SHANGHAI: Buick Riviera Concept

[Flybrian]

GM @ Shanghai
Buick Riviera Concept
Image Gallery

Buick Riviera Concept - Press Release

Conceptualization






Interior

[Flybrian]

Exterior

[pow]

Hua li!

The interior is gorgeous. The exterior is nice as well, but it's a bit too sporty for a Buick, IMO.

[pow]

I'm a fan of this sketch...

The front and rear design elements are nice and intricate.

[HarleyEarl]

Absolute Buick perfection. This is what a modern, sexy, cool Riviera should look like. I like everything about it, the proportions, the ambient lighting, even the doors. Really like the fastback profile.

Edited April 22, 2007 by HarleyEarl

[MyerShift]

The front reminds me a little of that Opel GT coupe concept with all of the crazy air intakes, but I still love it.

Too sporty for a Buick? Please. That's what's wrong with Buick already- it's not nearly sporty ENOUGH.

[turbo200]

Absolute Buick perfection. This is what a modern, sexy, cool Riviera should look like. I like everything about it, the proportions, the ambient lighting, even the doors. Really like the fastback profile.

I couldn't agree more. The grille finally has headlights that complement and set up a character so mysteriour and intrguing and sexual while at the same time being soft and feminine. Very Buick. Very romantic. The lines are soft and smooth, out at the rear and so intricate and lovely. I just love the rear; it reminds me of the Velite in its simplicty and of course the form is similar as well. I love that the front end is aggressive without removing that air of subtlety and elegance that Buicks are known for. I just love this car. And the inteiror is one of the best I've seen in a long time. I love the piece that extends to you of the console that is emphasized by the chrome up top giving the feeling of royalty and regal-esque character; totally how a Buick should feel inside.

This is the new revolution of Buick. I'd love for a Lacrosse to come out that hits all the same high notes this car has hit.

[Flybrian]

The grille needs to lowered or at the very least extended downward more to fill in that large billboard of unadorned mass on the front of the car. As I said in the other thread, I know why the did it - anticipation of those ignorant EUROCAP pedestrian safety regs spreading across the globe. I, for one, am sick of European regulatory idiocy casting its ugly, blunt-nosed shadow on the world.

That's really one of the very, very few things wrong with this car.

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

They are trying to capture historical Buick cues with this car. I see them. The front is based on 1979-1993 Rivieras with the bold water fall grille. The rear and side scuplting is a modern interpretation of the boattail Rivieras.

Grille:

The rear and side sculpting:

Edited April 22, 2007 by NINETY EIGHT REGENCY

[HarleyEarl]

I couldn't agree more. The grille finally has headlights that complement and set up a character so mysteriour and intrguing and sexual while at the same time being soft and feminine. Very Buick. Very romantic. The lines are soft and smooth, out at the rear and so intricate and lovely. I just love the rear; it reminds me of the Velite in its simplicty and of course the form is similar as well. I love that the front end is aggressive without removing that air of subtlety and elegance that Buicks are known for. I just love this car. And the inteiror is one of the best I've seen in a long time. I love the piece that extends to you of the console that is emphasized by the chrome up top giving the feeling of royalty and regal-esque character; totally how a Buick should feel inside.

This is the new revolution of Buick. I'd love for a Lacrosse to come out that hits all the same high notes this car has hit.

Wow, you have a way of describing the design of a car...very nicely said.

I can envision this car on the street and how it would look in motion, you know,

when a beautiful car comes by slowly while you are walking on the sidewalk and turns

at the corner to the right in front of you as you wait for the walk light, and you

can't not look...as you drink in every detail before it drives out of sight. This car

has that thing...that enigmatic, sexual thing going on.

Edited April 22, 2007 by HarleyEarl

[Oracle of Delphi]

Give it a Boat-tail and even I will like it.

[donpella]

I always hate to give my opinion, because "GM NEVER LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY BUY THEIR CARS", but if this is the design language for Buick, it may have a nice future. This concept is good but it isn't great. First the name. I actually own a 95 Buick Riviera (it was infact my dream car in high school)and this isn't a Rivi. The concept is cool,but it isn't revolutionary or evolutionary to to any of the best Rivi's (63-65, 66-68, 92-99). Not saying that it has to,but I always thought of my Rivi as the poor,poor man CL class. They are both the same size(full size coupes) and are both sleek personal luxury coupes. This looks a little smallish. I say the front is cool but lower the grille alittle and give it more of a traditional tail end or tapered trunk. Drop a rwd V8 in it and crame it with just enough goodies so that it doesnt step on Cadillac's tail. Currectly I own my second 95 Rivi. I haven't bought another car because stylisticly there is no fullsize luxury coupe that the common man can afford. Maybe I'll wait till the CL's price come down, because for some reason Mercedes Benz is the only company making them. Until I'll be loving that 95 Rivi. By the way, I'm 28 and not in my 40's 50's or 60's, surprising huh? here's my rendition with a little more tail space...that what I think it needs

Peace.

