Buick recently unveiled its next-generation Buick Encore at the Shanghai auto show, and the presentation includes a stretched version, the Encore GX. The pitch at the unveiling was that the new model was intended for the Chinese market exclusively.

It turns out that is not the case. According to a report by Automotive News, Buick intends to bring the GX to the North American market. The model will logically fit into the automaker’s lineup between the regular Encore and the larger Envision SUV.

This makes eminent sense, because at present there’s a big price gap between the Encore and the Envision’s base models in the Buick product offering (in Canada it’s about $14,000).

A whole other vehicle
Despite the shared name, the Encore GX is a vehicle fundamentally different from the Encore. For starters it sits on a whole other platform. It’s also likely that it will get a different powertrain, given that the Encore’s engine is not exactly a powerhouse.

Buick has not confirmed the report, but it has advised its dealers they will be getting a new model before the end of 2019. Signs point to it being the Encore GX, sold as a 2020 model.

One thing we’ll be watching is where Buick decides to assemble the model. The version presented in Shanghai for the Chinese market will be sold there, but with the current trade dispute raging between the United States and China, Buick will be wanting to avoid the risk of getting slapped with additional tariffs.

We expect to get more news from Buick in the coming weeks and months.