- The Buick Encore is set to be discontinued after the 2022 model year, according to a report from GM Authority.
- A Buick spokesperson did not confirm the Encore’s discontinuation to Car and Driver, but did say that Buick “will continue to offer four distinct SUVs.”
- Sales of the Encore have dropped dramatically since the introduction of the more modern Encore GX.
CLARIFICATION 3/14/22: GM Authority also reports that the Chevrolet Trax will be discontinued in 2022 on the same schedule as the related Buick Encore. Like the Encore, sales of the Trax have declined significantly since the arrival of the newer subcompact Trailblazer.
Buick has been selling the new Encore GX alongside the older, egg-shaped Encore for some time now. But now it appears the original Encore’s time is coming to an end, with GM Authority reporting that the Encore will be discontinued after the 2022 model year. The Encore was first introduced way back in 2013 and has remained in the Buick lineup as a slightly smaller and cheaper alternative to the more modern Encore GX.
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Production of the Buick Encore at General Motors’ Bupyeong factory in South Korea will wrap up in the third quarter of this year, GM Authority claims. A Buick spokesperson told Car and Driver that “Buick will continue to offer four distinct SUVs in the U.S. and Canada going forward” but would not confirm the Encore’s fate. If the Encore truly is dead, that would leave Buick with three SUV lines—the Encore GX, Envision, and Enclave. The fourth model could be an upcoming electric crossover which Buick will preview with a concept this summer.
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Buick has been slowly phasing out the Encore over the past few years, with the lineup cut to just one trim level for 2022, down from six offerings in 2018. Sales have dipped dramatically since the introduction of the GX, with just over 20,000 Encores sold in 2021, down 50 percent compared with 2020. Meanwhile the Encore GX saw a 59 percent jump in sales last year to 71,247 units. The death of the Encore will free up extra space to expand production of the Encore GX and its Chevrolet sibling, the Trailblazer.
[poll id=’c7be455c-e717-456c-bff9-dfc93caed76e_dd95a14bc69db’ type=’text’ question=’Should Buick keep the Encore around as a budget model?’ answer1=’No, the Encore GX takes that spot.’ answer2=’It fills a worthwhile niche.’][/poll]
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Source: Motor - aranddriver.com
