Buick Verano

The Buick Verano is a four-door, five passenger, compact sedan with a front engine, front-wheel drive layout projected to go on sale in North America in the fourth quarter of 2011 as a 2012 model. As the first compact sold by Buick in the United States since the Buick Skylark was discontinued in 1997, the Verano shares General Motors' Delta II platform with the Chevrolet Cruze, was co-developed with the Chinese market Buick Excelle GT^[1] and is projected for assembly in the United States at General Motor's Orion Assembly plant in Orion Township, Michigan.

The Verano was presented to journalists on January 06, 2011 and to the public at the North American International Auto Show on January 10, 2011.
The name Verano derives from the Spanish word for summer.

Development

The Verano shares its platform with the European market Opel/Vauxhall Astra J and the North American market Chevrolet Cruze.^[1][3][6] Jim Federico, Executive Director and Vehicle Chief Engineer for Verano, led the vehicle development team and David Lyon, Buick design director, styled the exterior.^[7][8]

The Verano uses unibody construction with galvanized steel front fenders, hood, roof and door panels and thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) bumper covers.^[2] It incorporates acoustical laminated glass, triple door seals, a five-layer interior roof liner, sound absorbing mats, recycled denim insulation and specially manufactured 17-inch forged alloy wheels, which minimize road noise.^[2]

Engines

The standard powetrain is a the 2.4 L Ecotec direct-injected DOHC I4 mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. The 2.4 L engine is estimated to produce 177 horsepower (132 kW) at 6,200 rpm and 170 lb·ft (230 N·m) of torque at 4,800 rpm, pending SAE certification. Fuel economy estimates are 22 miles per US gallon (11 l/100 km) city and 31 miles per US gallon (7.6 l/100 km) highway.