Buick Encore GX
Subcompact SUV · 2020–present. 58,239 units sold in the US in 2024
How it began
Buick, a General Motors brand founded by Scottish-born David Dunbar Buick and incorporated in 1903 before moving to Flint, Michigan. The Encore GX was unveiled in Shanghai in April 2019 under Duncan Aldred, vice president of Global Buick and GMC, and its design drew on the Buick Enspire concept, according to Ryan Vaughan, executive director of PATAC Design and GM China Design. The 2024 refresh borrowed lines from the Wildcat EV concept, with Bob Boniface leading Buick design.
It was first unveiled in China, which Buick then identified as its largest market. North American vehicles are built at Bupyeong Plant 1 in Incheon, South Korea, on a line shared with the Chevrolet Trailblazer. Asia Economic Daily’s original January 2020 report documents a $50 million investment in July 2019 and shared annual line capacity of 200,000 vehicles. GM Authority’s 2026 production catalogue identifies Bupyeong as the only remaining plant after Chinese production ended.
It debuted at Buick Brand Night in Shanghai on April 15, 2019, the evening before Auto Shanghai. It made its North American debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November 2019 and began reaching U.S. dealers in February 2020 as a 2020 model.
It inherits the Encore name from the small SUV unveiled in Detroit in January 2012 for model year 2013. At its Chinese premiere, GM described the GX as a new long-wheelbase addition to that family. Buick’s current FAQ expands GX as Grand Crossover and distinguishes the Encore GX from the original Encore.
In 2019, SUVs accounted for almost 90 percent of Buick’s U.S. sales, and the original Encore was its best-selling model. The Encore GX filled the space between the Encore and Envision, with almost 5 cubic feet more cargo room than the former and about 3 less than the latter. Wards described the small/compact SUV ground as about 30 percent of light-vehicle sales and separately described a 1.5 million-unit opportunity for Buick. The model completed a four-SUV family and reinforced the brand’s premium positioning.
Generation by generation
- Gen. 12020–2023
First generation: three cylinders and a fourth SUV for Buick
Photo: Mr.choppers · CC BY-SA 3.0 What changed. It was a new model, not a replacement: it slotted between the Encore and the Envision on GM's global VSS architecture, shared with the Chevrolet Trailblazer. It offered two turbocharged three-cylinder engines, a 1.2-liter with 137 hp and 166 lb-ft and a 1.3-liter with 155 hp and 174 lb-ft, with a CVT on front-wheel drive and a nine-speed automatic on all-wheel drive, which included a switch to disconnect AWD and save fuel. Launch prices were $25,095 (Preferred), $26,695 (Select) and $29,495 (Essence). Per the EPA, the front-drive 1.3 was rated 30/32/31 mpg (city/highway/combined) in 2020.
The innovation. Six safety technologies standard on every trim from day one: Forward Collision Alert, Automatic Emergency Braking, Front Pedestrian Braking, Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning, Following Distance Indicator and IntelliBeam. Plus a hands-free power liftgate with logo projection that Buick said only one other compact SUV offered.
If you buy one usedExact NHTSA Encore GX queries on November 3, 2026 returned two distinct campaigns across model years 2020–2023: 20V588 for brake-boost sensor connections on specified 2020–2021 cars, and 21V440 for emergency jacks on specified 2020–2022 cars. Their remedies replace the boost module or jack. The exact 2023 query returned zero; that does not clear an individual VIN or predict future recalls. For 2020 FWD/CVT configurations, EPA rates the 1.3-liter at 31 mpg combined and the 1.2-liter at 28. Confirm actual drivetrain, installed equipment and completed remedies. - Gen. 22024–present
Mid-cycle refresh: the first Buick with the new logo
Photo: MercurySable99 · CC BY-SA 4.0 What changed. Same generation, new face. Revealed on February 16, 2023, it was the first Buick vehicle in North America with the new tri-shield logo and the forward-leaning front end, modern grille and winged LED headlamps inspired by the Wildcat EV concept. It introduced the Virtual Cockpit System, 19 inches of screens under one piece of glass (an 11-inch infotainment display and an 8-inch cluster), standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and the Avenir trim for the first time alongside Sport Touring. The engines carried over: 1.2 turbo with 137 hp and 1.3 turbo with 155 hp. Launch prices including destination: $26,895 (Preferred), $28,095 (ST) and $33,195 (Avenir). The February release announced production for the following month.
The innovation. The Virtual Cockpit: it was the first Buick with two screens integrated under a single piece of glass, and its 11-inch display was, according to Buick, the largest in the segment at the time.
If you buy one usedCheck 23V744 on certain 2024 Encore GX vehicles for Virtual Cockpit display blanking; the free remedy is a dealer or OTA software update. Campaign 26V539 covers certain 2024–2026 rearview cameras and requires dealer inspection with camera replacement if needed. Exact November 3, 2026 queries returned these two distinct programs across those years, without establishing every VIN’s status. IIHS rates the 2025 model Good in small-overlap crashworthiness, Poor in vehicle-to-vehicle 2.0 front crash prevention and Marginal in pedestrian prevention. Verify each actual required repair, including hardware work.
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