Buick reveals new Verano in Shanghai

The lion's share of the new vehicles being showcased at the Shanghai Motor Show this week may never make their way to US showrooms. But Americans will surely want to note the unveiling of the all-newBuick Verano.

The current compact sedan in the Buick lineup arrived in 2011, and is now preparing to enter its second generation with the model you see here. Details are the only element more scarce than photos (GM has released one thus far), but we can see that the new Verano adopts more dynamic styling than the model it replaces.

The design borrows elements from the Riviera and Avenir concepts, with a more steeply raked windshield and rear glass said to give the new Verano a more elongated look (and lower drag coefficient) than its compact footprint would dictate. Up front you'll see Buick's signature waterfall grille, flanked by HID xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights and taillamps.

Motivation comes courtesy of a 1.5-liter turbocharged Ecotec four, driving 166 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque through a new seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The 17-inch wheels are shod with Continental rubber. Just how many of these specifications will remain relevant when the new Verano reaches Buick dealers on this side of the Pacific remains to be seen.

Spied: 2017 GMC Sierra 2500/3500 Chassis Cab

The GM light-duty and heavy-duty pickup trucks look like they'll be coming to market refreshed for 2017 or 2018. Our spy shooters are seeing both of them running all sorts of loaded and empty test loops, likely to work out the bugs on a modified or upgraded powertrain. Here's their latest report:

"Recently we've caught the updated Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra light-duty pickups out on their first test runs. … We caught a pair of 2016 GMC Sierra Heavy Duty prototypes (one crew-cab 2500 near maximum payload and towing capacity, and the other an empty chassis-cab Duramax) coming in from a run.

"Much like the light-duty trucks we've seen before, the Sierra looks to be hiding a moderate front-end refresh, with a new front end, hood cuts, a revised grille and updated headlights.

"We suspect the bigger news is under the hood, where the GM HD trucks are reported to get upgraded versions of the Duramax V-8 turbo-diesel. At least one report pegs the new Duramax numbers at 450 horsepower and 850 pounds-feet of torque.

"A version of the 10-speed transmission co-developed with Ford is also likely to make it into the heavy-duty pickups by 2018."