!NEW! Shanghai GM Offers Preview of New Buick Envision SUV

High-end midsize SUV goes on sale across China later this year

Shanghai GM yesterday offered a preview of the all-new  Buick Envision, announcing its Chinese name as “Ang Ke Wei” (昂科威), showing its specifications and the first official photos. The new high-end midsize SUV will go on sale across China later this year.

Shanghai GM Offers Preview of New Buick Envision SUV

The Envision is a completely new model that represents a convergence of Buick's latest global design philosophy and cutting-edge technologies. It will set a new benchmark in its segment in China for styling, space, safety, performance and technology.

Elegant and Dynamic Exterior

The model carries forward the design essence of the Buick Envision concept vehicle, which made its global debut at Auto Shanghai 2011.

Buick Envision concept (2011)

The exterior blends artistic elegance with dynamic lines. Its front end is highlighted by Buick’s signature waterfall grille along with wing-style intelligent Xenon headlamps, boomerang-shaped LED daytime running lights and sleek outside rearview mirrors. The windshield with a one-piece chrome-plated frame gives the Envision an aggressive stance. Class-leading 19-inch aluminum alloy wheels and a luggage rack echo the stylish design.

Headlights in wing-style with intelligent Xenon headlamps, boomerang-shaped LED DRLS

The Envision measures 4,667 mm in length, 1,839 mm in width and 1,696 mm in height. It has a wheelbase of 2,750 mm, which contributes to its spacious interior.

Powerful Turbocharged Engine

Another highlight of the  Buick Envision SUV is its 2.0T Direct Injection Turbocharged engine, which was named one of Ward's 10 Best Engines in 2013. The engine generates maximum output power of 191 kW and peak torque of 353 Nm. It includes stop/start technology, for better fuel economy.

A new-generation six-speed transmission offers smooth gear shifting while significantly reducing fuel consumption in city driving. Its all-wheel-drive technology ensures solid handling on all surfaces.

The Envision will complement the Encore and new Enclave in Buick’s domestic SUV portfolio, providing a range of choices for SUV buyers across China.

General Motors traces its roots back to 1908. GM has 10 joint ventures, two wholly owned foreign enterprises and more than 58,000 employees in China. GM and its joint ventures offer the broadest lineup of vehicles and brands among automakers in China. Passenger cars and commercial vehicles are sold under the Baojun, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Jiefang, Opel and Wuling brands. In 2013, GM sold nearly 3.2 million vehicles in China.

New Opel Insignia SuperSport chassis now in more variants

• Forward wheel drive Insignias get ride and handling enhancing SuperSport chassis
• Two more Insignia powertrains available with chassis package
• HiPerStruts, Brembo brakes and OPC level tuning are included
  
  
  

  Opel is for the first time making its high performance SuperSport chassis available in its forward wheel drive mid-size Insignia cars. Two gasoline and diesel powered Insignias with forward wheel drive (FWD) will now benefit from a chassis package that consists of HiPerStruts (High Performance Struts), Brembo brakes and is tuned in line with OPC (Opel Performance Center) settings. This chassis combination was previously only available in the sporty Insignia OPC model and every other all wheel drive Insignia variant, which are always equipped with traction and stability enhancing electronically controlled Limited Slip Differentials (e-LSD) to distribute torque as required. Now the chassis can also be ordered in combination with the FWD variants of the 2.0 CDTI 118 kW/160 hp diesel and the 2.0 l turbocharged gasoline engine with 162 kW/220 hp. Together with the FlexRide system which offers three modes (Standard, Tour and Sport), adapting the car’s damping, as well as its steering and throttle parameters at the push of a button, the SuperSport chassis option costs 2,930 euro (rrp. Germany including VAT).
  
  
  The SuperSport chassis package benefits from HiPerStruts (High Performance Struts) on the front suspension, which are combined with highly effective Brembo brakes. These brakes consist of large, 355 x 32 mm, cross drilled discs, four piston, high strength aluminum calipers and high performance brake pads. Specially developed Co-Cast floating discs consist of a cast iron brake rotor and an aluminum disc bell.
  
  The HiPerStrut suspension which was first used in the high performance Insignia OPC marks a significant evolution of the regular Insignia’s MacPherson strut front suspension. It improves grip in wet or dry conditions and allows more power to be applied during cornering.
  
  
  

  While the suspension uses the same fixing points as in other Insignias, the kingpin inclination angle has been reduced from 13 to 9 degrees, therefore shortening the spindle length by 23 millimetres to 44 millimetres. Each of these reductions allows drivers to better exploit the Insignia power potential. The reduced kingpin angle means less camber loss, which allows the front tires to retain more contact with the road during cornering, therefore delaying the onset of understeer. The shorter spindle length significantly reduces torque steer reactions and improves resistance to steering kickback through rutted bends.
  
  

Opel brings Telemetry to its new Astra J OPC

• Opel is first car manufacturer to make preselected vehicle data available
• Unique OPC Power App has debut in new Astra OPC (206 kW/280 hp)
• Numerous applications: from engine boost pressure to lap time for tech savvy OPC fan

Opel shares its passion for technology with its customers by becoming the first ever car manufacturer to make preselected data from the CAN bus (Controller Area Network) directly available on an iPhone where it can be displayed or analyzed further. The CAN bus is the central system that unifies and connects all the electronic control units in the vehicle.  

Apple smartphone users can now download the OPC PowerApp an application or App from the AppStore for just 0.79 euro, enabling them to access to CAN bus data. This innovative application has its world debut in the Astra OPC with its 206 kW / 280 hp output - the sporty spearhead of Opel’s compact car portfolio.  

The CAN bus bundles the signals from the different vehicle areas. So far, only highly specialized work shops were able to access this information using specialist software. Now however, Opel is now giving car enthusiasts the chance to receive selected, performance-related data by offering the OPC PowerApp. This opens up a whole new world to drive enthusiasts who want the latest technology.  

The fun offered by the OPC PowerApp does not just end when the engine is switched off. Not only are up to sixty different data, including engine boost pressure, throttle position, lateral acceleration or engine torque, readily available in real time on the iPhone but they can also be stored and later compared with friends. A lap time recorder connected to GPS data appeals to racing fans, for example those who use the legendary Nürburgring track and want to analyze and improve their performances on the Nordschleife stretch.

In this way, braking points and section speeds can be analyzed. However, in addition the G-forces can be measured inside specific bends. 

  

In order to get the most out of the wealth of functions offered by the OPC PowerApp a black box or smart phone controller that can be ordered by customers and is installed behind the interior panels. It can be installed ex works or easily retrofitted on request by Opel dealerships. The module is directly connected to the CAN bus of the vehicle and transmits its data with a frequency of 30 Hertz to the iPhone which is equivalent to real time. An optionally available FlexDock iPhone cradle can also be installed to offer even better access and visibility of the PowerApp data. In that sense, the mobile phone acts as an additional instrument inside the cabin, recording all the data.  

Seven different display modes complete with the OPC logo and colors are available to the user including an analog instrument, a G-force meter, a digital display and over / under steer indicator, a bar chart, a line graph and a map. The OPC PowerApp works on iPhones (starting at the third generation), iPad 2 and iPod Touch and will also be available for Android systems by early 2013.