Second Buick Crossover Based on the...Aveo?

2009 teaser shot of Buick crossover plug-in hybrid, a rebadged Saturn Vue quickly dubbed the 'Vuick'

August 6, 2009

2011 Buick crossover plug-in hybrid

Buick's adding two more crossovers to its lineup under the Enclave, and according to one source, a small ute based on the next Chevrolet Aveo is in the works.

This morning, GM confirmed it's working on a future Buick plug-in hybrid and confirmed the presence of a second crossover vehicle. Automotive News reports that the second Buick crossover won't simply be a gas-engined version of the hybrid ute, but will in fact be a version of a vehicle being spun from the next-generation Chevrolet Aveo.

2011 Chevrolet Viva, to be sold in South America as Chevrolet Agile

The Aveo replacement is the Chevrolet Viva, which we've shown you in sketches and spy shots. GM hasn't confirmed it yet, but many industry sources report the Chevy Viva and spin-off vehicles will be assembled in Lake Orion, Michigan, in a deal brokered during GM's swing through bankruptcy court earlier this year.

It's likely the new Buick plug-in hybrid crossover will share some of the "Voltec" lithium-ion batteries and motors with the 2011 Chevrolet Volt. The rest of the Buick plug-in, though, will be based on the recently killed Saturn Vue 2-Mode Hybrid, down to the V-6 engine, two-mode hybrid system, and basic bodystyle (hinted at here in a detail photo supplied by GM).

A gas-only version of the Buick plug-in hybrid crossover will go on sale in 2010. It will be offered with either GM's new 2.4-liter four-cylinder or a 3.0-liter, direct-injection V-6 also destined for Cadillac's CTS lineup.

[Automotive News]

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