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Movie Review: Black Air: The Buick Grand National Documentary

As Buick currently claws and scratches its way back into relevance to compete against luxury brands like Lexus and Acura, it's hard to believe that not too long ago, the brand had a car that was mentioned in the same breath as Corvette, Lamborghini and Ferrari. That car? None other than the Buick Grand National. All black with a turbocharged V6 and some of the quickest acceleration of its time, the Grand National, in today's standards, is along the lines of a 2013 Shelby GT500 with both cars essentially being a working man's supercar.
The last Grand National rolled off the assembly line in Flint, MI on December 11, 1987, and to mark the silver anniversary of that somber occasion, Black Air is a documentary of the Grand National from the perspective of the enthusiast, the collector, the media and even from those at General Motors responsible for creating such a sinister legend. Like the car itself, Andrew Filippone Jr. shoots the documentary in a raw fashion, and it definitely helps to show why a low-volume muscle car from the 1980s is still the object of obsession for many automotive enthusiasts to this day.

Is Buick America's most daring mainstream car brand?

Considering Buick as an adventurous automaker seems a little odd at first thought. But with little fanfare over the last several years, the marque is transforming itself from a brand often associated with elderly drivers to a nameplate willing to take chances in niche segments. The gamble is already paying off with 2014 sales up 11.4 percent in the US to 228,963 cars. Given recent product launches, this experimentation is only likely to continue. The key to the transformation at Buick is its willingness to explore the so-called white space, according to Automotive News; the term refers to niches in the market without rivals as a challenge. In addition, the brand's position in the near-luxury space means that its products are cross-shopped by a large swath of customers. Without having a specific competitor, Buick has more room to experiment within its segment. "Designers love designing Buicks because it's not a paint-by-numbers brand," said Andrew Smith, director of design at Buick and Cadillac, to Automotive News. The company's strategy of going where others haven't is best exemplified by the Encore. The subcompact, luxury crossover came to market early, and Buick found serious success with it. The tiny CUV was the automaker's fastest growing model last year with a 53 percent gain and 48,892 units sold. With the test a triumph, the Encore recently got a sibling in the US in the form of the Chevrolet Trax. The upcoming Cascada is taking a similar approach. The non-sporty convertible segment is practically empty in the US, and this slightly redesigned product from Opel has the opportunity to become a leader in its niche. Of course, Buick's biggest recent surprise was the Avenir concept at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show. The car's swooping shape and use of materials earned it two EyesOn Design Awards against some tough competition. While the company's intentions for this flagship sedan aren't entirely clear yet, the vehicle does "test some of the future design language that will come on the next generation of Buicks," according to brand boss Duncan Aldred to Automotive News, which is definitely something to look forward to. Featured Gallery Buick Avenir Concept: Detroit 2015 View 12 Photos Related Gallery Buick Avenir Concept View 23 Photos News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Live photos copyright 2015 Drew Phillips / AOL Design/Style Buick Convertible Crossover Luxury buick encore buick cascada buick avenir

Why Buick's Encore wasn't a Chevy

Buick is taking a gamble with its 2013 Encore. General Motors' near-luxury brand has enjoyed great success attracting conquest buyers to its larger Enclave crossover, but it has never offered something quite like this small CUV.
Very early signs suggest that the gamble might be working. According to Mark Reuss, President of General Motors, the automaker expected about 1,500 initial orders from its dealers for the Encore, but it's tracking closer to 9,000 units. Alluding to the fact that historically, Buick has shared similar products with GM's other brands, Reuss says that Buick dealers are "thrilled to have an exclusive." The automaker already markets almost identical models in other markets as the Opel/Vauxhall Mokka and Chevrolet Trax, but The General's other brands won't offer a twin to the new baby Buick.
The new Encore is based on the Gamma architecture that underpins the Chevrolet Sonic, and it shares the economy car's available turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine. With standard front-wheel drive and available all-wheel drive, GM says its Encore will be pitted against competitors like the BMW X1 and Audi Q3, both of which are much more expensive but also much more powerful.