Buick News: New Buick Crossover Inbound

[Drew Dowdell]

Buick is reportedly working on a crossover coupe to add to its lineup in the US.  This vehicle would be in addition to, rather than replace, any vehicles in the current lineup. 

Most of Buick's recent lineup has been a rebadge of some other brand's designs, this new vehicle would be a departure from that with Buick leading the design process from the start. CarDesignNews was shown some sketches and models of future Buicks and what they saw would "turn everything you think about Buick on its ear".  It is a bold design that will shock people both inside and outside the industry.  The designs would feel familiar without using specific cues. 

Buick also took the time to insist that Buick would not become a China-only brand even though 4 out of every 5 Buicks are sold there. The bulk of the design work takes place in Warren, Michigan, while smaller design teams work in Shanghai, Melbourne, and near Seoul. 

As far as the name, Buick has trademarked Enspire for the U.S., so that has a strong possibility of coming to fruition. No timeline is set for the release of the new crossover, but the overhaul of the Buick look is well underway.

 

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[riviera74]

Sales tend to drive a lot of other things.

I know that Buick insists that they are NOT a China-only brand.  Then again, Mercedes and BMW design and (mostly) build in Germany, even though the majority of their sales are outside Europe.

[Drew Dowdell]

I still hate the term crossover coupe. 

[smk4565]

Haha, of course they are.  Because nothing says “expressive design” like a crossover coupe.  These things will be more common than a family sedan in about 3 years, then people won’t want them because they are too common and they’ll want a sedan to be different.

[Robert Hall]

5 minutes ago, smk4565 said:

Haha, of course they are.  Because nothing says “expressive design” like a crossover coupe.  These things will be more common than a family sedan in about 3 years, then people won’t want them because they are too common and they’ll want a sedan to be different.

Well, then they can just lower the rear body and add a decklid,  make a crossover sedan, responding to market forces.

[smk4565]

14 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

Well, then they can just lower the rear body and add a decklid,  make a crossover sedan, responding to market forces.

High riding sedans will probably become a thing.  

[Drew Dowdell]

Just now, smk4565 said:

High riding sedans will probably become a thing.  

Subaru and Volvo already tried that. 

[smk4565]

1 minute ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Subaru and Volvo already tried that. 

But they aren’t cool.  Once Mercedes and Audi do it, the band wagon will start.

[Drew Dowdell]

Just now, smk4565 said:

But they aren’t cool.  Once Mercedes and Audi do it, the band wagon will start.

and claim to have invented it. 

[Robert Hall]

4 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Subaru and Volvo already tried that. 

Yes, but those look like raised cars, like the original Eagle sedan.    The future needs crossover sedans that have tall CUV bodies w/ trunks.   Picture a X6 or GLE 'coupe' with a more squared rear and decklid. 

Edited May 7, 2019 by Robert Hall

[Drew Dowdell]

1 minute ago, Robert Hall said:

Yes, but those look like raised cars, like the original Eagle sedan.    The future needs crossover sedans that have tall CUV bodies w/ trunks.   Picture a X6 or GLE 'coupe' with a more squared rear and decklid. 

So... an Avalanche.

[Robert Hall]

1 minute ago, Drew Dowdell said:

So... an Avalanche.

But with an actual integrated decklid..

[Drew Dowdell]

2 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

But with an actual integrated decklid..

[G. David Felt]

4 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

But with an actual integrated decklid..

I thought GMC tried that with the Envoy XL or some weird extra long with a rolling roof thingy.

Would be great if GM would come up with a new term to replace the gad awful crossover coupe name.

[smk4565]

What is missing is a crossover coupe with a pickup bed behind it, like a Honda Ridgeline but with a 4-coupe front half.  Even better if they make it mid-engined, which Honda could easily do a mid-engine Ridgeline with the engine in the bed area.

[Drew Dowdell]

1 minute ago, dfelt said:

I thought GMC tried that with the Envoy XL or some weird extra long with a rolling roof thingy.

That was still an SUV.  They're talking about something shaped like an Avalanche but with a sedan like trunk for the bed. 

There was the Lincoln Blackwood with a carpet lined bed. 

[Robert Hall]

2 minutes ago, smk4565 said:

What is missing is a crossover coupe with a pickup bed behind it, like a Honda Ridgeline but with a 4-coupe front half.  Even better if they make it mid-engined, which Honda could easily do a mid-engine Ridgeline with the engine in the bed area.

Well, for mid-engined, they could do an NSX crossover coupe w/ a pickup bed..that would be rad... likewise, maybe Chevy can do a pickup version of the C8... 

Edited May 7, 2019 by Robert Hall

[Drew Dowdell]

lol, well we got off topic really quick.

[Robert Hall]

8 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Meh..just a truck w/ lift up bed topper...I'm talking integrated lines, a normal car-like decklid. 

Just now, Drew Dowdell said:

lol, well we got off topic really quick.

Yes...fun to let the mind wander on topics like this..

