Hope this is true

[bring_BUICK_back]

Buick here in America is a brand of declining sales, lackluster product (excluding Enclave) and an aging customer base. Buick China: A thriving, growing brand with a wide audience and successful, competent product. Many have legitimately complained about the lack of such support and backing in the form excellent product being offered here in the USA.

This is all about to change. Enclave is the start of great things for the Buick brand. GM hasn’t given up; Buick is a very important part of the new GM going forward.

This key fob excellently demonstrates what GM intends to take Buick; this type of elegance and luxury will become the norm at Buick as it moves upmarket.

A Bigger, Better Buick

The comprehensive strategy for a better Buick starts with a nod to the past: Buick will bring a switch back to storied classic names. Regal, Riviera, Park Avenue are all coming back as part of a plan to connect with a larger base of consumers that recognize and look fondly on these timeless names. Also, part of the reason is that buyers in China are fond of such names and it made sense as Buick going forward will be aligned with the Chinese cars. The switch to names of the past will begin with the LaCrosse’s EPII based replacement, which will be renamed Regal. Internal GM design renderings and documents on the LaCrosse replacement are now being renamed accordingly.

The “Larger Plan” mentioned is a strategy to return Buick back to a up-market volume brand, with a relatively large model lineup. GM intends Buick’s forthcoming model lineup to take Buick sales back up into the 350k range. In this new plan, Cadillac and Buick are aligned more closely as Buick moves upmarket, with Cadillac being the striking, sporty brand, and Buick taking it’s place as a more conservative, “True Blue” luxury brand with a range of elegant luxury vehicles. The positioning statement “Wise with Wealth” fits right in with the intended Buick audience. More conservative then a Cadillac buyer, Buick wants to target the wealthy 35-45 segment, and that will be the focus going forward.

Here’s the Buick lineup going forward, including all the inside information regarding each model. Enjoy!

Current Lucerne

Not a whole lot of action here, except that engineers are working on mating the 3.6L HF Engine/6-speed transmission to the Lucerne’s L-Body platform. Expect the Lucerne's interior to be re-done with an new one designed in China and slated to arrive in the 2007/2008 calendar year, which GM expects to bolster sales of the Lucurne. If some of the aforementioned plans work out, it will lay the groundwork for the return of the next model in our list, the Park Avenue. The Lucerne replacement arrives as a 2010 Model and is detailed more below.

Park Avenue

Reaction to the Chinese Park Avenue has made GM reconsider bringing the Park Avenue over to the US. The original plan was to do a full reskin on the car a la Enclave, however GM is now planning to bring the Chinese Park Avenue to America as early as Spring of next year. Built in Australia, their will be a decontented base model starting at around $40k, excluding the luxury features of the top end model. The ultra-luxury model will be offered, with all the features of the Park Avenue sold in China. Finally, GM will have a true luxury car, and suprisingly, it will come from Buick. Base engine for the Park Avenue is rumored to be the 3.6L DI engine found in the CTS, outputting around 300hp. A Super model is possible down the line featuring the new 6.2L LS3 found in the '08 Corvette. Sales for the Park Avenue are expected to be around 20K units per year. Bringing over the Chinese Park Avenue would be a stopgap move until a Zeta based Buick specific replacement arrives sometime in 2010, starting in the $30ks and replacing both the Lucerne and the Park Avenue sourced from Holden in Australia.

LaCrosse

We’ll start with the most important events that may happen in the very near future. The LaCrosse shown driving around in Detroit was intentional, to gauge response. They were testing the vehicle as part of a supposed crash program to bring the Chinese LaCrosse to the US this year. Note the absence of a hood ornament in the spy pictures. GM is deciding how much sales of the LaCrosse would be impacted by bringing it over to the US. If the program gets the go ahead, tooling could be changed over in the summer. A big hurdle with this program is the fact that GM has already shown the LaCrosse Super models, and bringing over the standard LaCrosse while the "Super" models look completely different wouldn't be a smart move. If given the go ahead, the 3.5L OHV engine could be moved as the base engine in the Lacrosse. It would output around 220 HP, with the top engine outputting around 260HP. Sales for a Chinese LaCrosse model are estimated to be around 100k per year. The decision to bring the Chinese LaCrosse over depends in large part whether or not the EPII Regal will be fast tracked for a 2008 debut. In that case, this scenario would be unlikely, as the small amount of time remaining for the Regal to arrive wouldn't make it worth the effort.

LaCrosse Replacement - EPII Regal

LaCrosse’s replacement will be renamed Regal and will be fully aligned with it’s Chinese counterpart, which also is ditching the name LaCrosse for Regal. Sources describe the car as bearing a similar design as looking very similar to the Riviera concept, but having 4-doors a more notched back end and a longer nose with a more “distinguished” hood”. If Lutz and the Buick team have their way, the Regal will be arriving in September/August of 2008 as a 2009 model. The development on the EPII platform is complete, and work is almost finished on the LaCrosse replacement. Although Lutz wants the brand revamped as quickly as possible, there’s been fighting within GM over the launch date of these cars. There's controversy as to who gets the EPII platform first, and the European brands have a problem with Buick getting the first car basedo on the platform. If Saab/Opel have their way, it’ll be delayed until 2009, as a 2010 model so it will be launched in Europe first, as the Opel Vectra.

