Drew Dowdell

All you gotta do is spend at least $1500 a year in gas on the Sam's credit card to make getting your own membership worth it.

Cadillac released teaser images today of the upcoming 2026 Cadillac OPTIQ-V.  Fast on the heals of the Cadillac LYRIQ-V released earlier this year, Cadillac promises an even faster and more nimble version of its small crossover EV entry. Already sporting 300 horsepower, the Cadillac OPTIQ-V is poised to become the quickest compact crossover EV on the market. Cadillac engineers have reconfigured the suspension and tightened the steering for a more dynamic feel. For now we can only speculate about power output, but Cadillac will have more information about the 2026 Cadillac OPTIQ-V later this year. View full article

Last week, April 15th, Tax Day for those of us in the U.S., we started a new series called Tariff Tuesday. President Trump’s tariffs amount to one of the largest single increases in taxes on the American People in history. The tariffs which, if fully implemented, will raise $1.4 trillion in revenue, an increase per household of $1,900 to $7,600 per year. Trump's tariff policies change daily, sometimes hourly, so as always, this information is correct for at least 15 minutes after publication. Each week we document the effects the tariff have or could have on the U.S. automotive industry. Last week we made the case that under Trump's tariff policies, affordable sports cars are dead. Prediction: Buick - Killed in the US while Killing it in China Buick is in a bit of a pickle. The number of models they field in the U.S. has dwindled down to just four. In spite of the decrease in offerings, the brand has shown growth in recent years with a significant jump of 39% in the first quarter of 2025. It seems as though Americans were catching on to Buick's new offerings. Buick specializes in inexpensive but premium-feeling small and medium-sized crossovers with just the U.S.-built Enclave filling the large crossover spot. However, Buick's best sellers all come from overseas. The Encore GX is Buick's best seller with 58,239 units sold in 2024. The second runner up is the Buick Envista at 51,316 units. These two models account for more than 50% of all Buick sales in the U.S. Both models are built in South Korea. The Buick Envision is their third best seller (47,340) and accounts for about a third of all sales. It is built in China. The Enclave is their most expensive model. It is built in the US. 2024 sales numbers are distorted (26,400) as it was a model change-over year, but they have typically moved around 40,000 units a year. The South Korean built Encore GX and Envista would face 25% tariffs, adding at least $6,000 - $7,000 to the base price of the vehicles. This pushes the roughly $24,000 Envista and $26,000 Encore GX base prices to between $29,750 to $32,500 respectively. The same currently goes for the Chinese-built Envision. While Trump has raised tariffs on most Chinese imports over 100%, vehicles and vehicle parts from China are under an exemption that keeps the tariff at "only" 25%. The base price of the Envision is $36,500 and with the tariff would likely go over $45,000. While these imported Buick models are excellent values at their current prices and Buick routinely tops the reliability charts, such significant price increases push these models into territory they where not intended to compete in. At nearly $30,000, a base Buick Envista would have to compete with the much larger, more capable, and just as nice U.S.-built Honda CR-V. Across the Pacific, Buick is doing well in China. They have eleven models on sale today with six more coming on a new EV/PHEV/EREV platform showcased with the Buick Electra GS Concept. Buick and GM are making major inroads in the hot EV market their with 40% increases in EV/PHEV market share. They are also showcasing LFP batteries with faster charging technology than is currently available in the U.S. Buick China is so confident in their new platform, they are launching an entire sub-brand called Electra that will feature these six new models. We don't see how Buick can maintain its momentum in the US with massive price increases on its three most popular models that comprise most of their sales. Barclays estimates that GM will cease all imports from South Korea and China, totaling roughly 450,000 vehicles over multiple brands due to tariffs. Rather than on-shoring production, GM may just chose to shutter the brand in the U.S. entirely and let it live on solely in China. While Buick is no longer a major selling brand in the US, ending it removes choice and competition for American consumers. That increased cost and loss of choice are tied directly to the Trump tariffs. View full article

If all they import is the tech but build it here, it could happen. GM is putting a lot of money into building battery plants in the US. They're going to overtake Tesla soon in battery build capacity.

