Buicks may have the reputation of being the car of choice for hitting the early bird special, but how do you think your granny would like to row her way through a snick-snick manual tranny on her way to the fabric store?
Buick seems to think she'd like it just fine. Better yet, Buick thinks you wouldn't mind slipping through a standard on your way to the fabric store (or early bird dinner, or wherever you go).
Yesterday, Jalopnik reported, "Jim Frederico, chief engineer for Buick, just told assembled journalists at the ride-and-drive for the new Buick Regal that it'll receive a manny tranny as an available option — assumingly the same as the Opel Insignia's — sometime after launch."
The Buick Regal is a new midsized Buick that hopes to build on the success of the Buick LaCrosse -- and lower the average age of Buick buyers a bit. The 2011 Regal will debut at the L.A. Auto Show in December, and will hit showrooms sometime in 2010.
Autoblog asks, "When was the last time a U.S. market Buick was available with a manual transmission? Honestly, we can't recall anything more recent than a buddy in high school having a hand-me-down mid-Eighties Somerset coupe with a stubby, workmanlike five-speed." Even if Autoblog can't recall the last Buick with a manual, "We now know when a Buick will next feature God's Own Gearbox (probably in the third quarter of 2010)."
If you're in the market for a new car, check out the U.S. News rankings of this year's best cars, as well as this month's best car deals.
