Buick Grand National

The Buick Regal is an upscale mid-sized automobile that was first introduced by Buick for the 1973 model year. North Americanproduction ended in 2004 and began again in 2011. For the 2011 model year, Buick re-introduced the Regal to the North American market, positioned as an upscale sports sedan.[1] Production and sales in China have continued since 1999. For certain model years between 1973 and 2004, the Regal shared bodies and powertrains with the similar Buick Century. The two most recent generations (2011–present) are North American market versions of the Opel Insignia, known as the VauxhallInsignia in the UK. Buick had been the first GM division to bring a personal luxury car to market with its full-size 1963 Riviera, but was otherwise slow to react to the developing lower-priced mid-size personal luxury market, which Pontiaccreated with the 1969 Grand Prix and Chevrolet with the Monte Carlo the following year, 1970. At the same time, Oldsmobile added a formal notchback coupé to its intermediate line, the Cutlass Supreme, in 1970 and that model soon became Olds' best selling intermediate. Buick did not get its own personal luxury coupe until the GM intermediates were redesigned in 1973, the so-called "Colonnade" cars that eliminated hardtop models completely. In a curious name swap, the Skylark name was dropped from Buick's intermediate line and instead the Century nameplate, last used in the 1950s, was revived for them.