At the 2025 Shanghai Mobility Show, Buick unveiled the Buick Electra GS Concept, a large EV sedan that showcases the brand's new Xaio Yao "super architecture". This concept leads the way for Buick's all-new sub-brand ELECTRA. Xaio Yao will underpin six new Buick models released over the next two years. While Buick says the platform is tailor made for the Chinese market, the technical specs are such that we can't help but hope that it comes to the U.S. as well. The key features of the platform are its ability to support multiple body styles, sizes, drive configurations, and propulsion systems. The platform can be configured as a pure electric (BEV), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), or an extended range electric vehicle (EREV). Depending on the propulsion plant chosen, it can be configured in front-, rear-, and all-wheel drive formats. Partnered with CATL, new Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) batteries allow ultra-fast peak charging at 640kW enabling approximately 217 miles of range added in 10 minutes. LFP batteries are compelling because they use neither nickle nor cobalt and instead rely solely on common elements Iron and Phosphate in their construction. LFP batteries also offer around double the number of charge cycles that traditional lithium-ion batteries offer and do not suffer capacity loss to the degree traditional lithium ion-batteries do. Currently, the only EVs available in the United States with LFP batteries are certain base model Tesla Model-3 and Model-Y. Buick Electra GS The Buick Electra GS Concept is an imposing vehicle, clocking in at 208.7 inches long with a 126-inch wheelbase. For reference, that's longer than a Mercedes-Benz S-Class and Lucid Air. Buick calls the design Kinetic Sculpture with a wide stance and flowing surfaces. The dashboard is especially low, giving occupants exceptional views out the front of the vehicle. The driver gets an augmented reality heads-up display while a 16.3-inch widescreen display caters to the infotainment needs of passengers. Little is said about the likelihood of the Electra GS making it into production, however, Buick did release images of three EVs destine for the market leading off with a new flagship MPV called Encasa. The Encasa will be offered in both PHEV and EV configurations. View full article

If you are a Sam's member, they have a really good credit card rebate program for gas purchases, so not only do you get the cheaper prices at Sam's you also get 5% back on your gas purchases there AND your gas purchases at most other non-Sam's gas stations as well too. Costco has a similar deal and I have their card. I get $400 cash back on that every year and 50% of that rebate is just on gas spend. Because we're driving more this year, I'm already at $147 in rebates for 2025 and my April statement hasn't even closed yet. Even if you never go to a Sam's to shop, it might be worth it to get the Plus membership and their Mastercard now that you have the Navigator.

Platform sharing works in both directions. Also, this wouldn’t be big enough for a direct badge swap to the Crown Signia EV it they are aiming to make it the size of the current one.

I have a Costco on one side of me in a shopping center I'm always in and a Sam's on the other side of me in another area I'm always in. I have both memberships, though the Sam's is not getting renewed when it's up. Both are within 7 minutes of the house. I have my favorite stations marked in GasBuddy and the cheapest prices in the county are those two plus a Speedway that sometimes gives me bonus discounts that is near one of my clients. I probably put way too much effort into figuring out which is the cheapest because I compare the E85 price to the others but have to factor the drop in MPG and the cashback rebates my Costco credit card gives me. There is a spreadsheet on my phone. I'm making a concerted effort to not overthink things this year.

Site search here does suck and there's not a lot I can do about it. Using "site:cheersandgears.com {search terms}" in google might help. At least for me, there is a 35c - 45c difference to fuel at not-Costco/Sams. Filling a 27 gallon tank makes it worth the wait to fill at a warehouse club. Once in a while I get Speedway deals and can fill up with E85 for super cheap.

It's going to matter whether the EV in question has a heat pump HVAC system or resistive heater. I don't have time to look into the Subarus at the moment, but that is an important question to answer. Hyundai/Kia make them optional on lower end EVs, but if you live anywhere north of the Mason-Dixon Line, you should be getting a heat pump by default. Also, if you're in for a cold patch, it's perfectly acceptable to keep the charge at or close to 100% and use house current to pre-heat your battery/cabin before departure. Doing so you'll keep any battery loss to a minimum in cold weather while driving. I should time it sometime, but the main takeaway I have is that it varies widely even at the same station. The Costco I go to can be a fast pump or slow pump depending on how busy they are.

Unsuitable for the US, but it's cute.

A new contender for your consideration?

Even in Europe, 200 hp for an executive sedan is really lame.