The mild hybrid system is a re-engineered version of the hybrid powertrain in the old Malibu and now-defunct Saturn Aura sedan and Vue compact SUV. It was a flop for GM due to elevated prices and disappointing fuel-economy figures.

The new system debuted in Buick's LaCrosse for 2012 and combines a 2.4-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine with a lithium-ion battery-powered electric motor for 182 total horsepower. Its regenerative braking system and engine start/stop functionality also help save fuel, but the Eco cannot run solely on battery power. GM estimates the Malibu Eco will get 25/37 mpg city/highway.

The Malibu Eco starts at $25,235, excluding a $760 destination fee. The 2013 Eco model will be joined by two new engines later in the year: a 2.5-liter four-cylinder and turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder.

The 2013 Malibu is GM's first global midsize sedan; it plans to sell it in nearly 100 countries.

• Competes with: Volkswagen Tiguan, Mazda CX-5, Ford Escape
• Looks like: Buick’s version of the deceased Saturn Vue
• Drivetrain: 140-horsepower, 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with six-speed automatic; front- or all-wheel drive
• Hits dealerships: Early 2013

Buick's baby crossover is here, and “baby” is no joke. It's so much smaller than the three-row Enclave — nearly 3 feet shorter from bumper to bumper and 9.1 inches narrower — that Buick officials told us another crossover could slot between the two. The Encore stretches the limits of entry-luxury crossovers, taking on models that haven't even arrived here yet: the BMW X1 and Audi Q3, which slot below existing entry-luxury crossovers like the X3 and Q5. When the Encore hits dealers early next year, you might also shop it against a Volkswagen Tiguan or Mazda CX-5.

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The Encore's overall shape looks like the erstwhile Saturn Vue, with Buick cues in the grille, faux hood portals and blue-ensconced headlights. Faux vents cut an odd chunk from the lights themselves — a strange cue we'll have to warm up to. The Encore's lower flanks have a darker finish, but Buick matches them to a pearl paint if you specify the color. Short overhangs characterize the profile, which sits on 18-inch aluminum wheels.

The rear suspension uses a semi-independent torsion beam — the stuff of economy cars — but models from the Hyundai Elantra to the Volkswagen Jetta ride well enough with the setup, so we can't knock it until we drive it.

The cabin boasts gobs of insulation and active noise cancellation, the latter a Buick first. Buick's standard IntelliLink multimedia system can stream smartphone apps through a 7-inch dash display. Like the Verano sedan, the Encore comes standard with leatherette-and-cloth or full-leather seats. Options include heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, a navigation system and a backup camera.

Behind the rear seats is 18.5 cubic feet of cargo room. Fold the seats down, and the Encore has 48.4 cubic feet — closer to hatchback than SUV territory, but similar to the space in the X1 and Q3, Buick says.

We wonder if GM's 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder will imbue the Encore with much passing power; it's the sole engine. With 140 horsepower and 148 pounds-feet of torque, the tiny four-cylinder works through a six-speed automatic transmission. All-wheel drive is optional. Buick has yet to estimate gas mileage, but the same engine helps the Chevrolet Cruze and Sonic achieve 40-plus mpg. Don't expect the Encore, which is more than 1,000 pounds heavier, to get the same numbers, but we expect it to do relatively well.

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By Dave Lee

For the young and the young at heart…Attention truck enthusiasts and Xbox 360 gamers: The next batch of downloadable content for “Forza Motorsport 4” will include the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor.

The add-on pack will be sold next week through the Xbox Live Marketplace for 560 Microsoft Points ($7). So if you ever wanted to drive a virtual Raptor in a virtual Pikes Peak in a virtual hill climb, here's your chance.

Ford licensed its vehicles to appear in “Sega Rally 1995″ for the Sega Saturn game console and the PC. Since then, more than 250 million copies of games with Ford cars have been sold.

The contract agreements should add to the UAW’s Detroit Three ranks — currently at 112,000, a fraction of its membership in the 1970s and ‘80s — with jobs and cars returning to the U.S. Despite ruffled feathers at Chrysler when the UAW bumped Ford ahead in its negotiations, the process wrapped up in orderly fashion, with little apparent strife.

The agreements should create more than 14,000 new jobs: 2,100 at Chrysler, 5,750 at Ford and 6,400 at GM, the UAW says. Those are proportionate additions to current GM and Ford ranks, with a smaller addition to Fiat-owned Chrysler. The three automakers will invest more than $13 billion in U.S. salaries and infrastructure over the next four years, with a handful of future models locked in. Rather than getting hourly raises, UAW employees at all three companies will receive signing bonuses and profit-sharing programs, an important step for Detroit carmakers to keep labor costs down. Entry-level workers will get an hourly raise.

The agreements bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S.

Ford will bring production of its next-generation Fusion to Flat Rock, Mich., where the Mustang and Mazda6 are currently built. Ford builds today’s Fusion in Mexico, a country where autoworkers average just $3.75 an hour compared with an average of $33.46 in America, IHS Automotive reports. That could put the popular Fusion in contention for Cars.com’s American Made Index if Ford builds enough of them here. The UAW contract names Flat Rock as a “second source” of Fusion production, meaning some production could remain south of the border.

Other insourcing includes the Transit Connect cargo van, which Ford will build in Kansas City, Mo. Currently, all Transits bought here are built in Turkey. The UAW deal also slates the C-Max hybrid, next-generation Escape crossover and next-gen Mustang for U.S. production.

GM, meanwhile, will reopen its Spring Hill, Tenn., plant — made famous in Saturn commercials — to build two midsize vehicles. The redesigned Chevrolet Colorado pickup will stay here, possibly at GM’s Wentzville, Mo., plant. The next-gen Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra will retain production in Fort Wayne, Ind.

The product fruits of Chrysler’s contract remain unclear, but Automotive News reports the U.S. could see production of two Alfa Romeo vehicles in Chrysler plants in Toledo, Ohio, and Sterling Heights, Mich. As reported before, a new Dodge compact will come out of Chrysler’s plant in Belvidere, Ill.