Here's the new Buick

[wildcat]

Autoblog

[Tailfin61]

I'm in love . . .

[Paolino]

If the production version stays like that, GM finally knows what they're doing and Buick is safe.

That is HOT!

[Blake Noble]

Mmm ... very tasty!

This is, by far, the best designed Buick sedan in ages.

[The O.C.]

If the production version stays like that, GM finally knows what they're doing and Buick is safe.

That is HOT!

Unfortunately, based upon looking at the camo'd cars, I fear a major watering down for the production model.

I hope I'm wrong.....because if the production car were as slinkly as this concept, I'd argue it's a better effort, definitely, than the new Jag XF.......!

And I LOVE that interior......hope that stays close to production as well.......

[PurdueGuy]

beautiful!

[loki]

that'll do!! the LNF (and a 3.6L DI both) with 6speed ( s )... sounds like a good lineup

only thing is kinda wrong with it is the vents for a turbo 4.. but yes, 2 on each side would look very odd.

New background!

[pow]

Beautiful. The concept's big wheels help mask the tall beltline, which I don't like. Everything else looks great.

[cire]

Gorgeous! This is the kind of sedan design that will revitalize Buick in the U.S. I could never understand the lament over the unavailability of Buick of China's current subpar lineup (especially the pitiful Excelle) when the Enclave and this car clearly illustrate the greatness that Buick can truly achieve. I can't wait until the production version reaches the market. I just hope they lose the lame "LaCrosse" moniker and give it a name worthy of the beautiful design that represents the renaissance of the Buick division in the U.S. ("Invicta" would be appropriate, but I would even settle for "Regal"; Buick has a wealth of great historic names that would work quite well with this awesome design).

[C.H.U.D.]

I love it! Especially the interior. It looks like a subtle nod to the Grand Cowl interiors of the classic Buicks.

[Intrepidation]

Holy sh*t! That's beautiful! The proportions are excellent. They may not be RWD but they are very good nonetheless. The sculpting is very interesting and well done, the has a level of aggression I haven't seen in any Buick in recent history, and the interior look amazing. If the production version looks like this concept Buick will have no trouble selling them.

[Cory Wolfe]

Very nice. Now that is a Buick I would own. The interior is just as nice as the CTS's. It's a definite departure from what Buick interiors used to be known for. Very modern and luxurious. The exterior is a great mix of classic Buick design and modern style. All in all, I'd call it Buick's CTS as far as design is concerned.

It looks very production-feasible. I'm thinking that, minus a few details, this is basically the LaCrosse replacement. Everything seems to line up with the spyshots we've seen.

[ToniCipriani]

As I said in the other thread, I'm not feeling for the rear that much. Looks IS and Accord to me.

[§carlet §wordfish]

I don't really like tall, upright front fascias. I was hoping it would be a little lower and more swept back. The bumper looks a little empty on this. But if everyone else likes it I guess it's okay. I do like the body and hood sculpting.

Edited April 19, 2008 by §carlet §wordfish

[ocnblu]

This beautiful Epsilon II car deserves a new name... Invicta fits this car perfectly. As Viper said, everything lines up with the spy shots, including the interior, which is a jaw dropper, to be sure. Suddenly I am not as mindful of buttons, as I see one of them marked "blood pressure". Therefore, indications are there this will have minimal changes for production. Bravo.

EDIT: the one thing that may not be perfect is the lower fascia, which looks pretty vulnerable to parking curb damage.

Edited April 19, 2008 by ocnblu

[bostonspider]

I like this real pic. I think it is even nicer than the CGI's

[Sixty8panther]

I'm not all that impressed.

I'll keep the FWD SUX rant to myself but overall

the styling & cosmetic details, while clean & well

refined, are neither original AT ALL or very

engaging to my eye. Quite boring, especially for

a concept car. After the Gullwing door Riviera I

honestly expected to have WAY more original

DNA and a much less generic "30-footer" look.

Buick has dusted off the Invicta name, which hasn't been used by the brand since 1959, for its newest concept

Not quite, 1959 was the first year the Invicta

name was used for a production car, it was

last used in 1962 IIRC. Eirther way it did not

make it past the early 1960s.

[ZL-1]

It is always nicer to see the real thing than just CGI's. This is an extremely well executed concept, and the interior is awesome!

I hope the production car is not changed much. From the blue car spy pic we can see that the front bumper will be different, but that is to be expected. I'd also expect a slightly higher roof, but I'm not too worried about that. The production Camaro has a higher roof than the concept and still retains all of the concept's design quality.

Congrats GM!

Edited April 19, 2008 by ZL-1

[K.C.]

Beautifully done inside and out. If this car gets the name Invicta, it will definitely "inflicta" some pain on the premium midsize cars in the marketplace!

