Encore – The Bunch Blog!

From: https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1120716_2020-buick-encore-spy-shots

By: Viknesh Vijayenthiran

Buick’s pint-sized crossover, the Encore, is about to get a redesign and we’ve just spotted a prototype.

The prototype reveals that the redesigned Encore, just like the current generation, will be twinned with an Opel Mokka X to be sold overseas.

Opel’s redesigned Mokka X has already been spotted and is confirmed to go on sale in markets where the German brand operates in 2020. The redesigned Encore is expected in Buick showrooms late this year as a 2020 model.

With the popularity of the current Encore, which racked up 88,000 sales in the United States in 2017 and expected to have sold even better last year, Buick’s design team was always going to go with an evolutionary look for the new model, and that’s just what our spy shots suggest.

What isn’t so clear is what platform resides underneath. Opel is thought to be using the CMP small car platform of parent company PSA Group for the new Mokka X. It’s possible Buick will also use this platform under license or stick with a platform from the General Motors portfolio. A redesigned Chevrolet Trax related to the new Encore is also due for 2020.

The current Encore’s 1.4-liter turbocharged inline-4 is likely to carry over, and buyers should once again be able to choose between front- and all-wheel drive. We could see the current model’s 6-speed auto swapped out for a 9-speed unit in the new model, though.

Also look for the new Encore to build on the current model’s abilities with new connectivity options and electronic driver aids. We’ll also likely see Buick launch an upmarket Avenir version this time around. Like Buick’s other Avenir models, the Encore Avenir should boast extra chrome detailing on the outside and better materials and seats inside.

Rival subcompact crossovers include the Honda HR-V, Mazda CX-3, Toyota C-HR, and the aforementioned Chevy Trax.

RICK KRANZ

December 22, 2011 – 11:36 am ET

Once scorned for unimaginative vehicles, General Motors’ Buick brand is on a roll these days.

Here’s why.

The Buick Verano was a finalist in Motor Trend‘s recent Car of the Year competition. In fact, I heard the Verano missed the coveted award by a hair. If a more powerful engine was available — and it’s coming in 2012 — the car likely would have captured that title.

The Verano is a compact sedan that shares a platform with the Chevrolet Cruze. Beyond that, the car has unique exterior and interior styling, powertrains, and there’s a wide range of quiet tuning.

My prediction is the Verano will be a hit, but it’s too early for a sales analysis — four cars were sold in November as production was winding up.

Enclave’s sales are on a record pace. Here’s a crossover that is bucking conventional wisdom. The vehicle debuted way back in 2007 and has changed little since its introduction. Sales should be in a downward spiral. Instead, they are headed for Buick’s record book.

So what’s going on? Is the sales boom linked to a heavy incentive blitz? No. Simply, the styling remains appealing. Credit the upswing in the market for taking Enclave with it. Buick sold 52,837 Enclaves through November, an 8 percent boost from the same period last year.

And the brand’s overall sales are up 18 percent this year. Through November, 162,659 Buicks rolled out of dealerships — and that’s without Verano sales and its new crossover.

Speaking of Buick’s crossover, these eyes have seen the Encore, that’s the name of the new model. Sales should keep GM’s accountants happy. The compact is attractive, and, as previously reported in Automotive News, the crossover is based on a platform evolved from the Chevrolet’s Sonic. Here’s a news flash: It’s bigger than the Sonic.

The Encore will debut at the Detroit auto show. Production kicks up in November or December.

GM, still 32-percent owned by you, me, and the rest of the U.S. taxpayers, needs to show its many stakeholders and Wall Street that it can surprise and delight buyers with new products. That means reinventing its brands. With the Verano and Encore, it looks like Buick will hold up its end of the deal.

You can reach Rick Kranz at rkranz@crain.com.
Read more: http://www.autonews.com/article/20111222/BLOG06/111229960#ixzz1hk6re2xq

2020 Buick Encore Spy Shots

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