Buick Got Back? Insignia Wagons Mysteriously Appear In North America

First GM brings the Opel/Vauxhall Insignia stateside as the Buick Regal, then virtually guarantees the Regal GS, then Bob Lutz hints at a wagon and now here are Insignia Wagons hanging out with Regals around Detroit. What should we think?

First and foremost, let's just state the facts.

• The Opel/Vauxhaul Insignia and Buick Regal and the Insignia Wagon are currently being built exclusively in Germany, and will be for the next calendar year.

• At the end of the first year of Regal production, North American volumes will move to Oshawa Car Assembly in Oshawa, Canada.

• Prior to the announcement of a US-bound Regal, that car roamed the streets free of normal camouflage, instead hiding in plain sight as an Insignia.

• Bob Lutz, product planning leak machine that he is, told Car&Driver back in November they were discussing the possibility of a Regal GS and the wagon. The GS "Show Car" debuted in Detroit, no news yet on the wagon.

• The Insignia Wagon has no business being in the US in these kinds of numbers without production plans. They're a European-built, European-sale vehicle only according to the current state of GM announcements.

  Based on these kinds of facts, we wagon-heads have two conclusions to come to; GM is either readying a Regal Wagon for the US or they're simply torturing us with just-beyond-reach wagons. A call to Buick Communication's Michelle Bunker put ice in our pants when in no uncertain terms she said, "Buick product plans do not include a plan for a wagon at this time."

  GM's been known to deny, deny, deny right until the car is unveiled, so we'll stick to wild and unfounded speculations. The world is a better place when there's still a possibility of a high-output, direct-injection, turbocharged four-cylinder, all-wheel-drive, six-speed manual transmission-equipped Regal GS Wagon.

  Back on Earth, it seems GM's content to keep torturing us with unattainable wagony goodness. We did get further assurance on the pending GS though, so at least something came from this. [GMI]