Riviera

“And it does offer a hint at Buick’s future international design language — maybe not the gull-wing doors, but one never knows, does one?” - Bob Lutz, GM Fastlane Blog

Rumor has it that GM is indeed pushing to bring a gull winged coupe Riviera to market. Although cost and airbags are factors in this, designers have figured out a way to implement a side curtain airbag in the door, leaving the biggest issue: clearance in a tight parking spot. Detroit engineers are working on incorporating a double hinge that will fix the problem and enable plans for the gull wing to go forward. This is something Lutz is really pushing for. The Riviera will be based on the SWB EPII platform, and the dimensions of the concept vehicle (113 inches) fall in line with this. Expect the Riviera to arrive in the Fall of 2009 as a 2010 model, with optional AWD.

Rendezvous

With the Enclave replacing Rendezvous and moving up in size and price, Buick is feeling the need for smaller, less expensive crossover in the Buick lineup. Brand equity has built up in the Rendezvous name and it has been a successful model for Buick, so expect the name to be used on the Theta II crossover. The Theta II Rendezvous is anticipated to to be a 2009 model, however it may be pushed back to 2010.

Grand National

Possible entry for Buick in the 2011 model year is the Grand National, Buick’s halo vehicle, based on Zeta and powered by a turbocharged V6 is slated to arrive in 2010. With Lutz really pushing for a Buick "halo" to be produced, sources inside GM speculate it will be the Grand National, powered by a turbocharged V6. It will be at the very top end of the lineup No concrete green light or production plans as of yet, this is an option being considered at GM. Sources say the Grand National would have a starting price of around $40k.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Product Introductions for Buick

2008 Enclave

2009 Regal

2009 Rendezvous (Theta II Crossover)

2010 Park Avenue

2010 Riviera

2010 Skylark - Little Information Known, Delta II Based - $25k Estimated Starting

2011 Grand National

The increase in models for the Buick brand broadens the scope and importance of the brand once again. GM believes in Buick and is prepared to invest and bring the products to the market needed to make it a great brand once again. The basic message I gather here is this: Buick here in NA will be fully aligned with Buick in China. And I think that’s something we’re all very glad to hear.

[Flybrian]

This is from GMI and I highly doubt some of it. Other parts match what we generally know to be true.

[Oracle of Delphi]

This is from GMI and I highly doubt some of it. Other parts match what we generally know to be true.

GMI, boo, hiss boo, hiss!

[Drew Dowdell]

There are spy pics up of the Grand National at www.notgonnahappen.com

[Paolino]

There are spy pics up of the Grand National at www.notgonnahappen.com

Hey, that link doesn't work. :AH-HA_wink:

First of all, a lot is just wishful thinking. There's no way the Chinese LaCrosse would come out here for one year until the "Regal" replacement.

I doubt we'll see a 6-speed in this gen Lucerne. I'd like to see a heavily revised interior though.

I'd like to see the Park Avenue.

[Chris_Doane]

[Northstar]

Is it April 1st tomorrow?

This is the most ridiculous article I've read. What a load of garbage. It's not factual at all, and sounds more like a "this is what I want Buick's lineup to be like" than a "this is what Buick's lineup will be like."

Quickly... their (many) mistakes:

-Lucerne is not on L-, but G-Body, which isn't designed for the 6-speed, and the replacement is not a 2010 model. About the only thing they got right is the spelling of Lucerne. Oh, and we're getting a new interior that was designed in China in 2007/2008?

-Park Ave is not coming. Everything about it is a bunch of fluff.

-LaCrosse - yeah, right, they're going to bring the Chinese LaCrosse over for a year and the '08 model will only have a 1 year run ("new" fascia is the '08)

-EPII LaCrosse - about the only thing right is that it's a global car. The rest is just hilarious. Why would Opel/Saab care when the "Regal" (so now they're going from Regal to LaCrosse back to Regal? :lol) is being launched? There is fighting within GM because Opel doesn't want the LaCrosse to debut before the EPII Opel? Righhhht. And if Opel has their way, it will be delayed? Umm, hello, Opel is the lead team for EPII, so therefore the EPII Opel will be first anyways, and the LaCrosse was never supposed to be an '09. Always a '10.

-Riveria: GM is pushing to bring a gull-winged coupe to the market? HAHAHA And it's going to be here as a 2010 model, only a short while after the EPII LaCrosse, which is already "done" and they're just having fights to see when it will begin production.

-Rendezvous: First, if Buick is getting anything below the Enclave (and right now it doesn't appear they plan to do so) it's certainly not riding on Theta II. It would most definitely ride on TE (same as BRX/9-4x) and could someone PLEASE explain to me how the hell it's getting here before either of the other TEs?

-GN: All I have to say is this: If GM delayed the Impala 12 months, why would they intend to have the new GN come out at the same time? Umm... help...

-Skylark: Right, we know it's a 2010, but with all this other information we have floating around, we know nothing else, but know it's intended starting price is $25k. There is a Buick on Delta II coming if I remember correctly, but it's intended for China-only at this point.

My oh my, GMI has lost any and all credibility.