Buick’s first wagon in more than two decades is taking shape ahead of its expected debut next month.
A test mule of the Buick Regal TourX -- a name trademarked by General Motors in 2015 -- has been spotted in Michigan and Germany, and it looks nearly identical to the Opel Insignia Sports Tourer wagon that debuted at the Geneva auto show this month.
It features the same grille treatment used on Buick's redesigned 2017 LaCrosse sedan and 2017 Encore crossover.
Buick's 5-door Regal hatchback engineered by Opel in Germany.
GM’s Opel unit, which it’s selling to PSA Group of France by the end of the year, has led engineering on the next-generation Regal.
Documents filed with the California Air Resources Board for emissions certification indicate the TourX will feature a 2.0-liter engine and all-wheel-drive.
A sedan-styled five-door hatchback, a rebadged Opel Insignia Grand Sport, also is expected in the Regal lineup.
The 2018 Buick Regal is scheduled to debut on April 4 at the GM Technical Center in suburban Detroit, a week ahead of an appearance at the New York auto show. GM also is revealing the redesigned Buick Enclave crossover in New York.
The Buick Regal TourX wagon, left, and 5-door hatchback, in Michigan this week.
The Regal has been a midsize sedan since the automaker resurrected the nameplate in 2010.
But U.S. sales of midsize sedans have dropped for two consecutive years, and the segment is off 20 percent in the first two months of 2017.
With a gain of 1.7 percent, the Regal was one of only three midsize sedans to post an increase in U.S. sales last year.
The next-gen Buick Regals were spotted in Michigan this week.
By marketing new Regal variants, Buick hopes to counter exposure to the weak U.S. car market by targeting what it calls "white space" in the light-vehicle market.
LMC Automotive and AutoForecast Solutions expect the hatchback and wagon versions of the Regal to be built at Opel’s Ruesselsheim factory in Germany and imported to the U.S.
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