Buick cuts Regal base price by $2,000

July 19, 2017 01:00 AM

Nick Bunkley

GM

DETROIT -- Buick is lowering the starting price of the Regal by about $2,000 when it replaces the sedan on sale now with a new hatchback this fall.

The Regal Sportback, with a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine, will start at $25,915 including shipping, Buick said Wednesday.

The 2018 Regal GS, a higher-performance version of the Sportback with a 3.6-liter V-6 and standard all-wheel drive, starts at $39,990. That's about $2,000 more than the awd version of the 2017 Regal GS, though the redesigned model comes with upgrades that include massaging seats and a new nine-speed transmission.

"This is a sport sedan designed for everyday driving, but one that makes every drive special," Duncan Aldred, GM's vice president for Global Buick and GMC, said in a statement. "The new Regal GS is in the sweet spot of the market: more refined and luxurious than the mainstream, more value for the price with style and premium features on par with higher-end competitors."

The Regal also will be sold in a wagon body style called the TourX. That version will start at $29,995, though sales initially will be limited to higher trim levels costing about $35,000 and up. The base model of the TourX is expected to reach dealerships by February, Buick said.

The 2018 Regal GS, a higher-performance version of the Sportback with a 3.6-liter V-6 and standard all-wheel drive, starts at $47,145.

Buick revealed the 2018 Regal GS on Wednesday, after showing the Sportback and TourX in April. The redesigned Regal GS will have 310 hp -- 51 more than the outgoing model -- and 282 pounds-feet of torque with direct injection, cylinder deactivation and engine stop-start.

Its engine is paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission that soon will be offered on five Buick models. The standard Sportback includes a nine-speed transmission only with front-wheel drive, switching to an eight-speed for awd.

The front and rear fascia, side skirts and rear spoiler are unique to the GS, which comes with 19-inch wheels and Brembo front brake calipers. Inside are heated, cooled and massaging front seats, a sport flat-bottom steering wheel and metal pedals.

Attracting Verano drivers

Aldred said the Regal's lower starting price is meant to attract customers who previously bought the Verano sedan, which was discontinued last fall. He expects transaction prices for the Regal to also be lower than the outgoing model.

The GS should account for about 10 percent of Regal sales, Aldred said, the same as for the 2017 version, while the 2.0-liter Sportback will be the biggest seller.

"We really don't know what the popularity of the TourX will be," he said.