[Sixty8panther]

I do however, (since i came off so negative in the last post)

find the anti-tumblehome, venti-ports in the hood, I hope

they're functional BTW and the headlights to be quite nice.

IF there was one thing I like the most it is the 100% elegant

sweep-spear shaped arc across the side flanks. It's very

reminiscent of '40s & '50s Buicks while the front overhang

is quite well minimized.

[Oracle of Delphi]

Control of the Epsilon platform was given to GM Europe in 2005. GM Europe is responsible for all future Epsilon product decisions other than Saab and Cadillac models. GM Europe was made the "homeroom" of Epsilon development, because of slight differences in the platform worldwide in the past.

I think GM Europe has made good decisions where EP II is concerned.

[Blake Noble]

I think GM Europe has made good decisions where EP II is concerned.

Other than my few design complaints regarding the Insignia, I actually agree with what you have just said. I am genuinely interested to see what the EP II Saabs and Chevrolet will turn out to be like.

[ocnblu]

I'm waiting to see what they do for Pontiac.

[turbo200]

ha ha i like the 'inflicta' comment. i agree with the comments, this is a wholly convincing and wonderfully executed luxury Buick sedan, exactly what we've been asking for for years. on one sense it's not unexpected, they've gone exactly where the luxury market is hitting and has been hitting for a few years, on the other sense it's shockingly good and different compared to other Buick attempts, and that makes it newsworthy as well as something that'll be getting attention.

just to clarify, this has been designed by china and american design teams, though the platform engineering itself appears to have been worked on in Europe. I just hope they keep suspension settings more European instead of dramatically dumbing down our drives. i'd gather most of the design is china's influence [do you really think America's first option for the rear would be a Lexus/BMW-like design].

Edited April 19, 2008 by turbo200

[ZL-1]

I was looking at the pics again and I had a crazy idea: how would this thing look like with a two-tone paint?

[turbo200]

two tone is a luxurious effect imo. done right, with the right gloss paint, premium colors, mocca, cocoa, cream....mmmmmm....sweet classy caramel luxury

[Nick]

Anyone else notice the colored badges? :AH-HA_wink:

[Tailfin61]

Autoblog now has a video where the designers discuss the Invicta design:

Autoblog Video

[rambaran]

Control of the Epsilon platform was given to GM Europe in 2005. GM Europe is responsible for all future Epsilon product decisions other than Saab and Cadillac models.

is cadillac getting an epsilon? or are you talking about TE?

such a nice car..remember how disappointed everyone on this board was when the lacrosse came out years ago

good job gm

[Paolino]

Anyone else notice the colored badges? :AH-HA_wink:

China still uses colored tri-shields.

[hyperv6]

This is a car that will still appeal to my 70 year old Le Sabre toting mother but still catch the eye of a 40 something.

I have never been a Buick guy but have to say this should register well with the public.

I see other than Emblems, Doot handles, and a solid steel roof there will be minimal changes here. GM has shown that the Camaro, Solstice, G8 , Enclave, CTS Coupe and other show cars have made the transition with minimal chanbges.

I hope they carry the Invicta name with this. The lacrosse is a very good car but the W body as improved as it is still reaks of old Buick. THis clean slate will remind no one of the past.

I think Rick and Uncle Bob has driven another run home here.

They had better be careful people might just start to get a new positive perspective of GM.

The truth is this is how you change the public perspective of a company like GM by doing it one model at a time. One model like the 300 at Chrysler has done little for the over all company. Now if GM can back up the looks with killer reliability that no one could call into question. With that I see no reason this too can be accomplished.

They can design the cars and build great cars the only thing left is to have the needed product at the right times to set trends and not follow them. We may just see this with the Volt.

Edited April 20, 2008 by hyperv6

[gm4life]

Holy $h!, Lexus look out... Any word on pricing or estimated prices?

[Argen]

I hate to play a game of "It looks like...", but I can't shake the feeling that I'm looking at a 5-series with a nice front end. I really like the shape of the hood, the lamps and the ventiports. I'm a bit puzzled about the name, though. I thought that the Invicta was the big Buick, and they say that this is a preview of the next LaCrosse. If it's called Invicta shouldn't it be a preview of the next Lucerne? Or is this GM just throwing names around again?

[gm4life]

Here are the GM high quality images... Buick Invicta

[Croc]

Stunning.

[balthazar]

>>"Now if GM can back up the looks with killer reliability that no one could call into question."<<

"if"? When has Buick reliability ever been a issue?

>>"I thought that the Invicta was the big Buick..."<<

When the name originally debuted, the Invicta used the 'big car' Electra engine in the 'small' car LeSabre body. But the Electra / Electra 225 were always positioned above the Invicta. Not that this has any mandatory bearing on 2010...

