If there is one vehicle that Buick dealers would like, it would be a model to slip between the subcompact Encore and full-size Enclave crossovers. Buick does have such a model, the compact Envision crossover which has been on sale in China since last year. In fact, some Buick dealers were polled about this very vehicle back in 2013. Two years on, many are scratching their heads as to why the Envision isn't here.
"It would fit perfectly in the Buick lineup at a time when crossover sales are growing fast. I'm sure a lot of Buick dealers wish they had it today," said Jack Nerad, executive market analyst at Kelley Blue Book.
Now many believe that the Envision will be coming to the U.S. sometime next year. According to Automotive News, it's likely that the Envision will be imported from China. This will likely be GM's first Chinese vehicle to be imported to the U.S.
But there are some complications to this. First, General Motors is in the middle of negotiating a new contract with the UAW. Union leaders would likely balk at the decision of importing a vehicle from China.
Buick is also trying to satisfy the growing demand for crossovers in China. In the first half of 2015, Buick has sold 57,413 Envisions. This puts sales of the Envision on track to over 100,000 units at the end of year. This could mean a limit of how many Envisions can be exported from the Shandong province plant in China.
Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)
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