First Look: 2012 Buick (Skylark/Skyhawk?)

[buickguy]

http://www.motorauthority.com/spy-shots-20...pact-sedan.html

[wildcat]

Thank you very much for finding and posting this. But I don't even see a sweepspear, so what are the clues that this is a Buick?

Edited March 12, 2009 by wildcat

[Intrepidation]

Greenhouse looks a lot like the Cruise....

[wildcat]

Greenhouse looks a lot like the Cruise....

Is that "waterfall grill" a fake one? It looks like it's drawn on the covering.

Will the Delta II Buick have Buick cues like a sweepspear or portholes? Or will it have Opel cues?

Wait a minute --- I thought it was supposed to in some way(s) resemble the Buick Riviera Concept?

This vehicle shown couldn't be hiding a Pontiac badge on the grill, could it?

Edited March 12, 2009 by wildcat

[Paolino]

It might be a Buick... it has rear parking sensors which is never (at least not that I can think of) found in compacts unless they're premium/luxury.

[z28luvr01]

Is anyone mssing a set of altezzas for a 92-95 Civic, because I think I've found them?

[wildcat]

If it is, in fact, a Buick, I think it would be a mistake to call it "Skylark" or "Skyhawk." This is a step forward for Buick, not backward.

P.S. - Maybe it was rumored that the Buick Alpha would be styled along the lines of the Riviera Concept, not the Delta II. But I can't edit my earlier post for some reason.

EDIT: According to someone at gmi, "There will be a Cruze-based (rebadged Cruze basically) Excelle in China ONLY as a stop-gap product until an all-new, unique Delta II based sedan arrives in 2012 as a 2013 model. The all-new D2 car will be sold in the US and China."

If that's the case, this looks like a quick, Cruze-based rebadge for China as the "stop-gap."

Edited March 12, 2009 by wildcat

[smk4565]

Body looks the same as the Cruze. A Delta II Buick is a good idea if it doesn't look like the Cruze. If it is a badge job with a new grille and headlights, it will fail. And the interior should be 2010 LaCrosse at a minimum.

Edited March 12, 2009 by smk4565

[cire]

The arch of the roofline looks similar to the Cruze, but everything else looks quite a bit different upon careful inspection (from what little is actually revealed). The side window arrangement is unique. The flow of the A-pillar into the hood looks smoother on this car in comparison to the more angular treatment on the Cruze. Overall, I think there will be enough differentiation between the two cars for them to be viewed as 2 unique models by the general public (which would be a nice change of pace for GM compact cars in North America compared to the blatant rebadged clones that the company has produced in the past). I think this car is actually the next gen Opel Astra sedan, which will probably be some sort of compact Buick sedan in North America and China (and maybe a Chevrolet Vectra in Brazil?).

I know GM has disappointed many people (myself included) with their blatant rebadge clones in the past, but I'm trying to be hopeful that they have learned from their past mistakes and properly differentiated this car. I'm not going to discount it until I see the total package.

Edited March 12, 2009 by cire

[cire]

Just to nitpick a minor point: I love the way Motor Authority arranged the headline so that it emphasizes the fact that the Buick vehicle is related to the Cruze. I don't recall many headlines such as "Venza-based 2010 Lexus RX" or "Accord-based Acura TL", etc. I realize that many of the websites will state that the vehicles share platforms somewhere further down in the article, but I don't recall that fact being announced in bold letters in the headline of the article.

Why couldn't the article headline simply been: "Spy Shots: Future Compact Buick Sedan" or "Spy Shots: Delta-based Buick Compact Sedan". The fact that the Delta platform is shared with the Chevrolet Cruze could have been stated further down in the article.

I realize this is a very minor issue, but it just irked me when I saw the headline written that way. It just seemed to me like Motor Authority was already attempting to brand this vehicle as a rebadged Cruze clone without seeing the entire package.

[Drew Dowdell]

I realize this is a very minor issue, but it just irked me when I saw the headline written that way. It just seemed to me like Motor Authority was already attempting to brand this vehicle as a rebadged Cruze clone without seeing the entire package.

