The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety took some GMC Acadias and smashed them up to see how the big crossovers hold up against immovable objects, and unlike recent tests conducted for the Chevy Equinox and Pontiac Torrent, the news is positive. An AWD Acadia SLE acted as a stand-in for all of the Lambda models - Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, Saturn Outlook, and all Acadia trims included. It didn't matter whether the IIHS attacked the front, side, or rear – the CUV earned a "good" rating in all directions. With the standard fitment of Stabilitrak, the IIHS also bestowed a Top Safety Pick crown on GM's big haulers. The Lambas now have both a five-star rating from the NHTSA and a Top Safety Pick designator about which to brag.
In addition to getting the coolest Buicks which are not available in America, individuals in China are about to get the best vehicle that Buick has to offer in the States. In a deal which was initially inked ten months ago, the attractive Enclave CUV, built at GM's Lansing Delta Township assembly plant, is headed for China. The U.S. assembled 'utes will make their way by means of Shanghai GM. The exportation of the Enclave to China is only surprising in that it took so long for the General to get the model there in the first place. After all, Buick sells more vehicles in China than anywhere else in the world, with the nation consuming over half of all Buicks worldwide. We can only hope that Shanghai GM returns the favor and sends some of its best designs our way... and soon.
In January, EA Sports held an online contest for Tiger Woods 08 players on the XBOX 360. First prize was a 2008 Buick Enclave CXL courtesy car used by Tiger during December's 2007 Target World Challenge golf tournament. Tiger won the tournament, finishing seven strokes ahead of '07 Masters champ Zach Johnson. Well, the contest is over and the winner has apparently taken delivery of the Buick, which came complete with a certificate of authenticity signed by Tiger himself. This might well be the only Buick Enclave in circulation that's Upper Deck authenticated.
Naturally, the car's new owner is looking to see if the Tiger connection is something that can be capitalized on, and the ride has been listed on eBay. Fully loaded, finished in Cocoa Metallic over Cocoa Cashmere, and showing just 220 miles on the clock, it's a really nice vehicle. As for the $100,000 Buy It Now price, well, that's ridiculous even with its certified, touched-by-Tiger history. According to the auction listing, eleven people have made offers, but there's no telling if they're anywhere near the asking price. We can't imagine they would be. Our advice: exercise some patience. Garage the Enclave, put the certificate of authenticity in a safe, and offer the whole package at Barrett-Jackson in January. As if by magic, a mundane, dealer-supplied courtesy vehicle becomes a "celebrity car". In B-J's massively hyped, more-money-than-sense environment, a hundred grand seems entirely feasible. Do we hear two hundred?
Over at AutoblogGreen, one of our colleagues has a report that General Motors may be introducing hybrid versions of its Lambda CUVs (the Buick Enclave, Saturn Outlook and GMC Acadia), as well as the GMC Sierra. Previously, GM had not indicated that any of these vehicles would be hybridized. Since the Sierra is built on the same GMT900 platform as the already available Tahoe/Yukon two-mode hybrids and the upcoming Escalade and Silverado hybrids, let's tackle that one first. The Silverado and Sierra are essentially the same vehicle with only visual differences, so this one is a no-brainer and it's only a matter of time before GMC announces a Sierra Hybrid.
The Lambda hybrids are a different story entirely. According to Brian Corbett, GM's spokesman for Hybrid programs, there are no immediate plans to build a hybrid version of the Lambdas. In fact, during a conversation we had with Bob Lutz at the LA Auto Show, he indicated that the existing front-wheel-drive, two-mode transmission would not fit in the Lambda's engine compartment as it wasn't wide enough. According to Corbett, a second generation version of the two-mode system was under development, but that is at least three to four years away from launch. The mild hybrid system that is currently installed on the Saturn Vue and Aura is designed for smaller vehicles and wouldn't be suitable for the larger Lambdas in its current form. A second-generation version of that system is also under development using a lithium-ion battery and should appear somewhere around 2010-11, which may work in these big wagons. Given the new fuel economy regs, GM is sure to do something with the Lambdas, although dropping in the Cadillac 2.9-liter diesel V-6 might be an even better option that would also help towing capability.
Though four out of the six finalists for the North American Car and Truck of the Year Awards were GM vehicles, only the new 2008 Chevy Malibu managed to earn the honor of 2008 North American Car of the Year. On the truck side of things, the Buick Enclave and Chevy Tahoe Hybrid lost out to the Mazda CX-9.
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