The Buick Excelle GT () is the name for the

compact car Compact car is a vehicle size class—predominantly used in North America—that sits between subcompact cars and mid-size cars. "Small family car" is a British term and a part of the C-segment in the European car classification. However, before ...

manufactured by

SAIC-GM SAIC General Motors Corporation Limited (commonly known as SAIC-GM; ) is a joint venture between General Motors Company and SAIC Motor. The company was founded in 1997 as Shanghai General Motors Company Ltd or Shanghai GM (). Headquartered in Sh ...

under GM's

Buick Buick () is a division (business), division of the Automotive industry in the United States, American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American automobil ...

brand. The original

Buick Excelle The Buick Excelle () is the common name for the subcompact cars marketed by Shanghai General Motors Company Limited () under GM's Buick brand. It is classified as a compact in China, but by international standards it is a subcompact car. The ...

() was based on the

Daewoo Lacetti The Daewoo Lacetti is a compact car manufactured and marketed globally by GM Korea since 2002. The first-generation Lacetti was available as a four-door sedan and five-door station wagon, styled by Pininfarina—and five-door hatchback styled b ...

developed by

Daewoo Motors Daewoo Motors ( ) was a South Korean Automotive industry, automotive company established in 1937 as "National Motors". The company changed its name several times until 1982 when it became "Daewoo Motors" following its acquisition by the Daewoo, ...

. Parallel to the Lacetti-based Excelle, Shanghai GM introduced a new car, also called "Buick Excelle" in China, but called "Ying Lang" in Chinese. It is based on GM's global compact car platform "Delta II" which was developed at Rüsselsheim in

Opel Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Gr ...

's International Technical Development Center (ITDC). The globally sold

Chevrolet Cruze The Chevrolet Cruze is a compact car produced by General Motors from 2008 through 2023. It was designated as a globally developed, designed, and manufactured four-door compact sedan, complemented by a five-door hatchback body variant from 2011, ...

as well as South Korean market Daewoo Lacetti Premiere were both based on this same

Delta II Delta II was an expendable launch system, originally designed and built by McDonnell Douglas, and sometimes known as the Thorad Delta 1. Delta II was part of the Delta rocket family, derived directly from the Delta 3000, and entered service in ...

platform. Since the 2009 economic crises and the subsequent demise of the Saturn brand and reduction of GM's North American brands to four, certain Opel models were no longer aligned with the Saturn brand, but now with the Buick brand instead. Consequently, the models built and marketed by Buick China were twins of some Opel variants of GM's global platforms prior to the purchase of

and

Vauxhall Vauxhall ( , ) is an area of South London, within the London Borough of Lambeth. Named after a medieval manor called Fox Hall, it became well known for the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. From the Victorian period until the mid-20th century, Va ...

Groupe PSA Peugeot S.A., trading as Groupe PSA () (formerly PSA Peugeot Citroën from 1991 to 2016) was a French multinational automotive manufacturing company which produced automobiles and motorcycles under the Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Opel and Vauxhal ...

in 2017, while the Lacetti-based Excelle was re-positioned below Buick's newer offerings. In China, a

hatchback A hatchback is a car body style, car body configuration with a rear door that swings upward to provide access to the main interior of the car as a cargo area rather than just to a separated trunk. Hatchbacks may feature fold-down second-row sea ...

called the "Buick Excelle XT" debuted in 2009, which was essentially a rebadged Opel Astra J. A sedan debuted in 2010 called the "Buick Excelle GT" (). A North American version of the Excelle GT was assembled in the United States from 2011 to 2016, and marketed as the

Buick Verano The Buick Verano () is a compact car manufactured by SAIC-GM for the GM's Buick brand since 2010. It debuted at the North American International Auto Show on January 10, 2011, during a preview of Buick's then upcoming 2012 model. It is the firs ...

. In August 2016, Buick China decided to end 13 years of production of the original

(2003-2016) despite strong sales, with 2.68 million units sold over the course of 13 years. Citing its low price while the Buick brand was being moved upmarket in China as a main reason, there was no direct successor, with sister brands

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ) is an American automobile division of the manufacturer General Motors (GM). In North America, Chevrolet produces and sells a wide range of vehicles, from subcompact automobiles to medium-duty commercial trucks. Due to the promi ...