It's not a minor issue. It's just another example of the media bias that it out there.

[Intrepidation]

There is a point to this, but while both the Venza and RX are related, they're two different forms of ugly.

[ZL-1]

The arch of the roofline looks similar to the Cruze, but everything else looks quite a bit different upon careful inspection (from what little is actually revealed). The side window arrangement is unique. The flow of the A-pillar into the hood looks smoother on this car in comparison to the more angular treatment on the Cruze. Overall, I think there will be enough differentiation between the two cars for them to be viewed as 2 unique models by the general public (which would be a nice change of pace for GM compact cars in North America compared to the blatant rebadged clones that the company has produced in the past). I think this car is actually the next gen Opel Astra sedan, which will probably be some sort of compact Buick sedan in North America and China (and maybe a Chevrolet Vectra in Brazil?).

Agreed on the differentiation.

I was wondering about this being the Astra Sedan or something else... and your Brazil comment is interesting too: would that be the Vectra, or would the Insignia go there as a new Vectra? I think I saw a Chevy-badged Insignia with the Vectra name in a pic of some car show in Brazil, but I don't have a link to that on my Favorites anymore...

[vonVeezelsnider]

It might be a Buick... it has rear parking sensors which is never (at least not that I can think of) found in compacts unless they're premium/luxury.

The Cruze has those...

[Blake Noble]

There is a point to this, but while both the Venza and RX are related, they're two different forms of ugly.

Yes, one is ugly as f@#k and the other is ugly as $h!.

Which is which is personal opinion.

[Oracle of Delphi]

Yes, one is ugly as f@#k and the other is ugly as $h!.

Which is which is personal opinion.

You kiss your mother with that mouth?

[turbo200]

Yes, one is ugly as f@#k and the other is ugly as $h!.

Which is which is personal opinion.

have you guys seen these in person? grille and face may be the worst feature of the venza, but it was one of the most impressive new vehicles at the auto show. rx continues as inoffensive and sport-lite as possible. they're not at all bad looking [and both slightly more enjoyable overall than equinox and srx though equinox's face is very appealing]........but this is a matter of personal opinion.

[turbo200]

A Delta II Buick is a good idea if it doesn't look like the Cruze. If it is a badge job with a new grille and headlights, it will fail. And the interior should be 2010 LaCrosse at a minimum.

without a doubt you've hit the head on the nail on two points. this is why GM gets picked on. meanwhile ford manages to build distinct and differently marketed vehicles like the C30 and Focus and Mazda 3 hatch on the same platform, along with thier euro minivans and the Kuga.......GM gives us the exact same sedan across two brands, potentially more............we all know they've done this in the past. they stretch thier resources too thin and to save money and focus on short term profit, they sacrifice the vehicle they're working on. i've learned to set low expectations and not hope anymore with GM. even though I want them to put effort into designing totally different interiors and using completely different aesthetic themes and use different materials and suspension tuning a la Audi A3 v. VW Golf in order to really differentiate the models, sell to different consumers, and build the brands.......even though this is what i want in an ideal world, they simply won't listen to me or to my good reason. GM, soon, it's gonna be over between us.

[turbo200]

my bottom line....the article implies GM could allocate the funds better so as to serve the most profitable and volume market first, bring out the Cruze faster, since it's a mainstream hit and that's what GM needs now. i know i know, china is a big market and pays for itself yada yada. ignoring good product for the home market is a big part of the problem they're in.

[turbo200]

before i get cat-calls on how i can make all these assumptions and what not: look at the pictures, this is not a radically divergent shape from Cruze, they could do much even with a similar shape to seperate luxurious from mainstream via sheetmetal changes, that I will give them the benefit of the doubt on. HOWEVER, we all know GM well enough to know they suck at this kind of thing. platform sharing is just not thier forte. they never manage thier resources well and tune the vehicles well to maximize segments, minimize overlap, maximize profit, efficiently use the capability of the platform, so on and so forth.

[cire]

Agreed on the differentiation.

