Car Throttle

More power! Who would turn that down? Not us. Buick, the division of General Motors everyone presumed dead a few years ago, has made a spectacular comeback. Enclave, LaCrosse, Regal, upcoming Verano - suddenly Buicks are starting to be a whole lot more appealing to younger buyers. Especially that Regal GS (as much as we wanted the undiluted V-6 powered Opel Insignia OPC...grr). However, we digress. The LaCrosse has gotten some changes for 2012 and concurrently manages to move in both directions at once. For its $30,810 price, the LaCrosse is available in miserly fuel-sipping eAssist guise as well as a no-cost V-6 version. That gives buyers clear choices; it'll be interesting to examine sales figures and see how the market is responding. The

Today the Buick brand announced the addition of a new engine, a 2.4L Ecotec unit making 182 horsepower. The 4-cylinder debuts alongside the other two V6 engines being offered. The 4-cylinder model helps separate the Buick LaCrosse from it's key competitors like the Lincoln MKZ and Acura TL. I'm not sure whether this will be a move seen by buyers as an unique option or if it will help get the car cross-shopped with other mid-size sedans like the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. Regardless, it should translate into increased sales and that is a good thing. Especially with these (highway) fuel numbers; 30 mpg highway, 20 mpg city. Pricing hasn't been released yet; will be interesting to see where they decide to position it. Should make for a very good value

Saturn has been sold to The Penske Group, and to continue sales until the new owner finds a vehicle supplier, GM has contracts to continue producing the Aura, Vue and Outlook. All is good, right? Well, that deal doesn't include the Vue Plug-In which was slated to go into production. Those plans are now in limbo. There is still is the remote possibility the vehicle could be built for Penske as the contract negotiations are ongoing, but that scenario is unlikely given GM's desire to use the technology in other applications. What vehicle will be using it then? Some have speculated the new Chevrolet Equinox and Cadillac SRX could be candidates for the technology. However, it could be used for a new crossover for Buick. I've heard rumors