Buick updates Encore GX with Wildcat-inspired styling, new tech

DETROIT — Buick is giving the Encore GX subcompact crossover an exterior facelift inspired by the brand's Wildcat electric vehicle concept and updating the interior with new technology.

The Encore GX, to be revealed Thursday at the Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto, is the first Buick to include its new Virtual Cockpit System and the first in North America to sport the brand's updated tri-shield logo. The refreshed GX also will offer a top-end Avenir trim for the first time.

Production is scheduled to begin in March, and the vehicle will go on sale this spring. Buick lowered the starting price by $300 to $26,895, including shipping. The Avenir trim starts at $33,195.

"Styling here speaks for itself. It's modern. It has a lot of sculptural beauty, and it's going to resonate, I feel, really well with the younger customer especially," said Steve McCabe, advanced design manager for Buick.

"It encompasses an all-new look for Buick," McCabe added. "It's a new face and it's, frankly, a fresh start. It's all inspired by optimism in our move forward to EVs and that sort of optimism that's running through design right now."

The Encore GX draws its updated exterior from the brand's Wildcat electric vehicle concept, which debuted last year and favors more sculptural lines, a wider stance and a roomier interior. The GX has an updated front fascia, including the Wildcat-inspired checkmark-style LED headlamps and revamped grille, along with the new logo. The logo also is featured on the rear, along with updated Buick nameplate typography.

The crossover will come in Preferred, ST and Avenir trims. The ST will have high-gloss black bumpers on the front and rear, along with the option of a black roof package.

The Avenir trim will carry a unique grille and clear lens LED tail lamps, 19-inch wheels, chrome accents on the front and rear bumpers, and other styling features. Inside, it will offer leather seats, a heated steering wheel, an air ionizer and an auto-dimming rearview mirror.

The GX will have a standard 1.2-liter turbocharged engine with 137 hp and 162 pound-feet of torque. An optional 1.3-liter turbocharged engine produces 155 hp and 174 pound-feet of torque. The standard configuration of front-wheel drive with a continuously variable transmission gets a GM-estimated 30 mpg in combined city and highway driving, while upgrading to all-wheel drive with a nine-speed automatic transmission results in a GM-estimated 27 mpg combined.

On the inside, Buick said the Encore GX is the first vehicle to include the brand's new Virtual Cockpit System, which puts an 8-inch driver information screen next to an 11-inch infotainment screen behind one piece of glass.

"The Virtual Cockpit System, without a doubt to me, is the exciting piece when you climb in," said Scott McLane, lead development engineer for General Motors, who works on small SUVs.

The updated styling and technology are a "big step forward from the current product, which is really good already," McLane said. "It's our highest-volume, our biggest seller, and that's the one we're purposely updating first."

The Encore GX outsold the rest of the Buick lineup last year in the U.S. with sales of 33,348, though that was a 53 percent decline from 2021.

Duncan Aldred, vice president for global Buick and GMC, told Automotive News last month at the NADA Show in Dallas that Buick was affected by microchip shortages and coronavirus-related supply constraints in 2022. This year represents a rebound opportunity for the brand, he said.

"It's a huge year for Buick," Aldred said. "Last year, we were severely impacted by the chip shortage. Not only have we got the new logo, which will begin rolling out, the new design language on the vehicles that I just mentioned but also good levels of supply."

Laura Harris contributed to this report.