Buick Regal Wagon?

A couple days a group of new Buick Regal sedans at a General Motors testing facility in Michigan. It is believed that the sedans are part of the certified test fleet for the Regal, which is the last phase of development a vehicle undergoes before it launches for public consumption. The interesting part is that parked alongside the sedans were Opel Insignia wagons, approximately ten of them. Why would Insignia wagons be part of the Regal test fleet? Well, GMI was told why today.

According to sources familiar with GM’s product decisions, the GM Executive Committee recently approved the sale of the Opel Insignia wagon as the Buick Regal Wagon both in North America and China. GMI sources state that the wagon will come to the North American market sometime in the first quarter of 2011, with production taking place alongside the sedan in GM’s Oshawa, Ontario assembly complex. Production will also take place in China for that respective market.

GMI has not obtained confirmation on any engine specifics, however the wagon will likely be sporting the same 2.4L and 2.0L Turbo ECOTEC four-cylinder engines. All transmissions on the Regal sedan are six-speed variants, both automatic and manual.

The Regal sedan launched in the Chinese market in late 2008 and amassed sales of nearly 80,000 units last year alone. The North American Regal will be launching as a 2011 model later this spring, however the car will be imported from Germany until February 2011 when the Oshawa facility will be ready.

Last month at the North American International Auto Show GMI asked several Buick executives about the possibility of getting the Insignia wagon as a sister car to the new Regal. One Buick official responded, “I would love to bring over the wagon, so long as people will buy it!”

The addition of the Insignia wagon to the Buick lineup further solidifies the new close ties between the Buick and Opel brands. GMI reported over a year ago that the premium marquees would be getting closer ties with the demise of the Saturn brand. The chumminess between Opel and Buick is expected to continue with the upcoming Buick compact sedan, which is based on the Opel Astra.

[GM Inside News]