The Facelifted Buick GL8 Is A Chrome-tastic Small Car From China

Buick is giving its GL8 minivan a facelift that uses the brand’s new design language

Buick’s campaign to tease the GL8 Lu Zun has come to an abrupt end as China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology unveiled the new passenger car. It follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, but adopts the company’s latest design language.

The changes are immediately noticeable as the model has split lighting units and a large trapezoidal grille. They’re joined by a streamlined hood that now features a new Buick logo.

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Moving further back, we can see streamlined bodywork and sleeker door handles. The car also wears additional chrome trim as well as prominent black pillars.

The difference in the rear is not so great, but the design is equipped with taillights and a thin chrome accent with the letters “BUICK”. The latter rests on a minimalist logo.

Up new, down old

Apart from the standard model, there will be a luxury Avenir variant. Little is known about it at this time, but the model seems to be distinguished by a mesh grille and a large air intake. We can also see unique wheels and an Avenir badge on the front fender.

According to Buick’s specifications, the supercar is 205.5 inches (5,219 mm) long, 73.9 inches (1,878 mm) wide, and 71.1 inches (1,807 mm) tall with a wheelbase that is 121.6 inches (3,088 mm) wide. The figures carry over from the current model.

Under the hood, there is a hybrid powertrain with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. Specs are not available, but the model has 208 hp (155 kW / 211 PS) and a top speed of 112 mph (180 km / h). Buick also confirmed plans for a plug-in hybrid powertrain and we can expect to see both versions debut at Auto China later this month.