[Drew Dowdell]

What's everyone think of the Enspire that is the article pic?

[G. David Felt]

4 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

Well, for mid-engined, they could do an NSX crossover coupe w/ a pickup bed..that would be rad... likewise, maybe Chevy can do a pickup version of the C8... 

So somthing like this?

Just now, Drew Dowdell said:

What's everyone think of the Enspire that is the article pic?

I love it especially if they do deliver on AWD Electric which would sell the wife.

I wonder if this would have sold better if it was 4 doors? ?

SSR

[Paolino]

This isn't really my "thing" but I do like it a lot.  Offer a hybrid or EV to start and I could see it selling a lot.

[surreal1272]

56 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

What's everyone think of the Enspire that is the article pic?

Even though I am also not a fan of the term “crossover coupe”, I technically fits and carries over from the sedan coupe trend that Benz started (for the most part) with the CLS. Now, regarding the Buick, it actually looks pretty sharp but until I see a production model (given GMs history of neutering nice designs like this), I will reserve judgment. Definitely some Blazer/Camaro cues on the front end, with a more polished look to it. Just my opinion. 

1 hour ago, smk4565 said:

Haha, of course they are.  Because nothing says “expressive design” like a crossover coupe.  These things will be more common than a family sedan in about 3 years, then people won’t want them because they are too common and they’ll want a sedan to be different.

Much like the crossover coupe GLA?

[riviera74]

The concept itself is very nice.  Call me when GM fully federalizes it and puts it on a dealer lot, then we can talk.

[ccap41]

Crossover Coupe.. The absolute WORST segment ever created. I hate these so much. I'm a pretty big Mercedes fan but I will never vouch for a GLC Coupe or GLE Coupe. 

Did somebody say Envoy XUV? 

[smk4565]

3 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

What's everyone think of the Enspire that is the article pic?

I think that looks like a Mazda or Toyota.  Almost looks like a Blazer which I think is trying to look like a Japanese crossover despite the claimed “inspired by Camaro” statements.

[ccap41]

3 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

What's everyone think of the Enspire that is the article pic?

Is it a coupe crossover? 

Hate it. 

[Robert Hall]

3 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

What's everyone think of the Enspire that is the article pic?

I think it looks really sharp in concept form.

[ccap41]

That's because you can't see the ugly part, the rear 2/3 of the vehicle. 

[Drew Dowdell]

3 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

That's because you can't see the ugly part, the rear 2/3 of the vehicle. 

[Robert Hall]

The rear is not bad...the back glass is not as sloped as other coupe CUVs...I like the sloped hatchback rears of some of the 'coupe' CUVs, like the Merc GLE and current X6..always wondered how a current Grand Cherokee 'coupe' version could look. 

[ccap41]

9 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Admittedly, it isn't as bad as the CLG Coupe, GLE Coupe, X4, or X6 but the whole lifted coupe thing is just asking for awkwardness and they all get it.If they keep the roofline up where it is, it'll be okay in my books. if they bring it down like they do on the others I listed, it'll look like total hell. 

[Robert Hall]

One of the better looking coupe CUVs--though not promoted as such--IMO was the Infiniti FX...always liked the profile of those.

[Drew Dowdell]

3 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

One of the better looking coupe CUVs--though not promoted as such--IMO was the Infiniti FX...always liked the profile of those.

I've said for a while that if there is such a thing as a 4-door luxury crossover coupe, the Infiniti FX was the first of the kind, not Mercedes. 

[ccap41]

Just now, Drew Dowdell said:

I've said for a while that if there is such a thing as a 4-door luxury crossover coupe, the Infiniti FX was the first of the kind, not Mercedes. 

Wouldn't it have been the X6, and not Mercedes(assuming not the FX)? 

[Robert Hall]

6 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

Wouldn't it have been the X6, and not Mercedes(assuming not the FX)? 

Yeah, I think BMW was the first that promoted the idea of a coupe crossover w/ the X6.  Or was it that the X6 was first to market but not self-identified as a CCUV?  Or maybe they had body style dysphoria.

 

7 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

I've said for a while that if there is such a thing as a 4-door luxury crossover coupe, the Infiniti FX was the first of the kind, not Mercedes. 

Always liked the looks..had some Mazda-like detailing in the the light clusters, and the roofline in side profile reminds me of an Audi TT in 4dr form.

Edited May 7, 2019 by Robert Hall

[Drew Dowdell]

1 minute ago, ccap41 said:

Wouldn't it have been the X6, and not Mercedes(assuming not the FX)? 

It would be... even the Acura ZDX beat Mercedes to the punch.... but a certain Mercedes fanboi likes to think that Mercedes invented everything, so I was just nipping that in the bud. 

[ccap41]

...I fckn hate the X6...

 

These things trigger me line none other. 

[Robert Hall]

Cadillac should get in the game, do a XT5 CCUV with a rear window sloped like the late, great CTS coupe.

[Drew Dowdell]

3 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

Cadillac should get in the game, do a XT5 CCUV with a rear window sloped like the late, great CTS coupe.

God no...

[Robert Hall]

Speaking of CUV variants---it's too bad the convertible CUV never really took off, after the Murano and Land Rover Evoque...an XT5 2dr convertible, Escalade 2dr convertible, Escalade Landaulet, etc would be interesting variations... 

[balthazar]

6 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Subaru and Volvo already tried that. 

So did every OEM in the '30s & '40s, into the '50s.
- - - - - -
The original coupe CUV  ~
 

Edited May 7, 2019 by balthazar

[oldshurst442]

BMW  marketed their whatever this segment was in the 1990s as SAVs.

Sports ACTIVITY Vehicles.

The first from BMW being the X5 way back in 1999.  They did this to distinguish their version of whatever this segment was in the 1990s from the others...

SUVs were body of frame things that went off road up until this point in time for the most part.  Unibody versions existed, but the main focus was off roability and go anywhere attitude even with the unibody versions. And that they were, capable off roaders.

Many things happened in the 1990s (OJ Simpson as 1 example) and the focus of off roadability for SUVs got muddied...(family hauling, grocery getters as 1 example)

The BMW marketing department settled on ACTIVITY rather than UTILITY...although UTILITY for the most part was off roading which ironically is more akin to activity and utility is what the SUV has become today... wierd...

Mercedes did the offraod thing with their new-wave SUV, and wanted to showcase the ruggedness with Jurassic Park movie product placement.

The Infiniti FXs and Nissan MURANO would be more X5 SAV-ish rather than SUV-ish Pathfinder, Xterra and Armada and its luxo brother the Infiniti QX. 

Then BMW would, I assume, would wanna upstage the other sporty SAVs with virtually NO off road capabilities, which BMW DID indeed invent, and create the low and tapered midway roofline version of the  X5 called the X6.

The Infinity FXs had bulbous(still do)  rooflines.

Lexus (and Toyota) went the other way and offered no offroadbility, no sportiness and no personality to their new new-wave  small SUVs. Because their big and midsized BOF SUVs were still true to the original formula for SUVs.

This is my take on it. 

 

PS:  That Buick rendering reminds me of the current Chevy Blazer. Not a bad thing. I think the Blazer looks good. As does this rendering. 

I wouldnt want one either way though.  Im still waiting on a new personal coupe (or sedan) worthy of the name Riviera.  But...seeing what the market is today with sedans and coupes, the Riviera name would be soooooo befitting on this rendering of a possible Buick SAV... (I HATE this nomenclature of SAV, but kudos to BMW for tapping into a great idea...)

Edited May 8, 2019 by oldshurst442

[Drew Dowdell]

1 hour ago, balthazar said:

So did every OEM in the '30s & '40s, into the '50s.
- - - - - -
The original coupe CUV  ~
 

Well at least it's 2 door. But we were talking about sedans raised over their regular sedan counterparts and having awd. AMC Eagle sedan and Subaru outback sedan sort of things.

[ocnblu]

Maybe an XT5 Bustleback?

I think the loss of Opel, which raised a bit of alarm for some Buick lovers worried about the brand's future, may turn out to be a blessing, because it will force/enable GM to bring Buick back into the fold and align it more closely with Chevrolet and Cadillac, platform-wise.  No more Buick styling that is held back by being forcibly shared with Opel, a bland Euro product by and large.

I think the concept at the top of the thread would make a smashing Envision replacement, but for it to work and sell in decent numbers, it will need a conventional powertrain.  The only thing wrong with the Envision is its uber-bland styling, imo.

[balthazar]

22 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Well at least it's 2 door. But we were talking about sedans raised over their regular sedan counterparts and having awd. AMC Eagle sedan and Subaru outback sedan sort of things.

I realize- but was commenting on how as soon as a CUV's rear window is slanted forward some, it's somehow a different category (or at least name) of vehicle.

'Marketers, what are they good for?'

[regfootball]

Coming soon to the crossover bazaar

Buick Entropy

Buick Enthalpy

Buick Entrail

Buick Enterprise (Starship Edition!)

Buick Envention (See what i did there?)

 

[Robert Hall]

Speaking of Buick naming, I vaguely remember there being a compact sedan based on the Opel Astra in the US briefly a few years ago.  I can’t remember the name.  It may have been Excelle in China. 

[smk4565]

4 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

It would be... even the Acura ZDX beat Mercedes to the punch.... but a certain Mercedes fanboi likes to think that Mercedes invented everything, so I was just nipping that in the bud. 

Only the first car, the first truck and first van.  Maybe the first supercar with the 300SL.  The ML55 perhaps the first luxury performance SUV, Range Rover is really the first luxury SUV and there was the GMC Typhoon for putting a big motor in an SUV.  Some props to the Grand Cherokee 5.9 Limited too. 

 BMW X6 started the crossover coupe game.

[regfootball]

Jack these babies up a few inches and NOW you're really talking Buick Crossover Coupe

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 8, 2019 by regfootball