By Don Hammonds 2021 Buick Envision Talk about a car that already is kicking up a lot of buzz and excitement! Buick's all new 2021 Envision has everyone talking from car writers to dealerships eagerly awaiting its arrival, to everyday car enthusiasts who are looking forward to their first look at it.   [caption id="attachment_10953" align="alignnone" width="720"] 2021 Buick Envision[/caption] “The all-new 2021 Envision is part of Buick’s strategy to grow its family of premium SUVs,” said Duncan Aldred, vice president, Global Buick and GMC. “It joins the new 2020 Encore GX, which offers safety, functionality and styling tailored around the size and space preferences of today’s small and compact SUV buyers.” The new Envision will also be purposefully contented with standard active safety technologies, such as:

• Automatic Emergency Braking*
• Front Pedestrian Braking*
• Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning*
• Forward Collision Alert*
• Following Distance Indicator*
• Rear Park Assist*
• Safety Alert Seat*
• HD Rear Vision Camera*

Additionally, the new Envision will offer available safety and driver assistance technologies that are important to today’s SUV buyers, including:

• Enhanced Automatic Parking Assist*
• HD Surround Vision*
• Front Park Assist*
• Rear Cross Traffic Alert*
• Lane Change Alert with Side Blind Zone Alert*
• Head-up Display
• Rear Camera Mirror*

“The design of and technology in the all-new Buick Envision are sure to be a hit in today’s growing premium SUV market,” said Helen Emsley, executive director, Global Buick and GMC Design. “The 2021 Envision will be lower and wider, with premium proportions and striking styling designed to combine the expressiveness of a car with the practicality of an SUV.” Buick’s popular premium Avenir trim will be available on the 2021 Envision for the first time. The 2021 Envision will also offer Buick’s first available 10-inch diagonal touchscreen infotainment system, and it will include in-vehicle apps, such as Amazon Alexa built-in, Spotify, Pandora and Fox Sports. Projection features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will also be included. The Envision will be powered by a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder turbo engine and a nine-speed transmission. Buick’s popular premium Avenir trim will be available on the 2021 Envision for the first time. For now, Buick is mum on many of the details, and we have been told that more details for the Envision, including for its Avenir trim, will be revealed later this year. Buick Encore GX The other big news from Buick this year came a bit earlier--its new Buick Encore GX. [caption id="attachment_10954" align="alignnone" width="627"] 2020 Buick Encore GX ST[/caption] The new Encore GX grows Buick’s SUV portfolio, as the brand strengthens its focus on beautiful, premium SUVs. The Encore GX offers safety technologies, driver assistance and convenience features, functionality and style tailored around the size and space preferences of today’s small and compact SUV buyers. “Premium SUV buyers are looking for features that fit their lifestyle priorities, and Buick is giving customers more segment choices with our new Encore GX,” said Duncan Aldred, vice president, Global Buick and GMC. “As we look to the future of Buick, and customer demand trends, our four-SUV portfolio puts us in a strong competitive position across the most popular SUV segments.” More safety and connectivity features The Encore GX will offer a suite of standard and available safety and driver assistance technologies and features that are typically offered in larger, more expensive vehicles. These six safety technologies* will be standard on all trim levels:

• Forward Collision Alert
• Automatic Emergency Braking
• Front Pedestrian Braking
• Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning
• Following Distance Indicator
• IntelliBeam headlamps with automatically-adjusting high/low beams

Some of the available safety and driver assistance technologies and features for the Encore GX will include:

• Rear Park Assist*
• Rear Cross Traffic Alert*
• Lane Change Alert with Side Blind Zone Alert*
• Rear Camera Mirror*, provides a wide, less obstructed rear view while parking and driving
• Hands-Free Power Liftgate with logo projection, one of only two vehicles within the compact SUV segment to offer this feature
• Adaptive Cruise Control – Camera* (camera-based)
• Head-Up Display
• Automatic Parking Assist with Braking*
• High Definition Surround Vision* camera system

The Encore GX will have the latest in infotainment and connectivity, such as Apple CarPlay¹, Android Auto², available wireless charging³ and Bluetooth pairing⁴, which will allow up to two phones to be paired at the same time. The Encore GX will also support SiriusXM’s next generation audio entertainment platform, SiriusXM with 360L⁵, which combines satellite and streaming to deliver more channels, plus access to both live and on demand shows and musical performances. This gives drivers and their passengers more control over what they listen to and when and improves listeners’ ability to discover more great content across SiriusXM. Style and functionality Aldred added, “Filling the spot between the smaller Encore and the larger Envision and Enclave models, the Encore GX is another proof point that Buick is The Premium SUV Brand. Just as we did with the Enclave in 2008 and the Encore in 2013, we identified a growing market niche and moved quickly to introduce a new vehicle to fill it.” The Encore GX has a confident stance with a wide, modern grille and 18-inch aluminum wheels. Buyers can also enhance the look with the optional Sport Touring package. The Encore GX ST will have exclusive wheels, body-color surrounds and a distinctive black mesh grille with red accents connected through both the front and rear bumpers. Inside, the Encore GX embodies the quality cabin experience that Buick customers expect, including the brand’s signature QuietTuning, which helps to minimize road noise inside the vehicle, as well as premium materials and available features, like leather-appointed seats, a heated steering wheel and an ionizing air filter. The functional interior is designed to help you easily carry both passengers and cargo, with 94.3 cubic feet for passengers and 25.3 cubic feet for cargo⁶ behind the second row. The Encore GX will have a standard, adjustable two-stage load floor, giving owners the flexibility for either more under-floor storage or a cargo floor that is level with the folded seats, depending on their specific needs. For even more flexibility, the Encore GX’s front passenger seat folds flat and the 40/60 folding second row is optimized with the narrower section behind the driver’s seat to better accommodate an 8-foot long object diagonally from the passenger seat to the rear driver’s side. Performance The Encore GX will come with either a standard 1.2L turbo or premium 1.3L turbo engine, and will deliver up to 155 horsepower, 174 ft-lbs. of torque and offer a GM-estimated 31 mpg combined (based on GM testing. Official EPA estimates not yet available). In the front-wheel drive models, both engines will come with a standard Continuously Variable Transmission that helps maintain peak performance for responsive acceleration and the power to pass and merge into fast-moving traffic. For all-wheel drive models, the 1.3L will be paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission. The AWD models will also have a disable switch, giving drivers the choice between AWD, when more traction is needed, or FWD, for improved fuel-economy when conditions allow.