Following the rumor that Buick may bring a wagon variant of the next-generation Regal to the U.S. and China earlier this year, a new trademark filing suggests the company may be serious with its intentions, and even have a cool new name for a sleek Sport Wagon.
I say a cool new name, but only because it has an “x” in it. According to AutoGuide, GM filed a trademark on December 16th for a vehicle called the “Regal Tourx” and “Tourx,” suggesting it’s decided to punch up the Buick offspring of the Opel Insignia Sports Tourer, which may sound too European for American consumers.
I bring up the Opel Insignia because it’s essentially what the U.S. spec Buick Regal is based on, but sold across the pond and of which a wagon version (called the Sports Tourer) already exists in that market.
The rumors reported earlier this year by GMAuthority suggested General Motors had plans to sell the new Opel Adam (of which we had a small love affair) stateside by 2018, as well as a Buick-badged wagon. This new trademark, sounding like a play on the “Tourer” title, only firm up those earlier rumors. There were also suggestions for a Buick wagon from the brass of GM as far back as 2009.
The Buick Regal is due for a redesign in 2017, which will spread across the GM family of companies. Somewhere out there, a wagon version of the new car will exist. Whether or not it’s a Buick, and whether it makes it to the shores of the U.S., we’ll just have to cross our fingers for.
Of course automakers file patents and trademarks for everything from potential names to designer sneezes to flying-fucking-cars. This “Tourx” may not mean much of anything. Whatever, I’m still hype.
This article originally stated the Opel was a re-badged Buick, when in fact the Buick Regal is a re-badged Opel Insignia. Blame GM.
PHOTO CREDIT: Opel Insignia Sports Tourer via GM
Contact the author at justin@jalopnik.com or @WestbrookTweets.