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Avista concept shows Buick's performance potential [w/video]

With names like Wildcat and Riviera in its past, Buick knows how to make a good-looking performance machine. It's just been awhile. But the Avista concept revealed Sunday night ahead of the Detroit Auto Show suggests Buick's sporting heritage might be more than relegated to grainy photos. The Avista is a 2+2 sports coupe running a twin-turbocharged V6 cranking out 400 horsepower through the rear wheels. Look familiar? It should, as it reprises many of the design cues from Buick's last show-stealer, the Avenir, which debuted a year ago in Detroit. "The Avista embodies the dynamic soul of Buick," said Duncan Aldred, vice president of global Buick sales, service, and marketing. "It is a modern expression of the brand's heritage of sophisticated performance, communicated with beautiful elegance." The front end features a prominent grille with Buick's newly colored tr-shield as the centerpiece. It's flanked by wings that stretch out horizontally and edgy headlights that portend the appearance of future Buicks. There's an aggressive fascia, chrome-trimmed vents, and it all rolls on 20-inch wheels. The Avista has a 110.7-inch wheelbase (which is the same as the Chevy Camaro), and the tracks measure 63 inches in front and 62.9 inches in back, which Buick says makes for a sporty stance. The B-pillarless cabin conjures the open layout of great boulevard cruisers of days gone by. It's done up in gray leather punctuated with carbon-fiber and aluminum accents. Yep, Buick does know how to do performance. In case you forgot, the Avista is a strong reminder of the past, and it offers hope for the brand's future. Watch the live unveiling in the video below. Buick Introduces Avista Concept Design elegance, performance heritage conveyed in turbocharged 2+2 coupe DETROIT – Ahead of its public debut at the North American International Auto Show, Buick today revealed the Avista concept – a 2+2 coupe that pushes the brand's contemporary design ethos and rekindles its historic performance roots. A sleek, sweeping proportion is the foundation for this vision of a contemporary grand tourer, with a 400-horsepower twin-turbocharged V-6 driving the rear wheels and a driver-focused cockpit offering a comfortable, connected center of control. "The Avista embodies the dynamic soul of Buick," said Duncan Aldred, vice president of Global Buick Sales, Service and Marketing.

2017 Buick Encore freshens up for the New York Auto Show

Buick is dressing up the 2017 Encore for spring – specifically the New York Auto Show – where the compact crossover is expected to strut its stuff. The freshening follows the playbook of the Chevy Trax, which was also updated with a light hand. Though it keeps its familiar shape, sort of like an oversized Pontiac Vibe, the Encore gets Buick's new grille. It's a simple look with the wings bisecting the brand's tri-shield, and it calls to mind Buick's iconic front ends from yesteryear. You might remember it from the Avenir and Avista concepts. There are also new headlights. They look stolen from Audi, and it's an attention-getting gaze for the new face of the Encore. There will likely be new wheel packages, too. We can't see inside the Encore. Spy photographers couldn't get close enough to this Buick shoot in Southern California. But, we expect the interior to also mirror the Trax enhancements, which included a new instrument panel, gauges, materials, and infotainment. The Encore shares underpinnings with the Trax and Opel Mokka. We expect the Encore to arrive in late summer. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Buick Encore Spy Shots Image Credit: Brian Williams / SpiedBilde Design/Style Spy Photos New York Auto Show Buick Crossover buick encore

Buick to kill Verano as early as 2017

The Buick Verano's days are allegedly numbered. Citing unnamed sources, Automotive News is reporting that Buick will kill its Delta-platform-based sedan. The company offered the typical "no comment." According to AN, Buick is expecting 70 percent of its sales to come from the Encore, Envision, and Enclave once the Envision goes on sale. And it doesn't take a professor of economics to recognize that when half the vehicles you build account for just 30 percent of the sales, it's time to trim. But the case for killing the Verano is a weird one, because the problem isn't a lack of demand. Struggling sales might be the reason to kill a car, but the Verano is – and has consistently been – Buick's second best-selling sedan. It's beaten the slightly larger, more expensive Regal by at least 12,000 units in each of the last four years. Hell, in 2013, Buick sold 45,000 Veranos to fewer than 19,000 Regals. So why not kill the Regal? Well, the Verano's raison d'etre is irrelevant today. Buick launched its smallest sedan at a time when premium compact four-doors weren't a thing and gas prices were high enough that consumers were still hesitant to tie themselves to a CUV's fuel bill. And while it was roughly the same size as the Chevrolet Cruze that it shared GM's Delta platform with, it had enough unique equipment to stand apart and warrant its price premium. Today, fuel prices are cheap and consumers are flocking to crossovers while Buick is stuck sharing the premium compact pie with much more prestigious names ( Mercedes-Benz and Audi). And because it's sharing showroom space with the super-popular Encore, even the Verano's affordable pricing has become a liability. Today, a lightly equipped Verano is the same price as a base Encore, and they offer broadly similar features (rear-view cameras, a seven-inch touchscreen with Intellilink, Bluetooth, etc.). And if the Encore is too small, there's probably a GMC Terrain sitting in the same showroom, offering more utility and equal equipment to the Verano for a similar price. As one dealer told AN, "For not much more money, customers can get an SUV." Killing the Verano might risk 30,000 to 40,000 sales, but it's a move that proves Buick has tremendous confidence in its CUV lineup – clearly the company thinks the Encore can do the job of luring customers into showrooms. AN's sources claim the Verano will survive through 2017, so we'll be waiting a few years to find out if that faith is misplaced. Related Video: