J.D. Power has just released its Vehicle Dependability (VDS) Study for 2010, giving the top spot to Porsche, followed closely by Lincoln and Buick. Only one of the three, Buick, was on the podium last year, but has dropped from first to third. Also of significance is the continued slide by Lexus, which finds itself in fourth place this year. Last year Lexus placed third, marking the first time in 14 years the luxury Japanese automaker didn’t take first. That’s nothing compared to Jaguar, however, which dropped a total of 21 spots from second last year to 22nd for 2010.

Other big movers include Ford, moving up six spots to 8th overall.

Included in this year’s results, J.D. Power thought to mention several automakers that placed highly, but which aren’t generally considered by consumers due to poor brand perception about reliability. These include Cadillac, Ford, Hyundai, Lincoln and Mercury. No doubt these brands will all see improved brand perception and sales in the years to come.

Despite its recall woes this year, Toyota continues to perform highly, placing sixth overall and taking home the most vehicle segment awards, for models such as the Highlander, Prius, Sequoia and Tundra. Honda, in seventh place overall, took home three for the CR-V, Fit and Ridgeline.

Overall, J.D. Power found that vehicle dependability has improved by 7 percent.

The 2010 Vehicle Dependability Study was based on responses by more than 52,000 vehicle owners with three-year-old (2007) models. Scores are based on the number of problems per 10p vehicles, with lower scores indicating a higher quality.

GALLERY: J.D. Power 2010 Vehicle Dependability Study

Official release after the jump:

Back in 2007 Buick showed the stunning Riviera Concept and now it appears just such a vehicle isn’t as far fetched an idea as might previously have been though. In an interview with Automotive News, Buick and Chevy design director John Cafaro said that his role at Buick involved, “being a zealot for getting Buick more youthful, more spirited and probing ideas for coupes, more expressive vehicles.”

Again, back in 2007, the Riviera sounded nice (and looked spectacular) but Buick wasn’t really an innovator. Quite the opposite really. But with the launch of the LaCrosse and now the return of the Regal, we’re starting to see more interesting things from the conservative brand. Heck, it would appear as though the high-output Regal Show car will actually see production as the Regal GS. And the Regal isn’t the extend on Buick’s down-sizing either with a new smaller in the works, while a smaller Enclave model is also being talked about.

Cafaro didn’t say much more on the matter, so we’ll just have to keep hoping that the Riviera can be more than just a concept – perhaps even featuring the Regal GS’s 255-hp turbocharged 4-cylinder with AWD.

[Source: Automotive News via Autoblog]

Thanks to the team at GMInsideNews we have two renderings of what Buick’s upcoming entry-level premium sedan should look like. At the official reveal of the brand’s current entry-level offering (the Regal), at the LA Auto Show, Buick announced a newer and even smaller model would join the lineup.

Thanks to the GMI team, the new Buick small car was rendered using GM’s patent filing sketches, as well as items from the Buick LaCrosse and the Opel Astra sedan – on which it will be based. Through to be called the Verano, due to several patents being filed for that name by GM, this smallest Buick could be called the Excelle. After all, this new model will replace the current Excelle in China as well.

According to GMI, Buick will offer the Verano/Excelle with two different engines. The base engine is thought to be the same 1.4-liter turbocharged Ecotec motor as found in the Chevy Cruze with 138-hp, while a larger 1.6-liter turbocharged motor currently used int he Opel Astra Hatch will make 180-hp. The possibility of a high-performance GS model is also there, with the Verano or Excelle GS using the 2.0-liter turbocharged Ecotec motor in the Regal with 220-hp and 258 ft-lbs of torque.

Buick’s upcoming premium compact sedan will go into production in 2011 as a 2012 model.

GALLERY: Buick Verano/Excelle Renderings

[Source: GMI]

When and if the Buick Regal GS makes it to market, we’re not going to see a 325-hp turbocharged 2.8-liter V6 under the hood. Rumors that the Regal GS would get such a motor started almost immediately after the Regal was unveiled, with the Opel Insignia on which it’s based offering that very powerplant and GM announcing a high-performance GS model was in the works. Those rumors seemed to come true when the Regal GS Show Car, unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show, had that very same turbo V6.

Yet, despite what was there, GM said the Regal Show car had a high-boost version of the turbocharged 2.0-liter Ecotec 4-cylinder found in the CXL model. Instead of 220-hp an 258 ft-lbs f torque, however, the GS has 255-hp and 295 ft-lbs of torque, ensuring a 0-60 mph time of roughly 6.0 seconds.

According to Buick/GMC General Manager Brian Sweeney in a conversation on GM’s Fastlane blog, the 325-hp motor is not in the plans. “At 255hp with 0-60 in less than 6 seconds we think we’re in good shape if we bring this to production.”

Buick has yet to confirm a production model GS, but at this point it’s essentially a done deal.

[Source: GMFastLane]

Buick has announced pricing for its 2011 Regal. The Regal will first be available some time in the second quarter 2010 with a 2.4L engine with a sticker price of $26,995. A turbo-charged 2.0L version will come in the late summer at $29,495.

The Regal will initially offered only in the premium CXL trim, with a CX trim coming as a 2012 model, likely after production shifts from Russelsheim, Germany to the Oshawa Car Assembly Plant early in 2011.

The standard Regal CXL will be powered by a 2.4L Ecotec direct injection engine claiming 182-hp while the turbo-charged version will be powered by a 220-hp 2.0L Ecotec direct injection engine. Both engines are paired to six-speed automatic transmissions with Driver Shift Control. According to Buick, the 2.4L version gets an estimated 30 mpg on the highway while the 2.0L turbo engine takes a slight dip with a fuel efficiency of 29 mpg.

“The Regal is the next chapter in Buick’s transformation and we’re excited to bring this Buick sport sedan to market,” said Craig Bierley, Buick Marketing Director. “The dynamic driving experience and intuitive, personal technologies offer customers a premium sport sedan for great value.”

Gallery: 2011 Buick Regal

Official release after the jump:

General Motors is asking Tiger Woods for its cars back, after an agreement with the golf star ended two weeks ago. A contract between Woods and GM’s Buick brand expired in 2008, but the controversial golfer was allowed access to GM products, including the Cadillac Escalade SUV that he so famously crashed in his Florida neighborhood. A clause in the contract that allowed him access to those vehicles expired on December 31st.

The Escalade, which also had its windows smashed by Woods’ wife Elin Nordegren, will reportedly be fixed and sold. Woods also reportedly has a Buick Enclave (which he is shown posing next to, above) for personal use.

Since the Tiger Woods scandal first broke, numerous sponsors have separated themselves from the world’s richest golfer including AT&T, Accenture and Gillette, while Tag Heuer is limiting its use of Woods in their ads, while Gatorade has put a hault on a special line of Tiger Woods-branded drinks.

[Source: USA Today]

Buick introduced a high-tech, higher-spec version of the new Regal at the Detroit Auto Show.

Dubbed the Buick Regal GS, paying homage to Buick’s Gran Sport heritage while showing the potential of the company’s new sedan.

“We designed the Regal GS to explore the appeal of a high-performance variant of the Regal,” said Craig Bierley, product marketing director for Buick. “Like the Regal, the Regal GS is based on the award-winning Opel Insignia, and we believe it will reinvigorate Buick’s storied Gran Sport legacy.”

The Regal GS has a lower body than the regular Regal and features two additional vertical front air intakes, forged aluminum 20-inch wheels, performance tires and racing-inspired steering wheel and pedals.

Powered by a Ecotec 2.0L turbocharged engine with six-speed manual transmission, the Regal GS claims 255 horses and 295 lb.-ft. of torque. The transmission directs that torque to an adaptive all-wheel drive system for improved performance. Buick estimates a 0 to 60 time of 6.0 seconds.

The Regal GS uses the Interactive Drive Control System chassis technology found in 2.0L turbo versions of the Regal CXL. The IDCS provides different driving options that adjust suspension, throttle response and steering sensitivity. While the Regal CXL has “normal” and “sport” riding modes, the concept car has a third “GS” mode that further enhances performance.

Gallery: Buick Regal GS Concept

Official release after the jump:

***See AutoGuide’s LIVE 2010 Detroit Auto Show Coverage Here***

Just ahead of the Detroit Auto Show, Buick has decided to give us the goods on a pre-production (or concept) high-performance version of the new Regal. Called the Regal GS Show Car, it’s goal is to see if there really is a market for such a model in the U.S.

We have to say we’re a little disappointed… and confused. Based on the Opel Insignia, instead of that car’s turbocharged 2.8-liter V6 engine and 325-hp, this Regal GS Show Car uses a high-output version of the 2.0-liter Ecotec 4-cylinder engine that will normally be offered in the Regal, with 220-hp and 258 ft-lbs of torque. In this car, says GM, the same engine will produce 255-hp and 295 ft-lbs of torque - significantly less than the high-performance Opel model.

What has us confused is that at a live showing of the car, under the hood there is no such 2.0-liter Ecotec motor, but the Opel Insignia OPC’s 325-hp mill. Sadly, GM probably just didn’t bother to swap engines as this show car likely started its life as an Insignia and was just rebadged.

In other words, expect the Turbo 2.0-liter in the production version of this car, which hasn’t been confirmed yet, but is most certainly coming.

Still, we can’t really complain too much about the power ratings and Buick says the Regal GS will hit 60 mph in under six seconds! It also gets a six-speed manual transmission, AWD, 20-inch wheels with low profile rubber, four-pot Brembo brakes and a rear electronic limited slip differential! And to make the driving experience even more dynamic it features Buick’s new Interactive Drive Control System (IDCS), which will be offered on the CXL models, letting the driver adjust suspension settings, throttle response, shift points (automatic only) and steering sensitivity by selecting one of three driving modes: Normal, Sport and GS.

And along with a sporty exterior, the Regal GS has an amazing interior, including some highly-bolstered Recaro seats.

We’ll be sure to bring you more on this car with live coverage of the Detroit Auto Show starting January 1th.

GALLERY: Buick Regal GS Show Car

Official release after the jump:

***See AutoGuide’s LIVE 2010 Detroit Auto Show Coverage Here***

Along with a long list of Chevy products set to debut at the Detroit Auto Show, GM will deliver unconventional new vehicles for both Buick and GMC. First up is a high-performance Buick Regal, thought to be called the GS. Based on the European Opel Insignia OPC, the Regal GS will use a 2.8-liter turbocharged V6 to make 325-hp and put that power to the ground using an all-wheel drive setup.

In addition to this gotta-gave Buick, GM’s GMC brand will debut its smallest model ever, based on the upcoming Chevy Orlando MPV. This smaller-than-a-mini-van vehicle will be a sister car to the Orlando but is aimed at a different segment of the market. While the Orlando is intended to compete with vehicles like the Mazda5, Kia Rondo and Dodge Journey (not to mention the upcoming Ford C-Max), the GMC version, dubbed the GMC Granite, is aimed at the youth market. The Granite would then target cars like the Nissan Cube, Scion xB and Kia Soul with styling and youth-oriented features.

We have to think that it would probably be best if GMC stayed true to its truck roots, but with GMC’s masculine traits laid over a boxy body shell, this might be the right model to make the GMC brand popular in urban markets.

[Source: CanadianDriver]

***See AutoGuide’s LIVE 2010 Detroit Auto Show Coverage Here***

The short list for North American Car & Truck of the Year just got a lot shorter and the list of finalists includes one GM product and one Ford product in each category. The three finalists for 2010 North American Car of the Year include the Ford Fusion Hybrid, Buick LaCrosse and Volkswagen Golf. As for Truck of the Year, the three nods go to the Ford Transit Connect, the Chevrolet Equinox and Subaru Outback.

The winner will be announced at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on January 11th. The North American Car & Truck of the Year is decided by a panel of 49 journalists from both the U.S. and Canada.

Last year the winners included the Hyundai Genesis and Ford F-150, marking the first time a Korean automaker had won Car of the Year. Domestics have won Car of the Year eight times, with European countries taking the award four times and the Japanese three times. Truck of the year has long been dominated by domestic automakers, taking the award 10 times, compared to four for the Japanese and two for the Europeans.

AutoGuide will be covering the 2010 North American Car & Truck of the Year awards live at the Detroit Auto Show starting January 11th.

[Source: Automotive News]