By Nauman Farooq

Good news from General Motors of Canada at the start of the 2010 Toronto International Auto Show. The new Buick Regal sedan will eventually be built at GM’s Oshawa plant. Eventually because the first run of production cars will be coming from GM’s Opel facility in Germany.

Buick Regal

However, starting spring of next year, the Oshawa plant, which currently makes the Impala and the Camaro (the upcoming Camaro convertible will also be built here), will be adding the Regal to their line-up, which is great news for the local work-force.

What will the car be like to actually drive? That we have to wait and see, but since it is very heavily based on the European Opel Insignia, chances are even with the changes to North American spec, the two will be very similar, which is great news, because the Insignia is very well received by all the European motoring press.

The first models on sale will get the 2.4-liter, direct-injection, four-cylinder engine, which produces 182 hp and 172 lb/ft of torque.

A six-speed automatic transmission will send power to the front wheels. No all-wheel drive model has been officially announced as of yet.

However, GM is consistently showing a turbo-charged version of the Regal, called the GS. This supposedly ‘concept’ Regal GS sports a 2.0-liter, direct-injection, four-cylinder engine which produces 220 hp and 258 lb/ft of torque, thanks to its little turbo. While Buick has not officially announced if this exact model will be sold to the public, don’t be too surprised to see it hit the market.

The Regal will be the entry level model in Buick’s line-up and hence will be much more affordable than the LaCrosse. However, one look at the interior will confirm there is nothing entry-level about this mid-size sedan. All modern features such a satellite navigation, Bluetooth capability, iPod connectivity, and much more will be available on this model.

The last car to wear the Regal badge was back in 2004, and while that car had a reputation to attract buyers who are close to the age of deceased, this new Regal looks set to attract a much more younger audience. Look for it in Canadian showrooms early this summer.