Detroit, Michigan – As General Motors’ second biggest selling brand, Buick seems poised to grow its sales further with several new products hitting showrooms in the coming months including the upcoming LaCrosse flagship sedan and Cascada convertible. With over 1.2 million Buicks sold in 2015 – a record for the brand – they have apparently earned a flashy new concept car to continue Buick’s current revival buzz.
And that’s exactly what Buick presented at a Detroit event leading up to the North American International Auto Show. The Avista concept car – a spectacular 2+2 coupe – was driven on stage before a full crowd awed by the sleek and fluid styling.
Based on GM’s Alpha platform shared with the new Chevrolet Camaro and Cadillac ATS, the Avista is a peek into Buick’s future design direction.
Says Duncan Aldred, vice president of Global Buick Sales, Service and Marketing. “It is a modern expression of the brand’s heritage of sophisticated performance, communicated with beautiful elegance.”
Inside, the Avista is typical concept car fare with fanciful seating and dashboard treatments. Buick is aiming to enhance passenger experience on multiple sensory levels with next generation QuietTuning, noise cancellation and even ionic air purifiers with aromatherapy.
The Avista concept has promising performance credentials to back its aggressive styling with a proposed 400 horsepower twin-turbocharged 3.0L V6 mated to an eight-speed automatic, driving the rear wheels. With GM’s lauded Magnetic Ride Control too, the Avista could prove to be an impressive grand touring machine if it ever gets made.
With several key features borrowed or modified from other GM models (including the platform, powertrain and interior components like an updated IntelliLink infotainment system), actual production of the Avista is plausible even if no one from Buick will confirm any actual production plans for the car at this point.
Buick’s display at the North American International Auto Show wasn’t all pie-in-the-sky concepts. The all-new Envision is a practical, compact luxury crossover that, with five-passenger capacity, slots between the subcompact Encore and mid-size Enclave. We had our first look at the Envision at the Los Angeles Auto Show this past November.
The Chinese-built Envision is powered by a 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder putting out 252 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque driven through an available active Twin Clutch AWD system.
Technology is what creates buzz in the industry these days and Buick has loaded Envision with a comprehensive suite of tech including OnStar with 4G LTE Wi-Fi, IntelliLink with an 8-inch touch screen compatible with Apple Car Play and Android Auto functionality. Sophisticated active safety features are also available with standard Safety Alert Seat and Lane Keep Assist, plus Advanced Active Park Assist, and Surround Vision camera system.
Buick is working to ensure buyers are well coddled in the Envision, too. A heated steering wheel, as well as heated front and rear seats are standard, so too are tri-zone climate control and Bose premium sound system. Panoramic moonroof, cooled seats and head-up display will also be available.
The 2016 Buick Envision is set to go on sale during the second quarter this year.
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