Larger Buick Encore GX crossover reportedly a possibility for the US
The new crossover would fit between today's Encore and the Envision.
A new crossover called the Buick Encore GX might be sold in the US, according to a report Monday by Automotive News. The Chinese model made its debut at the Shanghai Motor Show last week and could reportedly go on sale in the US by the end of 2019, though so far there's no confirmation as to the car's immigration plans to the States.
A Buick spokesman in the US declined to comment further and told Roadshow via email, "The reveals in Shanghai were for the Chinese market only."
The GX has a longer wheelbase than the existing Buick Encore crossover. That will put the Encore GX in the compact-crossover segment, whereas today's Encore is a subcompact model. Few details are available as to the Encore GX's technical specifications so far, though Buick said that the car would be offered with both a nine-speed automatic and a continuously variable transmission as options.
The Encore remains the best-selling model in the Buick lineup in the US, with sales in the first quarter of 2019 nearly double those of the next-best seller, the Enclave crossover. So adding a slightly larger model alongside the popular Encore seems like a safe bet to gain sales. And Buick needs the help: As a whole, the brand's US sales were down 8.7 percent year-over-year in the first quarter -- with the Chinese-built Envision crossover, the brand's third-best seller, down 21.4 percent.
At the Shanghai show, Buick also showed a refreshed Encore, but Automotive News reports that model will not make it to the US. The report also says that China is now slated to get a smaller version of the three-row Enclave crossover.
