore?

Astra has been in limbo. It's hard to say what will happen with it at this point...I don't think GM knows.

[-World Class-]

Wonderful news for Buick!

Encore is the perfect name for the baby Enclave.

Verano sounds pretty intriguing as well.

[FenwickHockey65]

So the Encore is on Theta-Epsilon? Wasn't there a Gamma-II crossover in the works for Buick as well? Or is that now the GMC crossover?

And I would expect the Verano to be an Astra sedan.

[nsap]

So the Encore is on Theta-Epsilon? Wasn't there a Gamma-II crossover in the works for Buick as well? Or is that now the GMC crossover?

And I would expect the Verano to be an Astra sedan.

The dealers said size-wise is was very very similar to the Terrain/SRX.

[Quickening]

I hope it isn't Encore. Just meh, its weak. And the Buick needs to be as good as the SRX, and the SRX needs a 1 or 2 year refresh/redo.

Baby LaCrosse scares me a little. Sounds like we won't be getting a grill swapped Astra.

[cdp326]

I like the Verano name. Rhymes with Murano. Plus it sounds a little familiar.




(I seriously do like the name, just a little amused at the similarity. I prefer it to Skylark or Skyhawk like some suggested the small Buick should be named.)

[brnwrng]

cool

[civilzues]

Totally digging a baby LaCrosse!

[alero14]

So is the Astra not coming anymore?

According to some publications the Verano is based off the Astra sedan design and chassis to give it a ride and handling that would fit Buicks new position in GM.

[chevyman1973]

this is where buick needs to be headed, now why not just let us no more about it! Its small ok and its a small crossover!