GM brands Opel-Vauxhall and Buick to deepen their relationship with regards to new model developments
Opel-Vauxhall and Buick will develop more joint-venture models in the future.
The two General Motors brands have confimed they will increase their commitment to new model collaboration.
Buick already sells versions of the Insignia (as the Regal) and Mokka (as the Encore), and GM has recently appointed Opel design director Mark Adams to head up both brands.
“My role is to make Buick and Opel work,” Adams told Autocar. “Some Buick and Opel models are quite close in terms of customer requirement, and the band width of both can grow. But the cars must look tailored for the brand. They won’t look badge-engineered.”
The Buick Riviera and Opel Monza concepts are cases in point; both are similarly proportioned two-door coupés but offering different executions.
The move to tighten the tie-up has been prompted in part by GM boss Dan Ackerson’s frustration over the Adam and Cascada’s non-compliance with US regulations.