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Chinese 2020 Buick Encore GX Could Join the Encore In the U.S.

As far as crossovers go, the 2019 Encore is the cheapest and smallest that Buick offers. Pricing starts at $23,200 excluding destination, and underneath the skin, the Encore shares the Gamma II vehicle architecture with the Opel Mokka and Chevrolet Trax. In other words, it’s getting on a bit.
2020 Buick Encore GX 8 photos
Photo: Buick
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Automotive News understands from sources that the “longer Encore will join the U.S. lineup” towards the end of 2019. The standard-wheelbase Encore revealed at the Auto Shanghai 2019 won’t follow suit, and that’s because the Global Emerging Markets vehicle architecture hasn’t been developed for North America.

In terms of size, the Encore GX fills the gap between the Encore and the Envision. The biggest crossover of the three costs $31,995 excluding destination while the Enclave starts at $40,000. Even though it’s a station wagon on stilts, Buick calls the Regal TourX a crossover. The American brother of the Opel Insignia Country Tourer starts at $29,070, featuring a 250-horsepower engine and Intelligent AWD as standard.

General Motors filed the trademark for Encore GX with the USPTO on September 21st, 2018. This makes it clear that Buick has plans for a second Encore variant in the United States, and knowing General Motors, the Encore GX will be sourced from China.

Buick claims that both China-spec Encore models feature Ecotec four-cylinder engine options and two transmissions (CVT and nine-speed auto). The Encore GX for the United States is expected with a turbocharged engine with a larger displacement than the 1.4-liter turbo in the Encore. The Encore GX is one of the first General Motors applications of the VSS-F, an all-new platform that stands for Vehicle Strategy Set – Front.

Turning our attention back to the Encore we know and love, the small crossover has posted double-digit sales increased in the United States since 2013 save for 2018. Last year, the Encore sold 93,073 examples in this part of the world. That’s 47 percent of Buick sales in the United States! Given this information, the arrival of the Encore GX is not a matter of if but of when.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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