Buick has announced several powertrain updates to its mid-size Regal sedan, the most significant of which is the addition of a standard eAssist mild hybrid setup for the 2013 model year.
Replacing the outgoing, unassisted four-cylinder base motor, eAssist uses a compact lithium-ion battery pack and a small electric motor to boost the performance and efficiency of a 2.4-liter gas engine. Buick says the eAssist-powered Regal will return 36 mpg on the highway, which is the same figure achieved by the larger and heavier LaCrosse with eAssist.
Buick made the eAssist powertrain standard on the LaCrosse last year while offering a V6 a no-cost option, raising the possibility of the automaker making the 2.0-liter turbo four available on the Regal for the same price as eAssist.
The other Regal news is the addition of an optional Aisin AF40 six-speed automatic transmission to the 270-horsepower Regal GS model for the current model year. The automatic-equipped Regal GS will return the same fuel economy (19/27 mpg) and sprint from zero-to-60 mph in the same time (6.7 seconds) as the manually-shifted version, according to Buick.
Look for Buick to announce pricing and availability for the 2013 Regal line later this year.
