GM to Reveal Buick Encore Small CUV in Detroit

General Motors releases a snapshot today of the ’13 Buick Encore, dubbed “Baby Enclave” by insiders, a long-awaited addition to the auto maker’s cross/utility vehicle lineup.

Expect the 5-passenger Encore as early as second-half 2012. It will bow at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Jan. 10.

The teaser photo reveals little more than a front corner of the CUV’s exterior, but the snapshot does show signature Buick elements such as a dark waterfall grille, the brand’s tri-shield badge and wraparound headlamps with blue projectors.

GM first showed journalists a clay mock-up of the Encore some two years ago as part of a post-bankruptcy backgrounder. The auto maker said it would carry the same premium features and styling of the larger 7-passenger Enclave.

The Encore would represent another entry for GM into the red-hot CUV segment. Middle CUVs, as defined by WardsAutosegmentation, commanded 15.8% of industry sales through November. Five years ago, the segment accounted for 8.7% of industry sales.

The Encore boasts few direct competitors at this point, although products expected to come to the U.S. in the near future such as the BMW X1 and Audi Q3 would qualify as rivals.

GM will reveal more of the Encore, bit-by-bit, on Facebook in the weeks leading up to its unveiling in Detroit.

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