Motorists in the market for a new Buick Cascada need to act fast. Peugeot-owned Opel has built the last example of the drop-top model in its Gliwice, Poland, factory, and there's no replacement in sight.
Buickannounced the Cascada's demise in early 2019, and GM Authority
learned the model went out unceremoniously. There's no indication that
the final example received a commemorative plaque on its dashboard, or
is headed to a private collection; photos of it aren't even available.
The dealership who ordered it might not know it's about to receive the last specimen of the breed.
As a non-luxury, front-wheel-drive convertible, the Cascada was marooned on an island that Buick's rivals abandoned halfway through the 2010s. The Chrysler 200 Convertible and the Volkswagen Eos
were discontinued after the 2014 and 2015 model years, respectively.
Landing in a class of one likely raised more than a few eyebrows in
Buick's product planning division, but it was a semi-enviable position
that helped the firm sell about 17,000 units of the Cascada between the
2016 and 2019 model years. It proudly pointed out about 60 percent of
buyers were new to General Motors.
Left-hand-drive examples of the Cascada were sold under the Buick and Opel banners. Right-hand-drive models joined the Vauxhall range in the United Kingdom, and they wore a Holden emblem in Australia.
The four flavors were identical with the exception of some
brand-specific trim pieces and powertrains. None will get a successor;
the aforementioned carmakers are no longer operating under the same
roof, and the global convertible segment is steadily shrinking.
The
Cascada's multinational provenance made more sense before General
Motors sold its Opel and Vauxhall divisions to PSA Groupe, the
Paris-based carmaker that owns Peugeot,
Citroën and DS. The French firm pledged to keep producing cars for
Buick for as long as necessary, but the former sister companies tacitly
agreed to stop co-developing vehicles. The sedan and station wagon variants of the Regal are now the only Opel-designed, PSA-built model left in the the Buick portfolio.
