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The Regal nameplate was discontinued after a short production lifespan, but it continues to strive in the Chinese market. What does a 2023 Buick Regal GS look like today?
The Buick Regal lineup that consists of Regal GS, Sportback, and TourX variants was announced to be axed from production back in 2019. This left the manufacturer with crossover SUVs only for the US market, since the Regal is continuing to be assembled for the Chinese market in China. So, is there a possibility for a 2023 Buick Regal GS to make a comeback in America? Find out below.
An Overview of the Buick Regal
The Regal is a mid-size vehicle lineup manufactured and distributed since 1973 by Buick. For almost its whole lifespan, it has been offered as the premium intermediate product from the range of Buick. The 1970s to 1990s models of Buick Regal were presented as the counterpart of the Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme and Pontiac Grand Prix.
The Regal GS in particular makes a debut in 2017 as a 2018 model year. It is touted as the performance-focused variant of the Regal Sportback. There are several variant-exclusive features it brings, such as a new 310 HP 3.6L LGX V6 engine (as also found in the Commodore XVR) and a nine-speed automatic transmission. It comes standard with an all-wheel drive model to support the additional power. Appearance-wise, the GS model also has some distinctive elements such as different front fascia and grille designs to accommodate its own front-row seats and instrument panel.
Why the Regal was Discontinued
In 2019, it was announced that the 2020 model year of Regal would be the last of the model’s production in the US market. Buick continues to manufacture the sedan variant of the Regal for the Chinese market in China.
From a business point of view, considering the sales number of the Regal and the fact that the market is moving towards crossover SUVs recently, this decision actually makes sense. Even if three sedan models of Buick are combined (the Regal, LaCrosse, and Cascada), they made up only 12% of the total sales of this brand in the United States.
Admittedly, Regal is the top-selling of these three with more than 10,800 units sold in 2019, but the figure was significantly outshone by the Buick Encore sub-compact SUV that reached 102,402 units annual sales number in the same year.
The 2023 Buick Regal GS Powertrain and Estimated Price
As mentioned previously, the sedan Regal is continuing to be produced in China which also includes the GS variant. No detail is known yet about the 2023 Buick Regal GS, but it is most likely to maintain being the top-ranging trim of China’s Regal lineup.
The last model year of Regal brings an extreme trimmed down of the range, with only two trim grades instead of six as presented by the previous model year. The upcoming Regal is predicted to bring only Luxury and GS trims with enhanced standard features to boast convenience, comfort, and techs to the buyers. It is also reported that SAIC-GM—the joint venture between SAIC Motor and General Motors that produced the Regal—is going to add a mild hybrid powertrain extra variant.
The 2023 Buick Regal GS is expected to retain the 2L turbocharged LSY 4-cylinder engine, which is shared with the Luxury 2.0T. This engine is claimed to generate up to 233 HP and 258 lb-ft of torque. Meanwhile, the base Luxury 1.5T trim level is most likely to still be powered by a 1.5L turbocharged LFV 4-cylinder engine, which produces up to 166 HP and 184 lb-ft of torque.
As the highest-specs model, the 2023 Buick Regal GS is offered at a higher price compared to other trims. No price detail has been dropped yet, but it is expected to not stray far from last model year’s price range, in which the Regal GS is available for 249,800 CNY or approximately an equivalent of USD 39,500.