We dig Chinese-market Buicks. There's a handsome LaCrosse available as a hybrid. Then there's the Park Avenue, a RWD sedan based on a stretched version of the Pontiac G8's Zeta architecture. Now the Chinese market has this, the restyled Buick Excelle for 2009. It looks pretty good on the surface, but what's underneath?
Those crisp lines are actually wrapped around the same basic car as the Suzuki Forenza. Yes, it is essentially the same subcompact that serves duty as Top Gear's "Reasonably Priced Car" in the form of a Daewoo Chevy Lacetti. There's no word on the technical specs yet, as the Excelle will be officially unveiled at the Beijing Auto Show later this month. Just don't expect anything bigger than a 1.8-liter inline-four. Does that make this a badge-engineered abomination, or do you like the little bugger? It's certainly better than a late-model Century.
[CarScoop]