It just happens that General Motors filed a patent but submitted the one for Opel Amptera that is Voltec powered instead of the Chevy Volt’s. The Volt will also not be branded as Opel since it is not a well-known brand in China leaving Buick, the best brand of GM in China, as the wisest choice.

It makes perfect sense that the Ampera will be sold in China with a Buick badge since it has been the practice of the company to re-brand the Opel cars as Buicks when they reach the country.

The Astra of Opel is being sold as the Buick Excelle while the Insignia became the Buick Regal. Now, it might be a good question to ask what will be Ampera called when it gets to China? Will it be Buick Ampera?

The Buick Volt when it gets to China will be the 5^th Voltec model joining the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, and the Ampera of Holden and Opel/Vauxhall. We just need to wait a bit for the Daewoo that will be powered by Voltec, too to complete the list. The units will be produced GM plant in Michigan initially.

The Opel Insignia was tapped to replace the Saturn Aura but due to the sale of the brand, GM decision makers opted to sell the car as the 2011 Buick Regal. The Buick Regal is set to hit the market by the 2nd quarter of 2010.

The 2011 Buick Regal is expected to give other sport sedan in its segment a tough competition. The Regal derives its power from the turbocharged engine, European chassis set up, and selectable suspension system.

The Aura replacement will meet head on with models like the Volvo S60 and the Acura TSX. The new 2011 Regal will have more space and legroom compared to these cars. It has a longer wheelbase, bigger trunk capacity, six speed transmission, and 18-inch rims.

You can trace the development of the Regal back to Germany where the current European Car of the Year, the Opel Insignia hails. The Regal has also seen success in China where about 64,000 units have been sold so far since December 2008.

The initial offering of the 2011 Buick Regal in the U.S. will come as the CXL trim with 182 horsepower with fuel mileage of 30 mpg on highway driving and 29 mpg while snaking in and out of city streets.

Before the sale of the Buick Regal in North America, the Opel Insignia has been rolling off the dealerships in China. According to GM insiders, the Regal will be marketed below the 2010 LaCrosse and will have a few thousand dollars off its sticker price. The LaCrosse has a tag starting at $27,835.

The LaCrosse and the Regal though is built on the same DNA of the Epsilon II FWD. They also share basic lines and curves for the body structure. The LaCrosse has several features that you cannot find on the Regal. The former comes with acoustic glass, hood built with perimeter seal, and absorption material under the chassis.

The Regal is also 4 inches shorter when your compare its wheelbase to the 10.7 inches of the LaCrosse. The regal is also 6.9 inches short off the length of the LaCrosse.

The Buick Regal is part of the general plan of the car manufacturer to introduce to the market new models which can challenge brands like the Acura and Lexus.

The Insignia has also several variants including a standard sedan, a 5-door hatchback, and a functional wagon. These may also be brought to North America.

A source that is updated with General Motors’s projects said that the Opel badge, scheduled to be with Saturn as the revamped 2010 Aura, will be at the glazing hood of the Buick and will be known in the United States as the 2010 Regal sedan.

Susan Docherty, vice president of Buick-Pontiac-GMC claimed that Opel is one of the leading brands that they are hoping to work with for future production. But she cleared that her group will also consider other brands in terms of creating upcoming Buicks. They are in the time to explore and make use of all resources.

As an answer to the question if what will happen to Buick’s plans if General Motors sells Opel, Docherty said that she doesn’t know any details of what General Motors is planning with the reorganization, but she is confident with the car company’s utilization of all its architectural platforms globally. But then, Docherty refused to make a statement on Buick’s hold of the Opel badge.

Buick’s upcoming projects will be primarily focused on creating crossovers and sedans. In their viability plan that was officially released last Feb. 17, General Motors announced that if they cannot make Saturn a big hit in the market, the said brand will be out in the selling market in 2012.

The GM press releases disclose that the 2010 Buick LaCrosse will be sold in 2 variants. One will have an engine base of 3.0L V6 and a higher 3.6L V6. Both engines will be coupled with the 6T70 six-speed automatic transmission of GM.

The power plant under the hood of the 20 LaCrosse will focus on both performance and fuel efficiency. The 3.0L direct injection engine is expected to have an output of 250 horsepower with a fuel rating of 30 mpg running on normal highway conditions.

The 3.6 L V6 version is similar to the engine under the hood of the Cadillac CTS. It also has a direct-injection feature which kicks at 290 horsepower.

The 2010 Lacrosse also boasts of luxury set up like HID headlamps, heads-up display, and a rear view camera. An all wheel drive feature may also come but it is not yet clear if it will only be available for the 3.6L version.

The appearance of this release from Buick is inspired by the Buick Invicta displayed during the Beijing Auto Show held earlier this year.

The new LaCrosse is part of the midsize car productions of GM worldwide. This car is scheduled to debut during the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show.