General Motors has pulled a quick one on the world by announcing a new addition to the Buick family. The carmaker will offer a new compact model for 2012 called the Verano. Based on the same architecture as the Chevrolet Cruze, the new baby Buick will -- supposedly -- deliver much of the Chevy’s solid ride and quiet cabin, but throw in a little extra power to boot. Rumor has it that the vehicle will come from the factory with a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine under the hood, and that the engine will supply around 177 horsepower and 170 lb-ft of torque.

Those numbers are up substantially over the figures that the same engine produces in the Chevrolet Malibu, where it musters up 169 horsepower and 160 lb-ft of torque. That means, given its relatively small size, that this should be one quick Buick. This strategy seems to follow GM’s master plan for Buick, its middle child: The company has already delivered a much smaller, sportier Regal, in a step toward building what could be loosely defined as a sport sedan. While the 2011 Regal isn’t going to be busting the BMW 3-Series’ chops any time soon, it is a vast improvement over what the company had  been producing.

Odds are that General Motors is trying to position the Verano as a quasi-luxurious driving experience minus any significant fuel-economy penalty. If it can be priced competitively -- that is, if GM prices the Verano between $18,000 and $19,000 so that it competes well against the Chrysler 200, Audi A3 and Lexus HS 250h by offering high content with low price -- it may be a winning recipe.

[Source and photo: General Motors.]