Spied: 2012 Buick 'Baby' Sedan Based on the Chevy Cruze
Cars

Spied: 2012 Buick 'Baby' Sedan Based on the Chevy Cruze


Now that General Motors has taken the decision to trim down its passenger car portfolio with the sale of the Saturn and Saab brands as well as the demise of Pontiac in 2010, there seems to be plenty of space for Buick to expand in new vehicle segments that would otherwise be considered a 'no-no'. How else would you explain this new Buick small sedan prototype that was caught by our spy photographers testing in Germany?

2012 Buick Baby Sedan Cruze  - Carscoop The answer to the question could be that the small Buick sedan is destined exclusively for the Chinese market where the American brand is quite popular. Still, we're pretty sure that Buick's U.S. dealers wouldn't mind adding a smaller and more fuel-efficient sedan in their arsenal, especially now that American consumer tastes are slowly shifting towards more compact and frugal vehicles.

But while at this point GM's full intentions on the small Buick sedan remain a mystery, what is certain is that the saloon is based on the same Delta II platform as the new Chevrolet Cruze and next-generation Opel Astra that will be revealed this fall at the Frankfurt Auto Show.

2012 Buick Baby Sedan Cruze  - Carscoop This means that it will be roughly the same size as the Cruze sharing the same engine options that will include numerous four-cylinder diesel and gasoline units, the later in both naturally-aspirated and turbocharged forms.

But will this be enough for the small Buick sedan to be successful? Maybe in China, but in order for the car to make it in the U.S. and justify a higher price tag than its Chevrolet stablemate, GM will have to think out of the box and forget about its effortless badge-engineering techniques of the past.

2012 Buick Baby Sedan Cruze  - Carscoop
2012 Buick Baby Sedan Cruze  - Carscoop
2012 Buick Baby Sedan Cruze  - Carscoop
2012 Buick Baby Sedan Cruze  - Carscoop
2012 Buick Baby Sedan Cruze  - Carscoop
2012 Buick Baby Sedan Cruze  - Carscoop
2012 Buick Baby Sedan Cruze  - Carscoop
2012 Buick Baby Sedan Cruze  - Carscoop
2012 Buick Baby Sedan Cruze  - Carscoop





- 2012 Buick Verano Sedan: China's Excelle Gt Finally Makes It To The States
If you've been following the news on Carscoop, the 2012 Buick Verano won't come as a surprise as the new compact sedan is the North American version of GM's China market Buick Excelle GT that was revealed in the first half of 2010. The two...

- Buick's Vw Jetta-fighting Small Sedan Realistically Rendered
Using an official sketch that was revealed at Buick's Los Angeles Auto Show conference last December as a canvas, GMI (GM Inside News) forum member "Mr. Burns" created a fairly realistic rendering of the firm's forthcoming small sedan that's...

- Buick's "premium" Compact Sedan Spied With Less Camouflage In China
Last week at the Los Angeles Auto Show, General Motors gave us a sneak peek of its, as yet unnamed, baby Buick sedan through a teaser sketch. And while we've already shown you spy pictures of the new Buick, which is poised to take the role of the...

- Chevrolet To Reveal 10 New Models, Buick And Gmc Another 10 Through 2011
The new General Motors announced today that it is going to launch 25 brand-new models into the market by the end of 2011 including five new entries for Cadillac, 10 for Chevy while Buick and GMC will add another 10 new models. We've already told you...

- 2010 Buick Astra Spied In Germany - Could It Make It To The Us?
Bolstering previous rumors that General Motors may expand Buick's lineup with new models from its European Opel division, our spy photographers bagged these shots of a prototype Astra model fitted with Buick's trademark waterfall-style grille....



Cars








.