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Here's your first look at Buick's next Regal

It may have a Vauxhall badge, but there's a Buick (and an Opel) under there.

Andrew Krok Reviews Editor / Cars
Cars are Andrew's jam, as is strawberry. After spending years as a regular ol' car fanatic, he started working his way through the echelons of the automotive industry, starting out as social-media director of a small European-focused garage outside of Chicago. From there, he moved to the editorial side, penning several written features in Total 911 Magazine before becoming a full-time auto writer, first for a local Chicago outlet and then for CNET Cars.
Andrew Krok
Vauxhall

The last Buick Regal was also known as the Opel (and Vauxhall) Insignia in Europe. Now, there's a new Insignia, which means you're looking at the next Regal, whenever it arrives in the US. And it's looking good.

This Insignia, shown off with Vauxhall badging, is positively gorgeous. It's far slimmer in appearance than the previous model, and that's reinforced under the skin, as GM claims this new car sheds more than 350 pounds in its next iteration. Its drag coefficient is a slippery 0.26, which should aid fuel economy.

Vauxhall Insignia

The Avenir concept may never come to market, but many of its styling cues are slowly making their way into GM's products.

Vauxhall

There's a whole bunch of tech hiding under that lovely countenance, as well. A new eight-speed transmission takes care of the cog swapping. It will initially be offered only in conjunction with all-wheel drive, which now adds torque vectoring for better handling.

LED headlights adorn the front end, along with an "active" aluminum hood. This lifts the hood in the event of a pedestrian collision, which can help reduce injuries. The interior features upgrades like a head-up display, a screen in the gauge cluster and rear heated seats. Safety equipment includes adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking and lane-keep assist.

The Vauxhall Insignia will make its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March. It's unclear when the Buick Regal variant will debut in the US, but it's believed that it won't be as early as the Detroit auto show in January.

New Vauxhall Insignia gives us a sneak peek at Buick's replacement for the Regal

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