Buick Lacrosse Hybrid unveiled at Beijing Auto Show, for China onlyBuick Lacrosse Hybrid unveiled at Beijing Auto Show, for China only

General Motors is getting a lot of mileage out of the second-generation 2016 Chevrolet Volt’s plug-in hybrid powertrain.
Both the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid (without a plug) and the 2017 Cadillac CT6 Plug-In Hybrid feature powertrains based on the newest iteration of the Voltec hardware.
Now GM is launching a fourth model that appears to have a Volt-based powertrain as well, although it’s only likely to be sold in the Chinese market.
DON’T MISS: 2016 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid: First Drive Of Sedan Using Volt Hybrid System
It’s the Buick Lacrosse Hybrid, which debuts this week at the 2016 Beijing Auto Show.
The hybrid model is based on the redesigned 2017 Lacrosse that debuted back in November at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show.
In place of that model’s 3.6-liter V-6 gasoline engine shown there, though, the Lacrosse Hybrid uses a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine and a 1.5-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack in the trunk.
Buick Lacrosse Hybrid (Chinese spec)
Both the engine displacement and battery-pack size match those of the 2016 Chevy Malibu Hybrid.
Buick didn’t list total system output (it’s 182 horsepower in the Malibu Hybrid), but said the Lacrosse Hybrid will do 0 to 62 mph in 8.9 seconds.
It also claimed estimated fuel economy of 50 mpg, likely as measured on the Chinese testing cycle.
ALSO SEE: 2017 Cadillac CT6 Plug-In Hybrid: technical details revealed
In the U.S., the Malibu Hybrid is rated at 46 mpg combined (47 mpg city, 46 mpg highway).
While the non-hybrid 2017 Lacrosse goes on sale here later this year, the hybrid model will probably be a China-only proposition.
With the new Lacrosse and the latest Malibu based on the same underlying architecture, a hybrid version of the Lacrosse was likely a relatively easy model for Buick to add.
Buick Lacrosse Hybrid (Chinese spec)
Carmakers are launching more hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and electric cars in China to let consumers take advantage of generous government incentives, and to meet increasingly tough impending efficiency standards.
The Chinese government plans to move up implementation of new rules known as “National VI,” which will bring it roughly in line with U.S. and European standards.
The new rules weren’t supposed to take effect until 2020, but they will now be rolled out in major cities next year, and in other areas beginning in 2018.
MORE: China accelerates tougher vehicle emission standards, starting sooner
China will also require carmakers to achieve a fleet average of 47 mpg by 2020.
Honda, for one, has said that this standard alone will force it to sell only hybrid cars in China in the future.
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