BrandsBuick Is Getting a Rear-Wheel-Drive Sedan — Its First in 30 Years
AI-generated concept illustration of the 2027 Buick RWD Sedan — not an official Buick image. | Rev N Rise
Buick has spent the past decade building nothing but crossovers. The LaCrosse is gone. The Regal is gone. Every sedan Buick once sold in America has been discontinued. That is about to change. General Motors is preparing a new rear-wheel-drive Buick sedan for the US market — its first RWD car in roughly 30 years — built on the same Alpha 2 platform that will underpin the next Cadillac CT5 and the return of the Chevrolet Camaro. The sedan era for Buick is not over. It is about to begin again.
The last rear-wheel-drive Buick sold in America was the Roadmaster — discontinued in 1996. Everything since has been front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive, built on platforms shared with Chevrolet, Opel and various GM global architectures. The new sedan changes that completely. Built on GM's updated Alpha 2-2 platform — a rear-wheel-drive architecture that originally launched in 2012 underpinning the Cadillac ATS and later the CTS, CT4, CT5 and the sixth-generation Chevrolet Camaro — the new Buick will be a genuine rear-wheel-drive sedan with all the dynamic character that implies.
The timing is deliberate. GM has committed massive investment to the Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant in Michigan specifically for next-generation internal combustion vehicle production on this platform. The next Cadillac CT5, the seventh-generation Camaro and the new Buick sedan are all confirmed to be built at that facility — representing a significant bet by GM that rear-wheel-drive petrol sedans still have a market in America. Given the success of the BMW 3 Series, the Mercedes C-Class and the Cadillac CT5 in recent years, that bet looks well-placed.
The Alpha 2-2 platform is an evolution of the Alpha 2 architecture currently used by the Cadillac CT5 and CT4. It retains the rear-wheel-drive configuration that made the original Alpha cars so rewarding to drive — with a front-engine, rear-drive layout that allows AWD to be added when needed without compromising the fundamental dynamic character. The platform supports a wide range of powertrains — from four-cylinder turbocharged units through to V8 engines — giving GM engineering flexibility to spec the Buick differently from the Cadillac without building an entirely separate product.
All three Alpha 2-2 vehicles — the next CT5, the Camaro successor and the Buick sedan — are expected to be produced at Lansing Grand River. The current CT5 ends production in the second half of 2026, at which point the facility will retool for the next generation. The Buick and Camaro follow from the same line in 2027 and 2028 respectively.
The powertrain lineup for the new Buick sedan has not been officially confirmed. Based on the Alpha 2-2 platform's known capabilities and Buick's positioning below Cadillac, the most credible expectation is a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder LSY engine as the base — producing approximately 237 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. This is the same unit that currently powers the Cadillac CT5 base model and multiple other GM vehicles. It is a capable, well-refined engine that suits Buick's near-luxury positioning.
A higher-specification variant is also expected — likely using the twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 that produces up to 360 horsepower and 405 lb-ft of torque in the CT5-V. If offered in the Buick, this engine would give the sedan genuine performance credentials while keeping it clearly differentiated from the Cadillac's sportier V-Series models. A V8 is technically possible on the platform — the Camaro is expected to use one — but is considered unlikely for a Buick sedan given the brand's comfort-focused positioning.
Pricing has not been confirmed. Based on Buick's current lineup — which starts at just over $25,000 and tops out at around $47,000 for the Enclave — and the need to position below the Cadillac CT5's $50,000 base price, the new sedan is expected to start in the mid-$30,000 range. That price point puts it in direct competition with the BMW 3 Series, the Mercedes C-Class and the Genesis G70 — all of which are rear-wheel-drive premium sedans in the same bracket. Buick's historically strong reputation for interior quality and ride comfort gives it a credible argument in that company.
The Buick sedan does not arrive alone. The same Alpha 2-2 platform and the same Lansing Grand River plant are also producing the seventh-generation Chevrolet Camaro — confirmed for a 2028 model-year launch after the sixth-generation was discontinued in 2023. The Camaro is expected to retain internal combustion power rather than adopting the electric powertrain that was previously speculated. Together, the Buick sedan, the new CT5 and the new Camaro represent the most significant reinvestment in rear-wheel-drive American performance and luxury vehicles since the original Alpha platform launched in 2012.
| Type | Rear-wheel-drive luxury sedan |
| Historic significance | First RWD Buick in approximately 30 years |
| Platform | GM Alpha 2-2 — rear-wheel-drive — AWD capable |
| Shared platform | Next Cadillac CT5 + 7th-gen Chevrolet Camaro |
| Production plant | Lansing Grand River Assembly — Michigan |
| Expected engine (base) | 2.0L turbocharged 4-cylinder LSY — ~237hp |
| Expected engine (top) | 3.0L twin-turbo V6 — up to 360hp |
| Expected launch | End of 2027 |
| Expected price | Mid-$30,000 range — below Cadillac CT5 $50,000 |
| Last Buick sedan (US) | LaCrosse — discontinued 2019 / Regal — discontinued 2020 |
| Last Buick RWD (US) | Roadmaster — discontinued 1996 |
| Camaro successor | Also Alpha 2-2 — production late 2027 — 2028 model year |
A rear-wheel-drive Buick sedan at around $35,000, built on the same platform as the Cadillac CT5, coming from the same factory as the new Camaro. This is exactly the kind of product American buyers have been asking GM for — a genuine driving machine with a credible premium badge, priced below the German alternatives and delivering the kind of rear-drive dynamics that crossovers simply cannot replicate. If GM prices it right and gives it the interior quality Buick is known for, the new sedan could be the most talked-about American car of 2027. Thirty years is a long wait. Based on everything reported so far, it will be worth it.