In recent years, to a certain extent, China has been a more important market for Buick than the United States. The brand has a relatively wide portfolio in the People’s Republic and what has always seemed like a logical next step is most likely going to happen very soon – products developed and currently produced in China are going to be available in North America as well. And this is not just a rumor or speculation but information confirmed by a high-ranked executive within General Motors.
Speaking during the GM Investor Day earlier this month, Mark Reuss, president of the automaker, confirmed Buick has plans to bring the new Envista crossover to US soil. This vehicle was unveiled in the summer of this year featuring a new design language, combustion power, and decent equipment. Apparently, GM is preparing the Envista for a US launch in the near future.
Gallery: Buick Envista
"It’s already in production in China, paying forward the Buick design off the Wildcat. A beautiful vehicle, getting ready for the US here as well, just a beautiful addition to the Buick lineup,” Reuss said during his speech. To us, this sounds like a pretty solid confirmation, even though there are no additional details available for the moment.
In China, the Envista has a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine from the Ecotec family. Its output is not really impressive – 181 horsepower (135 kilowatts), but the 0 to 62 miles per hour (0-100 kilometers per hour) acceleration takes 7.9 seconds, which is respectable for a vehicle of that segment. The four-cylinder mill is mated to a CVT and sends power exclusively to the front wheels. Buick promises an average fuel consumption of 6.52 liters per 100 kilometers or about 36 miles per gallon.
In terms of dimensions, the Envista sits above the Encore GX with a length of 182.6 inches (4,638 mm) and a width of 71.5 inches (1,816 mm). The wheelbase is 106.3 inches (2,700 mm), which results in a slightly more spacious cabin. As far as the equipment is concerned, there’s a 10.25-inch screen dominating the dashboard and a fully digital instrument cluster for the driver. In China, the crossover relies on the Baidu navigation system, though we expect a switch to Buick’s North American infotainment software for the Envista’s US debut.