I was wondering about this being the Astra Sedan or something else... and your Brazil comment is interesting too: would that be the Vectra, or would the Insignia go there as a new Vectra? I think I saw a Chevy-badged Insignia with the Vectra name in a pic of some car show in Brazil, but I don't have a link to that on my Favorites anymore...

I'm not sure. The current Chevrolet Vectra in Brazil is an Opel Astra sedan, but that doesn't mean that GM won't change that direction in the future. The Insignia could replace it, maybe? I don't know for sure. I was just taking a guess at it based on the current arrangement (current Brazillian Chevy Vectra = current Opel Astra sedan).

[Blake Noble]

have you guys seen these in person? grille and face may be the worst feature of the venza, but it was one of the most impressive new vehicles at the auto show. rx continues as inoffensive and sport-lite as possible. they're not at all bad looking [and both slightly more enjoyable overall than equinox and srx though equinox's face is very appealing]........but this is a matter of personal opinion.

Yes, I have seen the new Venza and RX in person at the Louisville auto show and I stand by my statement.

You kiss your mother with that mouth?

I don't kiss my mother at all.

In fact I haven't kissed anyone, period, since early November.

I suppose that explains everything huh?

[cire]

The sedan in question looks to have the same 4 piece side window treatment and hockey stick shaped side crease (although reversed from the one that adorns the Insignia) as the spy shots and renderings of the next gen Astra 5-door. I believe this car is the next gen Astra sedan and that it will turn out to be quite a bit different from the Chevrolet Cruze. The car might share a roofline arch with the Cruze, but I believe everything below that roofline arch will be differentiated enough to save this car from being labeled as a blatant rebadge.

Edited March 13, 2009 by cire

[Robert Hall]

Meh..just another FWD generic...nothing worth getting excited about, whatever brand it ends up being.

[cire]

Here's some more pictures that were posted on LeftLane News:

Visit My Website

From what little is revealed, it looks like it will be well differentiated from the Cruze.

Source: LeftLane News

[regfootball]

note the windows in front of the a pillar. similar to next gen astra.

[CSpec]

Greenhouse looks like the Hyundai Accent.

[ocnblu]

This fits better with Buick, surely, than Alpha. Let Buick remain the "soft luxury" brand, Cadillac the "sport luxury" brand, and Pontiac the "sporty, affordable" brand. Edited March 19, 2009 by ocnblu

[InvictaMan]

Thank you very much for finding and posting this. But I don't even see a sweepspear, so what are the clues that this is a Buick?

No, but unfortunately what I do see is that annoying Opel Hockey stick along the lower door panels, which leads me to believe that the folks at Buick think that Opel design cue is perfectly acceptable as a Buick design element, a la Regal/Insignia. No.

[ocnblu]

Agreed, it definitely should have a sweepspear and some sort of ventiport... I guess two to a side, with a 4 cylinder.

[cire]

Agreed, it definitely should have a sweepspear and some sort of ventiport... I guess two to a side, with a 4 cylinder.

It would probably be relatively expensive to alter the styling of an Opel product to include the sweepspear as opposed to the boomerang crease, but I definitely think they could cost effectively add the ventiports. At least the tri-shield badge, waterfall grille, and ventiports would still add a proper dose of "Buick-ness" to any rebadged Opel products.

Overall, I am just glad to see Buick get the attention it deserves with products that appear to be more than simple rebadges of Chevrolet products.

Edited March 20, 2009 by cire

[InvictaMan]

It would probably be relatively expensive to alter the styling of an Opel product to include the sweepspear as opposed to the boomerang crease, but I definitely think they could cost effectively add the ventiports. At least the tri-shield badge, waterfall grille, and ventiports would still add a proper dose of "Buick-ness" to any rebadged Opel products.

Overall, I am just glad to see Buick get the attention it deserves with products that appear to be more than simple rebadges of Chevrolet products.

I agree with the attention; however, even in their hay day of badge engineering, GM's divisions managed to differentiate the front and rear fascia, the fender and door panels and the wheels. Some even got unique rear quarter panels and windows. I do not agree with bringing Opel cars over for Buick and leaving them with nothing but a grill and badge job. Hello, Saturn? The world is too small for that now and it would not be a service to Buick, who is now recognized as a core division that is making a name for itself by crafting unique cars and crossovers on existing platforms. The Enclave and the LaCrosse garner too much credibility for the brand and don't deserve to be stabled up with a rebadged Opel.

