Buick Regal Based on Opel Insignia Launched in China

The Buick Regal has come a long way from its purely Detroit roots. It's now a Chinese-made model coming to that market by way of Opel, GM's European brand.

Shanghai GM is a joint-venture between GM and SAIC (Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation), and GM executives made the choice of bringing the Opel Insignia to China as a Buick instead of an Opel since Buick is considered a more popular brand there.

There are a few stylistic re-touches on the outside to give the Insignia more of a Buick look but under the hood are two standard GM 4 cylinder gasoline engines (diesels are not yet a go in China). The 2.4 liter is a naturally aspirated, modest power plant with only 165 hp. The 2.0 liter turbo-charged offers a livelier 217 hp for this relatively larger vehicle.

Interior design is where GM makes this a Buick and the pics reveal where this car distinguishes itself from the Opel.