Baojun Baojun () is a Chinese automobile marque owned by a joint venture of General Motors (GM) and SAIC Motor, SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile. The brand was created as a more affordable alternative to existing GM brands such as Chevrolet and Buick for the Ch ...

and

Wuling Wuling may refer to: People * Xu Wuling (许武岭, born 14 September 1971), professional rower * Yu Wuling (于武陵, born 810), poet * Zhang Wuling (张武龄, 1889-1938), educator * King Wuling of Zhao (趙武靈王, 340-295 BCE), ruler of ...

filling in the lower end market niche left unoccupied by the departure of the Buick Excelle.

First generation (2009)

Excelle XT (hatchback)

The Excelle XT hatchback made its debut in late 2009 at the Guangzhou Auto Show and the Excelle GT sedan in June 2010. The hatch went on sale in China only in January 2010 and the sedan in June 2010. The XT is essentially a rebadged

Opel Astra The Opel Astra is a compact car/ small family car ( C-segment) developed and produced by the German automaker Opel since 1991, currently at its sixth generation. It was first launched in September 1991 as a direct replacement to the Opel Kade ...

for the Chinese market only, with the most noticeable differences being Buick badges and a new grille. Engine options for the Buick Excelle XT include:2010 Buick Excelle XT
Top Speed. * 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine that delivers 135 kW. * 1.6-liter inline four-cylinder gasoline engine with a two-stage variable intake manifold that delivers 85 kW. * 1.8-liter DOHC inline four-cylinder gasoline engine that delivers 103 kW. All engines are available with a six-speed automatic transmission featuring a sport mode. File:Buick Excelle XT 01 China 2012-04-22.JPG, Buick Excelle XT hatchback front. File:Buick Excelle XT 02 China 2012-04-22.JPG, Buick Excelle XT hatchback rear.

Excelle GT (sedan)

Another version of the

that shares the design cues of the Excelle GT is assembled and marketed in North America as the

. Production of the Verano began in the fourth quarter of 2011 at the General Motors

Orion Assembly Orion Assembly is an automotive assembly plant in Orion Township, Michigan, United States, owned and operated by General Motors. From late 2025, the plant is slated to assemble the Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV battery electric p ...

plant. The Verano went on sale late in 2011 as a 2012 model. File:Buick Excelle GT 01 China 2012-04-08.JPG, Buick Excelle GT sedan front. File:Buick Excelle GT 02 China 2012-04-08.JPG, Buick Excelle GT sedan rear.

Second generation (2015)

A new Buick Excelle GT was introduced as a 2015 model. The new model has a completely new look, with new front and rear bumpers, new lights, new grille, and a more luxurious cabin. New engines included are a 1.4-liter turbocharged engine mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission or a 1.5-liter mated to a five speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. Trim levels for this model are called 15N and 18T. Production of the new model began in March 2015. File:Buick Excelle GT II China 2016-04-18.jpg, Pre-facelift Buick Excelle GT sedan front. File:Buick Excelle GT II 02 China 2015-04-10.jpg, Pre-facelift Buick Excelle GT sedan side. File:Buick Excelles.jpg, Pre-facelift Buick Excelle GT sedans front and rear.

2018 facelift

In late 2017, Buick announced a facelift update for the 2018 model year that adds the new Buick grilles with the spreading wings to the Verano and Excelle products. The update applies to the Buick Verano sedan/hatchback, Buick Excelle GT sedan, and added a Buick Excelle GX station wagon as an additional new body style. 1 liter and 1.3 liter three cylinder engines were added to the range along with both 6 speed manual and dual clutch gearboxes. File:Buick Excelle GT II facelift China 2018-03-20.jpg, 2018 Buick Excelle GT facelift front. File:2018 Buick Excelle GT facelift rear 8.14.18.jpg, 2018 Buick Excelle GT facelift rear. File:2018 Buick Excelle GX 1.3T front 8.14.18.jpg, 2018 Buick Excelle GX estate front. File:2018 Buick Excelle GX 1.3T rear 8.14.18.jpg, 2018 Buick Excelle GX estate rear.

References

External links

* {{Buick China timeline Front-wheel-drive vehicles 2010s cars Sedans Excelle GT Cars of China Cars introduced in 2009 2020s cars 2000s cars Saloons Hatchbacks Station wagons Compact cars