I like most of the surface treatments & transisitons on the Invicta concept- it escalates surface development far beyond what the japanese have brought to this segment, that's for sure. The VentiPorts on the hood is a neat throwback to the '54 Wildcat II, plus it differentiates from the current trend of chrome front fender venting nicely, yet still offers detailing expected in this segment- well done. My personal criticism here is the deck is too short; way too short.

Edited April 20, 2008 by balthazar

[Robert Hall]

By the way, the dimensions quoted from the USAToday article are: 194.2 length, 114.5 wheelbase, 73.8 width.... the '08 Malibu is 191.8, 112.8, and 70.3 by comparison. Article claims a 2 liter turbo 4cyl with 250 hp w/ 6spd auto (I assume for the US it will be watered down to a 3.9 pushrod V6 w/ 4spd auto -- J/K).

Edited April 20, 2008 by moltar

[Intrepidation]

Upon further examination, I agree with Balthazar, the deck is too short. Make it longer and it's about perfect.

[Robert Hall]

Upon further examination, I agree with Balthazar, the deck is too short. Make it longer and it's about perfect.

It looks about as short as the GS or CTS, maybe shorter...such is the trend of the day...I think long decklids went out w/ the Crown Vic and Grand Marquis.

Edited April 20, 2008 by moltar

[Blake Noble]

Hmm ... yeah, I did not really realize just how short the rear decklid was at first either until I saw this particular profile shot of it.

It is still an attractive design, though.

[DetroitNut90]

Stunning, inside and out. Much nicer than the Opel Blob.

[Intrepidation]

Hmm ... yeah, I did not really realize just how short the rear decklid was at first either until I saw this particular profile shot of it.

It is still an attractive design, though.

Indeed, but the stubby deck reminds me of the Sebring, which is not a car you want any resemblance to. It's done much better, but still...a longer decklid would look nicer.

Also, that photo really shows how thick the car is.

Edited April 20, 2008 by Dodgefan

[4gm]

Aside from those sharp lines, the sides are pretty nondescript which is a complaint I've had for many of the Lutz cars. Looks like his influence strikes again. I'm glad other people like it though. I do like the high beltline which reminds me of the Bentley Continental coupe. A couple of years ago I posted that GM should have Buick make their own version of that car.

[gm4life]

So do we have any clue on pricing? When is it coming to America? What is it going to be called? And what powertrains are going to be offered?

[Croc]

I've always liked short decklids--fastbacks are actually one of my favorite body styles. I also love the side sculpting...this is some serious surface sculpting that pushes the envelope. GREAT JOB GM!!

[ocnblu]

Wow, looking at the dimensions, this is a nice, big car. Like everyone says, girth is sometimes more important than length. The current Epsilon lacks girth, which makes it less satisfying. There should still be room at the top for a RWD Lucerne replacement, though.

[caddycruiser]

Wow...and just like the Enclave was, this "light" concept is exactly the production version, just a slight wheel change, Ultraview roof vs. all glass, etc. and you have it.

Nothing outlandish and extremely different, but luxurious, rich lines, great clean details, and a gorgeous interior--finally with one of the new center stacks outside of Cadillac.

[CSpec]

I'm worried about the proportions after seeing this shot:

Looks very stubby and strange. The wheels are like donuts. It also looks quite similar to this:

[Cananopie]

Guys - this is Buick.

Everyone can nitpick but look what this vehicle is replacing - the LaCrosse. The LaCrosse welcome was at best lukewarm and Buick and GM go the extra mile with this car (and I dont think anyone can say they didn't) and yet there are a lot of whiny voices for something that truly is unique and beautiful - maybe it's not your style, but as far as I'm concerned this has everything a Buick should.

I can sit around all day telling everyone how I would make my Buick without regard to funds, safety regulations, general consumer opinion and so on - but chances are I wouldn't be able to come up with something that is better executed than this - and most likely neither could you. This vehicle hits the mark just as the Enclave did. They look from the same family.

I mean C-Spec, that Hyundai you compared is a joke compared to the Invicta - there are absolutely no serious lines you can draw between the two vehicles. Or do you mean that both vehicles have lights that sorta sweep back to the side? I don't understand what proportions are similar with that. The LaCrosse really was extremely similar to the Taurus - this Hyundai comparison is just a joke.

Overall I think we can readily admit that this car is going to be received way better than the LaCrosse so long as there is not a wide variation between concept and production - which GM is pretty good at delivering appropriately.

[gm4life]

Cana is right. Overall it is a good looking car. I want one and I never was a Buick man... Hopefully these will fly off lots like the new Enclaves still are.