1972 Buick Skylark on 2040-cars

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Hyundai, Buick dealer apologize in wake of Chinese baby social media incident

A very strange story out of China today, as Hyundai and a Chinese Buick dealer were forced to face allegations of using allusions to an infamous child murder on a social media site as a way of promoting the safety features of their respective vehicles.
The original sad tale goes something like this: On March 4, a man reported to police that he had left his infant child in a running Toyota RAV4 while he ran into a supermarket briefly. When he came back out, the vehicle and the child were gone. Later in the week a suspect turned himself in to the police; confessing to them that he had stolen a sport-utility vehicle, strangled the infant that was in it, and then buried the child in the snow.
As you might imagine, the gristly incident was covered massively in the Chinese media. (There was huge public outcry as well, as evidenced by the vigil scene, above.) "Changchun baby abduction" was very quickly amongst the highest ranking search teams of the China's Weibo social media site - an equivalent of Twitter in the English-speaking world.

Buick Avenir will be made...as a trim level instead of a car

Almost two years after Buick showed the gorgeous Avenir concept, the company announced the Avenir name will reach production. Specifically, it will be a top-tier trim level for 2018 model year Buicks. It's taking a page from GMC's Denali, Lincoln's Black Label, and, well, plenty of examples of extra-fancy sauce. This is disappointing news for fans of the concept, but they can take solace in the fact that the Avenir's good looks are starting to rub off on production Buicks, such as the new LaCrosse. For those interested in what this new Avenir trim will bring to the table, it's a similar formula to what many other auto brands are doing. Buick specifically compares Avenir with the Denali trim for GMC. Models with the trim will get a special 3D mesh grille inspired by the Avista concept, large wheels and unique trim finishes outside. Inside, Avenir models will receive a nicer interior, which Buick generically described as having "unique seat details" and "modern trim materials." Cars equipped with the package will also get a smattering of Avenir badges. Avenir looks like a win-win: interested buyers get some extra cachet and bragging rights and Buick gets to load high-profit options on it cars and SUVs. Buick's inspiration for the Avenir trim is a bit strange, though. The company says it is "inspired by Buick's evolving customer base," which includes women and owners of competing products. Apparently both groups are buying Buicks in greater numbers, and the company also says that many of their customers opt for the most expensive trims. While it seems straightforward to tailor a package for luxury-seeking buyers, we're not sure what would make a package specifically appeal to women and people with competitors' vehicles. That being said, Buick isn't as patronizing as Cosmopolitan was with its car. In fact, quite the opposite. With Avenir, Buick is cashing in on new customers that willing to pay for luxury plain and simple, without any pandering. Related Video: Auto News Buick Luxury denali buick avenir

GM’s Charlie Wilson was right: Stronger regulations can help U.S. automakers

Charlie Wilson had been the president and CEO of General Motors before being nominated to become secretary of defense by Dwight Eisenhower. During his Senate confirmation hearings, he controversially said, "For years I thought what was good for our country was good for General Motors, and vice versa." And he was right. While car companies aren't necessarily the most progressive when it comes to things that might have the slightest possibility of political blowback, General Motors should be credited for doing something absolutely forthright in this regard with its announcement that it wants the federal U.S. government not to squash the California Air Resources Board's emissions requirements but to actually create a 50-state "National Zero Emissions Vehicle" program that, in the words of Mark Reuss, executive vice president and president, Global Product Group and Cadillac, "will drive the scale and infrastructure investments needed to allow the U.S. to lead the way to a zero emission future." Filing comments to the Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient Vehicles Rule for Model Years 2021-2026 Passenger Cars and Light Trucks is one thing. But a graphic the company developed for this announcement — shown above — is something else entirely, something that is absolutely credible, creative and clever. There is a photo of a Chevrolet Bolt EV driving along a highway, which seems to be in Marin County (based on the blurred San Francisco skyline in the background). Text on the photo states: "It's Time for American Leadership in Zero Emissions Vehicles." It seems to say, in effect, "If we want to make America great again, then we're going to do it by leading in technology, not by retreating behind weakened regulations." General Motors understands that the auto market is globally competitive, and if U.S.-based companies are going to be in the game, then they'd better be able to out-innovate the companies based elsewhere, where emissions and economy standards are not being weakened. What's good for our country ... Related Video: