2012 buick bolero
The 2012 Buick Bolero will be based on the company's Chinese-market Excelle, pictured here. See pictures of the 2010 Buick Enclave.

Consumer Guide's Impressions of the 2012 Buick Bolero

Tough new fuel economy mandates have General Motors rethinking future plans. That's why the rumor mill expects a new compact Buick based on a hot seller in China.

What We Know About the 2012 Buick Bolero

General Motors now sells more Buicks in China than it does in the U.S. The company has thus decided that future Buicks will be developed with an eye to both markets. The lineups won't be identical, of course, but there will be increased sharing of design and engineering ideas across the vast Pacific. It's part of GM's new global product strategy that aims to slash costs and increase manufacturing flexibility.

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Buick's top seller in China is the Excelle, a front-wheel-drive four-door compact sedan based on a design from the GM Daewoo operation in South Korea. With the Chinese economy booming and buyers demanding more upscale wheels, the Excelle is being redesigned as a "more premium" model on GM's new rear-wheel-drive Alpha platform. It's expected to debut either late this year or early in 2009.

Alpha came to light last fall as part of GM's latest contract with the United Auto Workers, when the company confirmed at least one Alpha model for the U.S., a baby Cadillac. ("ATS," anyone?) But that was before Congress passed tough new fleet-average fuel-economy standards that begin with model-year 2011 and rise to a 35-mpg mandate by 2020. To help cope with this reality, GM is said to be thinking seriously about a U.S.-built Excelle tailored to the American market. Because the Excelle name will surely be changed--too close to the nasty old Hyundai Excel--we're calling this model the 2012 Buick Bolero, after an attractive small Buick concept from some years ago.

For more inside information on hundreds of new cars of today and tomorrow, check out:

  • C­onsumer Guide New Car Reviews and Prices: Road test results, photos, specifications, and prices for hundreds of new cars, trucks, minivans, and SUVs from the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide.
  • Buick: Read Consumer Guide's full reports, including ratings, prices, specifications, and fuel economy.
  • Premium Compact Cars: The 2012 Buick Bolero will compete in the premium compact car class. Here's Consumer Guide's roundup of all the premium compact cars on sale today.
  • Future Cars: Step into the automotive showroom of tomorrow with reviews, analysis, pictures, prices, and preliminary specifications on scores of vehicles that will be appearing next year and beyond.