[cire]

I agree with the attention; however, even in their hay day of badge engineering, GM's divisions managed to differentiate the front and rear fascia, the fender and door panels and the wheels. Some even got unique rear quarter panels and windows. I do not agree with bringing Opel cars over for Buick and leaving them with nothing but a grill and badge job. Hello, Saturn? The world is too small for that now and it would not be a service to Buick, who is now recognized as a core division that is making a name for itself by crafting unique cars and crossovers on existing platforms. The Enclave and the LaCrosse garner too much credibility for the brand and don't deserve to be stabled up with a rebadged Opel.

I would rather see Buick become a global brand with its own unique style language (best case scenario), but that's not going to happen considering GM's financial difficulties. I think that aligning Buick with Opel is the only way the corporation can give Buick the lineup it needs to fully compete in different size classes and categories of the premium vehicle segment. If the Insignia is an indication of the future of Opel's styling aesthetics and premium aspirations, then I think Buick will end up being well stocked with a lineup that will help the brand become relevant once again. I think the new generation of Opel products will be engineered, designed, and equipped to make a killer lineup for Buick's transformation from a stodgy, outdated brand to a vibrant, modern premium division. If GM doesn't follow through with this alignment plan for Buick, then I fear that the brand will eventually share the fate of Oldsmobile, Hummer, Saab, Saturn, and maybe Pontiac. I think Buick has too much potential for GM to allow that to happen.

As much as I like the brand's trademark design cues (sweepspear and ventiports), I don't think they are that vital in transforming the brand. I think the general public recognizes Buick more for its waterfall grille and tri-shield badge, anyway. I think well executed, thoroughly modern, properly equipped products will do more to transform the brand than sweepspears and ventiports. Besides, the current Lucerne has ventiports and it has failed to make much of an impact in the market; it has an outdated base engine/trans combo and a dull, uninspired interior design that renders the car as uncompetitive in its class. The exterior design is elegantly understated and the ventiports were a nice retro touch, but the weak apects of the car severely undermined its success. I think next gen Opel products with waterfall grilles and tri-shield badges will ultimately do more for Buick than ensuring that the products have sweepspears and ventiports.

As far as the failure of the Saturn/Opel alignment: It primarily failed for 3 reasons:

1) Saturn was the wrong brand due to its affordable origins and limited dealership base.

2) The alignment effort was haphazardly executed. Two of the products weren't Opel products at all (Aura and Outlook); these same 2 products attempted to expand Saturn into market segments where it had previously failed (midsize sedans) or had never previously been (large crossovers). The imported version of the Astra 3-door/5-door that eventually made its way to the U.S. was not equipped to compete in the premium segment and was limited to an unpopular configuration (hatchback) in the U.S. market. The Vue is nice, but it costs more than the previous generation; this spells disaster when the division that offers the vehicle is well known for affordable products. The Sky was a poor product choice for Saturn for many reasons; too many reasons to elaborate on here.

3) Limited and ineffective marketing/advertising. GM was trying to transform the brand by moving it upmarket, but it offered limited advertising to announce the changes and what little advertising it did offer was cheap, dorky, and failed to effectively communicate the changes.

I hope GM has learned from these mistakes and doesn't repeat them as they attempt to transform and expand Buick.

I do agree with you, but I am trying to look at the situation through GM's dim financial perspective. I think Buick could do much worse than rebadged next gen Opel products. As long as the products are appropriately equipped/executed for the premium segment and properly differentiated from their Chevrolet platfrom mates, then I think Buick will have a strong and competitive lineup that should help reestablish the brand as a major player in the premium segment.