[FAPTurbo]

[pow]

I think I still prefer the Velite, which makes this seem boy racerish by comparison. This Riviera is just too angular, small, sterile, and cold... it reminds me too much of the '90s LaCrosse concept. One should "waft" around in absolute comfort and power in a Buick.

[donpella]

They are trying to capture historical Buick cues with this car. I see them. The front is based on 1979-1993 Rivieras with the bold water fall grille. The rear and side scuplting is a modern interpretation of the boattail Rivieras.

Grille:

The rear and side sculpting:

At first , I didn't think this design was evolutionary to any of the great Riviera designs, but now I can see it clearly now. I would say this Riviera is surely paying homage to the Rvieras of the 80's. My Favorite was the 95-99 edition, I liked the way the tail end sloped down to the trunk. I did a little photoshop magic to give this concept the same treatment.

[balthazar]

I've been studying this concept for a few days... I think I hate it. And I'm actually able to ignore the facts that it's a "Riviera" and a "Buick".

The interior is really eye-popping, but of course it's completely non-producable to the degree that any RPO version is guaran-damn-teed to crush the crushes of this car's fans. Discussion here is irrelevant.

The exterior has some really nice surface transitions and fluidity (woefully lacking in a lot of modern design), but the front end is a post-impact mess of oragami folds and creases and arbitrary holes. And of course- the grille is on the hood. The troubling trend of the headlight assembly stretching farther and farther back until they flirt with the A-pillar apparently is not ready to die yet, unfortunately. The nose is awful. Stance & rake are dead-on, tho.

The rear is slick- just clean up the bottom 12" of the car there. My hat's off to the guy who resisted peppering the taillights with 98 exposed LEDs- hopefully a sign of more to come.

Give it a complete nose job and I'd take another look. Right now I have to give it a thumbs down.

[carman21]

I think that this a coming of age moment for GM Shanghai. Although Bentley-esque Buicks would be nice to see here in he States.

[maxximus1]

WOW.

I wish the people of U.S. loved Buick like the way China does. It only seems right I guess that they get the better models or are able to design beautiful future models because they are wanted there. Back in the day, movie stars from the 30's - 40's bought Buicks. Now, you see them pulling up in Toyota Prius' at the Oscars.

[gm4life]

I might need to have one. But I was hoping for a GNX.

[ToniCipriani]

Maybe both of them just have the usual concept dramatization, it makes me think of the Alero Alpha.

[HarleyEarl]

Here's a little video...

http://www.worldcarfans.com/videos.cfm/cou...riviera-concept

[ponchoman49]

If this is the new design language for Buick, thank god it will only be in China. Not only is it way too small but the front end is just odd, the side of the vehicles redefines plain and the boat tail look was my least favorite Riviera in the past. There is very little Buick on the exterior of this car aside from a few sprinkled on cues and the interior is way too radical and needs to be toned down. And are those tiny side view mirrors meant for bugs to look into?

[VenSeattle]

If this is the new design language for Buick, thank god it will only be in China. Not only is it way too small but the front end is just odd, the side of the vehicles redefines plain and the boat tail look was my least favorite Riviera in the past. There is very little Buick on the exterior of this car aside from a few sprinkled on cues and the interior is way too radical and needs to be toned down. And are those tiny side view mirrors meant for bugs to look into?

No... this new design language is for Buick globally.

But, you said it yourself, this is the new direction for Buick. Of course it wouldn't look like everything Buick has put out over the past 10-15 years. Buick doesn't need to be ashamed of its history (hence the heritage cues and Riviera name), but the brand is alive and should continue to evolve. This is Buick making up for lost time.

It's love it or hate it... and I love it.

[Ghost Dog]

I love the curves,the roofline,the beltline, the reardeck. I really think this should be the size and body of the Riv if it's built. Has anyone chopped a production version? headlamps,side mirrors...