Revamped Buick GL8 on Way in China

An all-new Buick GL8 minivan will go on sale exclusively in China beginning in January, GM China says.

The new model will be marketed alongside an updated version of the original GL8, which has sold 330,000 units in China since its 1999 introduction. Beginning in December, the current ʼ11 GL8 will offer a new 2.4L Ecotec engine and 6-speed automatic.

The dual vehicle strategy will enable Shanghai General Motors Co. Ltd. to “more fully address the MPV market, from the upper-medium to luxury segments,” GM China says.

The new, more luxurious model was developed at the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center in Shanghai in cooperation with Shanghai GM. This same vehicle-development linkup resulted in the successful Buick LaCrosse luxury midsize sedan, now produced and marketed in China and North America and sold in South Korea as the Alpheon.

The new GL8 entry will base at RMB288,000 ($43,027), with a fully equipped model priced at RMB388,000 ($57,967).

Measuring 207 ins. (525.6 cm) in overall length, 74 ins. (187.8 cm) wide and 71 ins. (180.0 cm) high, it features enhanced suspension with front and back sub-frames and a Robert Bosch GmbH electronic stability control system.

New Buick GL8 Luxury model.

It comes powered with either a 2.4 L Ecotec 4-cyl. engine or a 3.0 L direct-injection V-6, both matched to 6-speed automatic transmissions.

Other available features include two-tone leather seats, a 2-piece panoramic sunroof, electric anti-pinch sliding door, one-touch power rear door and 10-speaker 5.1 channel Bose sound system. Also on the list are a dash-mounted 7-in. (18-cm) touchscreen display and 10.2-in. (26 cm) high-definition video screen for the back seat.