Turning back the clock to the time when Buick was founded in 1904, it was actually positioned as an entry-level luxury brand.
First, the middle and high-end car - the birth of Buick Regal
In the 1960s, the consumption of automobiles in the United States upgraded, and the private luxury mid-size car market was very hot. At that time, the appearance of American cars was very exaggerated, and many medium-sized cars were two-door B-pillar designs. The problem is that no B-pillar is good-looking, but the safety is reduced. Later, new safety regulations were introduced, requiring all models to wear B-pillars. So Buick's private luxury medium-sized car, Buick Century, Chinese named Buick Century was officially launched.
The first Buick century
The Buick Regal, which we are now familiar with, had a very close relationship with the Buick Century at that time. Regal, whose English name is Regal, was originally launched as a high-end version of Buick Century, called "Century Regal". Regal is actually one of Buick's oldest models. At that time, Buick Regal, both in terms of configuration and power, was a standard luxury medium-sized car. It is equipped with two V8 engines, 5.7L and 7.5L, and sold 91 557 units in its first year of market. In 1974, Century Regal, also known as Regal, introduced a four-door version. The biggest feature is the large, large size, large displacement, standard American muscle car shape.
The original Buick Regal
Beginning in 1975, Regal became an independent car family, and after independence, a V6 engine was added. Coincidentally, just at this time, the first oil crisis broke out, in this crisis, the industrial production in the United States fell by 14%, and the V6's Regal became the choice of many users with better fuel economy. And the second generation of Regal's 3. The 8-liter V6 also uses turbocharging technology. Turbocharging was definitely new in the United States at that time, because the use of turbocharging technology in the North American market at that time was a European car company. Therefore, Buick Regal became one of the first American cars to use turbocharging technology. With the bold innovation of engine technology, Buick Regal began to be invincible on the field.
Second, Buick Regal auctioned a million transaction price
Have you ever seen more than 1 million Buick Regal? This Buick Regal is not only expensive, you can't buy it. It is Buick Regal GNX, a high-performance version of Regal introduced by Buick in 1987.
As we all know, Buick Regal is a standard B-class car, and Regal's English name Regar is an adjective meaning luxurious, prestigious. Therefore, Regal has positioned luxury high-end mid-size cars since its birth, and the most inaccessible word for medium-sized cars is sports. In order to prove the strength of Regal, Regal once participated in NAZCA competitions. Friends who have seen Racing Story should be familiar with NAZCA, and the Piston Cup in it is a NAZCA race.
Buick Regal GNX
NAZCA is a very famous competition in North America, the most exaggerated one was NAZCA in 2004. Not only did the scene attract 8 million viewers, but nearly 300 million people watched the event on TELEVISION. Nazca racing is a multiple test of a car's performance and durability. Buick Regal not only participated in the competition, but also achieved world-renowned results, with strength to prove its performance as a high-end mid-size car, but also let the Buick brand for a time unlimited scenery. Then Buick Regal introduced a high-performance version comparable to a supercar in 1987, Regal GNX. Limited to 547 units, it sells for $29,900, which is equivalent to the current inflation of $68,000. Today, that is also the proper price of luxury cars.
The best thing about this car is that it has a 3.8T turbocharged engine, all-digital EFI, ceramic rotor turbocharging, and a large capacity intercooler. Let this Regal GNX have 280 horsepower, 488 Nm. Today, it is also the existence of performance cars. The most exaggerated thing is that this Regal GNX is faster than some sports cars at the time, breaking through 100 in 4.5 seconds. As soon as it was launched, it became the dream car in the hearts of American racing fans. To this day, there are a large number of collectors who have been asking for money. In 2009, a racing driver spared no expense to auction a Regal GNX, and the transaction price of more than 1 million yuan was enough to prove the status of Regal in the hearts of many fans. Earlier this year, a Regal GNX in the collection of Jeweler Bulgari's heir, Mr. Bulgari, also sold for more than $220,000.
In 1989, Regal launched a more powerful version of GranSport in addition to the regular model, which is the predecessor of the Regal GS we are familiar with. As a result, Regal and Regal GS have been the embodiment of the Buick family's high-end mid-size car and sportsmanship to this day.
Third, the memory of the "Big Buick", Buick Regal's "persistence"
I don't know how many people remember it — Buick New Century.
In the 90s, if you can drive this Buick in the new century, the owner must be either rich or expensive. In the eyes of many Chinese, this big Buick is not lower than the BBA grade. In fact, as early as the founding of New China, Buick was already the car of various social celebrities, and even the last emperor Puyi was a Buick car owner. On March 25, 1997, the signing ceremony of the cooperation agreement between SAIC Motor and General Motors was held in the Great Hall of the People. On June 12, the Pan Asia Automotive Technical Center was established, marking Buick's official entry into China as a domestic producer. In 1998, the Chinese people saw the domestic Big Buick from Shanghai GM for the first time, called Buick New Century. In fact, the prototype of this car is Regal.
The last emperor Puyi's car
At the time, you couldn't believe the car's luxury and technology. Leather seats, solid wood interiors, seat ventilation, electrical adjustment, CD players, tape drives. Therefore, buick new century is a full-fledged luxury car, but also a representative of success. In 2002, after gaining a deep understanding of the car habits of the Chinese people, the Buick Regal designed by Pan Asia Automotive Technology Center was officially domestically produced, replacing the Buick New Century. The price of 206800 is particularly eye-catching in the era when the word "million yuan household" was still popular. But other models at this price point, in fact, there is no more than Regal. So at that time, driving a Regal was definitely a very face-saving thing.
The first Buick New Century
Later, with the rapid rise of China's economy, consumers became younger and younger. In 2008, Buick built the B-Class into a youthful, sporty image. It can be seen from the appearance of the fifth generation of Regal. While retaining the sense of luxury, it began to add a sporty element. The official positioning of it is also very clear, mid-to-high-end private dynamic car. In 2011, Buick launched the Regal GS, a high-performance version of Regal, on the basis of Regal. The 255 horsepower is hidden beneath the appearance of luxury and elegance. What is interesting is that whether the Regal GS car is driven in a suit or a sportswear, there is no sense of violation in various occasions.
2011 Buick Regal GS
Later, almost all car brands began to develop younger, even Japanese B-class cars that did not exercise at all. It looks quite sporty, and when you go down the throttle, you will be exposed, and the configuration will shrink. And Regal, whether it is design or configuration, is still worthy of the positioning of high-end B-class cars. The new Regal is more than 4 meters 9 long, and the 1.5T and 2.0T high-power engines are available. Moreover, the whole series of 9AT gearbox, keyless entry, the whole series of LED headlight groups, the whole series of seat heating, high equipped with ventilation massage can be selected. These are all Regal, who have insisted on luxury since the last century.
New Regal
Today, more and more young people are starting to use B-class cars as cars. Regal is also in a recent revamp, the electric tailgate, mobile phone wireless charging and streaming media rearview mirrors, these more in line with the habits of modern car convenience technology configuration, downgraded to the entire series of models, bringing a more modern sense of luxury. No matter how the time and market change, Buick Regal as a classic model, the history, charm and impression of the body, will still make you feel, this is still the big Buick of the year.