Edited March 21, 2009 by cire

[cire]

These spy shots were posted on CarScoop on 4/30/2009:

Link: Visit My Website

Source: CarScoop

I think it shows potential and I would love to see it added to Buick's lineup in the U.S. as the "Centieme" sedan. "Centieme" (a name used on a concept CUV that previewed the Enclave) would give Buick a chance to sort of resurrect the "Century" name without the negative and stodgy connotations attached to that name. With Pontiac gone, Buick will need to expand downward size-wise to give Buick/GMC dealers some smaller products to sell. This car seems like the perfect product to counter the loss of Pontiac's small cars. It will be refreshing to see something compact or smaller that isn't simply a rebadged Chevrolet product.

[InvictaMan]

These spy shots were posted on CarScoop on 4/30/2009:

Link: Visit My Website

Source: CarScoop

Here are the more exposing shots of the sister HRV from that same thread.

[ZL-1]

Looking closely at the rear door on those sedan pics, I see the same 'boomerang' (for lack of a better word) as in the 5-door Astra...

[cire]

Looking closely at the rear door on those sedan pics, I see the same 'boomerang' (for lack of a better word) as in the 5-door Astra...

That's because it's the next gen Astra sedan with a Buick front end. It looks like GM is going ahead with the Buick/Opel alignment, which is a good thing.

This just came up on GM Inside News today:

Link: Visit My Website

Source: GM Inside News

All I can say is cool. I hope Buick gets the sedan, 5-door, and a coupe.

[InvictaMan]

Looking closely at the rear door on those sedan pics, I see the same 'boomerang' (for lack of a better word) as in the 5-door Astra...

Yeah, the "hockey stick," not my favorite choice for Buick styling...

[Robert Hall]

Yeah, the "hockey stick," not my favorite choice for Buick styling...

Maybe they can do different door/quarter panel stampings with a Buick sweep spear like the LaCrosse.

[cire]

Maybe they can do different door/quarter panel stampings with a Buick sweep spear like the LaCrosse.

As cool as that would be, I don't think GM has the money to do that. Trishield badges, a waterfall grille, ventiports (hopefully), chromed door handles (maybe), and chrome trimmed taillights (maybe) will be about it, unfortunately. I still think it will be miles ahead of the rebadged Cavalier/Cobalt clone Pontiac has had to put up with for the last 20 something years.

[ZL-1]

That's because it's the next gen Astra sedan with a Buick front end. It looks like GM is going ahead with the Buick/Opel alignment, which is a good thing.

This just came up on GM Inside News today:

Link: Visit My Website

Source: GM Inside News

All I can say is cool. I hope Buick gets the sedan, 5-door, and a coupe.

Different from the 5-door Astra with a Buick grille caught testing in China? Or is the sedan to bring back a nameplate such as the Ascona? I'd like to see a full range too.

Yeah, the "hockey stick," not my favorite choice for Buick styling...

If the sweepspear(sp?) was atrademark of old Buicks, mybe this can be a styling cue for the new-Buick.

[Chicagoland]

No Skyhawk or 'Lark, bring a fresh new name.

[ZL-1]

Astra?

[bring_BUICK_back]

There is nothing wrong with the Skyhawk of Skylark name......Much better then a Nova, Chevelle or Chevete or Monza

[regfootball]

i like the new astra enough that is if it were a buick now, i guess i would come to terms with it.....as long as they bring 200+hp and a 6 speed manual.

i would also be fine with skylark or skyhawk.

both those names i like from the past.

[InvictaMan]

I could live with Skylark, though it does sound a bit '50s and we need to project a more modern appeal for Buick. Skyhawk seems redundant, make it amphibious and call it seahawk, lol. I think the new Buick needs to stretch further back than current memory if they are going to revive an old name. As we all know, they should have named the new LaCrosse the Invicta. LaCrosse would have actually been a good name for this vehicle. I say Invicta or Regal (if we skip over the Insignia). It needs to convey power, elegance and not sound like it needs sequins, a candleabra and a keyboard. Life is complicated enough, keep the public and the marketing team sane and choose one name for all three models. If they can't afford to change the sheet metal to look more Buick, then they certainly can't afford to create marketing tools for three different models that are the same except for the number of doors.

Edited May 19, 2009 by InvictaMan