The new generation Buick Encore will be unveiled on
April 15, at the Buick Brand Night before their official debut at the 2019
Shanghai Motor Show. Teased for the event, the subcompact model will be joined by the
Encore GX, which is described as “a compact SUV”.
This is why the image previews two vehicles, with
the left being slightly longer and taller than the right one. At a first
glance, the Encore GX has more muscular proportions at the rear, a different
taillight design and more rounded side mirrors.
Unlike the outgoing Encore, which is a rebadged
version of the Opel/Vauxhall Mokka, the new one is expected to use different
underpinnings, since GM has since sold the European brands to the PSA Group. In
China, the crossover will get a new nine-speed automatic transmission, which
will probably be paired to a 114 HP, 1.0-liter turbocharged engine, according
to recent information.
The automaker also promises “an updated design and
enhanced connectivity” which, alongside the aforementioned updates, “will offer
customers outstanding styling, optimized interior packaging, improved
efficiency and new technologies”.
When it will launch in the U.S., probably before the
end of the year, the 2020 Encore is thought to use small four-cylinder turbocharged
engines. Further down the road, there’s a possibility that GM will add an
electrified powertrain.
Right now, there’s no info whether the larger Encore
GX will arrive on this side of the pond or not. Nothing’s official yet, but
it’s likely, given that GM has secured the ‘Encore GX’ moniker with the USPTO
last year.
