We know, we know — you just wrapped up a lengthy and animated conversation about Buick with your coworkers, and you’re all Buicked out. Well, here’s something extra to chew on.
General Motors has filed a trademark application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for use of the name “Enspire” on motor vehicles. No, this doesn’t concern Chevrolet or Cadillac or GMC, that’s for sure. It does, however, concern Buick, as Enspire is the name given to a concept vehicle revealed last spring in China. But what would a production Enspire look like?
According to GM Authority, which discovered the patent (filed December 11th), it’s not likely to follow in the concept’s all-electric footsteps. Not in America, anyway. That rakish concept vehicle funnelled roughly 550 horsepower to all four wheels, burning no fuel in the process.
While GM does have a dedicated EV architecture under development, that platform isn’t expected to show up until 2021. We do know, however, that there’s two new Buick crossover in the planning stage. One borrows the short-wheelbase C1 platform found beneath the GMC Acadia and Cadillac XT5. The other, code-named E2UB, shares its platform with the Cadillac XT4. While the former vehicle has already been seen wearing camo, the existence of the latter vehicle was revealed in an IHS Automotive document seen by GM Authority in November.
It’s this smaller vehicle that’ll likely adopt the English-wrecking Enspire name. Positioned above the China-sourced Envision and below the future sub-Enclave model in terms of price (it’ll be quite similar in size to the Envision), the Enspire’s design was surely previewed by this year’s concept vehicle. And what a fetching design it is, at least for a crossover. It’s believed that Buick intends the Enspire/E2UB to be a more premium vehicle that can serve as a technological and styling high point for the brand.
Like the Envision, the E2UB is a product of GM’s Chinese joint venture. And it’s the Chinese connection that fuels speculation that the Enspire might actually gain an electric powertrain, or at least an electrified one, to satisfy that country’s green-pushing government. While China goes great guns on EVs, American buyers aren’t quite as receptive to the idea of ditching cheap gas, so any version shipped over here might make do with, say, a turbocharged 2.0-liter.
Whether or not the dodgy trade relationship between China and the U.S. scuttles this offering in America remains to be seen. IHS Automotive lists the E2UB as starting production in China in late 2019.
[Image: General Motors]
Buick’s swan song?
#buickdeathwatch
dukeisduke
Careful, the guy who wrote the Deathwatch articles is now cleaning toilets at Hardee’s Truck Stop just outside Louisville Kentucky.
At Buick, the Encore & Enclave continue to sell well. With Regal sales rising.
What’s the point of making concept that while Possibly realistic for other manfs, are completely out of Barras GM capacity and will never happen at Buick. Everyone knows the end result will look like the rest of the inspiration-lacking suppositories coming out of GMs minivan factories.
GM has the most unrealistic concepts, and it’s not because they aren’t doable, it’s because we know the final product will look like a turd.
Here’s a hint, just make Lutz the CEO for the next 50 years, even in death Lutz would be 10x the CEO of Barra.
What an ENsipid name
ENgenious!
“Are you ready to get Enspired?”
No, but with their naming scheme, I am about ready to ram my head in to the nearest wall.
Right up there with Ford deciding everything needed to be “F” named…
I loved the Envision, right up to the point where I discovered it was hecho en China.
Nope.
NORM WILL BE THRILLED!
He’d be here to tell us, but he’s probably at the Buick dealer placing his advanced order. 550 hp? Hell. Trifecta tune will whip that into shape.
Looks like one of the concepts GM shows in software at Disney’s Test Track by Chevrolet.
Oh goody. Another Chinese made lowest bidder POS brought to you by the traitorous car company who kill people with shoddy engineering.
GM. Junk, and built to stay that way.
Has trendy turbojet exhausts at the rear with intakes at the front. Gotta exhaust all that hot air from the almost-nucular furnace environment of a 2.0t commodity motor.
GM always promises a revolution. But instead we always get same old
Looks like they picked up on the theme of the Infiniti FX35/45. A muscular, luxury CUV with sporting intentions, just 15 years too late. GM, for years just behind the curve.
I wonder how long it will take for Enspired to become Expired?
The name of the final Buick product will be Expired. GM will have no problem getting a patent on that name.
It’s already the subject of a recall campaign due to early builds fitted with undersized mirrors and no door handles.
Dozens of customers complained about the ergonomics.
Under Enspired. GM, we’ll make Cadillacs equal to the Germans and now our SUVs will be equal to the Japanese. Just watch our conquest sales. OK, GM will make products close to, in wildly varying degrees, to the imports, price them the same, and hope for the best.
If they built a pretty little box on wheels like that, and it was a first-class electric like the Bolt, I’d drive it. Even if it had that dumb name on it.
P.S. There’s an infant formula powder product that goes by that name.
Breaking News!
In honor of our workers, clients, and American taxpayers…
We formally announce the 2020 Enrage.
B
Have a Mary Barra Christmas, its the happiest time of year….let’ just call this abomination the “Exlax” and be done with it….
What’s with the “En” prefix for all new Buick names? “Enspire” conjures up memories of the laughable Ford Aspire of the 90s.
I really miss the Verano.
Said no one ever.
At this point I’d take anything from GM that shows signs of creativity, but that Lexus “enspired” d pillar has to go.
So how does the GMC Envoy fit in all this? How long until Buick decides to ENbezzle the name and ENploy it for itself?
It’s only due to rampant apathy that nobody’s ENfuriated.