In its latest effort to bring together its Buick and Opel brands, General Motors has announced that Opel will start production of a new model for Buick in the second half of the decade. The news follows a recent announcement that Buick and Opel will have a single design boss, as well as comments from previous General Motors Company [NYSE:GM] CEO Dan Akerson that the product development teams for both brands were to be brought more closely together.
There was no mention of what Opel-built model will be sailing into Buick showrooms, but an announcement will be made towards the end of this year. Some possibilities include a Buick-badged Opel Cascada convertible or perhaps a new Calibra four-door coupe. Both model names were registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark office recently.
One third possibility is a new crossover, which may end up being the next-generation Enclave. Reports emerged earlier this month claiming Opel was planning a new crossover with styling borrowed from its Monza concept car, and Buick was tipped to get its own version.
Whatever the case, we know the new model will be built at Opel’s main plant in Rüsselsheim, Germany. GM bosses have also given the green light for the production of an additional Insignia variant at the Rüsselsheim plant. The Insignia is currently sold here as the Buick Regal, but this model is sourced from Canada.
General Motors has also confirmed that it will be ceasing sales of Opel in China at the end of this year, a move that makes sense given the increasing overlap between Opel and Buick. China is Buick’s single biggest market, with sales there totaling 810,000 units last year. In contrast, Opel sold just 4,365 units in China over the same period.
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