January10
General Motors revealed the Buick Riviera concept at the Shanghai auto show last year, and will show the car for the first time in North America at the Detroit Auto Show next week. Designed at the GM Pan Asia Technical Center, the car is yet another stylish Buick designed by GM's China design team.
The Riviera is supposed to showcase Buick's forthcoming global design language for Buick and shares similar design cues with the Enclave SUV. Though the show car's gull wing doors aren't likely to see production, its bold fender flares, porthole vents and signature Buick waterfall grille should make it onto a future Buick model.
want this to sell? take the buick name off of it
no one under 40 goes to buick dealers
the people who would like this car will never see it in a showroom
the people who actually do buy buicks (ages 65+) have no interest in a car like this
KILL THE BUICK NAME
stop deluding yourselves that this "brand" has a "great tradition". it isn't 1958 anymore. to today's core buyers (born after 1965), BUICK = SHIT
dont know if i would buy it, but it would at least bring me into a buick showroom for a test drive..
That's quite nice. Kinda like a hardtop Bengal.
The Riviera was always a suave automobile, but this "thing" is like a bad prop from the 1995 movie: Judge Dredd. "I am the Law!"
awesome! Base it off the upcoming CTS coupe and build it!
The Riv' is exactly what Buick needs to turn itself around. A smooth, understated vehicle that appeals to new empty nester Baby-Boomers trading in their minivans and SUVs for luxury cars.
Now this things a concept so it won't make it into production 'as is'. The door opening and roof height are hugely impractical, and the interior has the usual 'Car Of The Future' motifs seen in design mules. But the underlying concept is sound. I say build it before 2009 and get some of the market while it's hot.
I want a '65 Riviera. Real bad.
Not a bad design IMO. This car is totally possible if you could live without the rear seat. A coupe version of the the Sky/Solstice platorm would be cheaper. The turbo version could be the Super.
Very nice.
If Buick wants to make more money then this is the car it needs to build. Its a shame that in America, Buick only appeals to the Baby-boomer demographic. Buick needs a car that appeals to younger buyers, otherwise when we lose the baby-boomers then Buick will fail to bring any profit to GM. Yeah this car looks cool but knowing GM this car will probably never make it to production.
^ You're an idiot. I see plenty of younger kids driving Buicks and they don't look old? Maybe you need to get out into the real world and stop living in 1990. Buicks aree super cool right now and if you had any kind of intelligence you would know that Buicks are #1 in countries like China.
This car is ultra hot and I could see them putting it up against some upper-end cars like Bentley and Maserati, but for those on a budget. In the end it'll most likely outpace the Germans on the sales charts. Folks, young and old will be lineing up just to get one.
who cares…we all know buick is never going to build a vehicle like this…the closet thing we will see to is when GM slaps the grill on to a laccrose.
I don't hate the Buick name per se, but whoopee is on to something. I also think the Riviera name is horrible for a car like this. The only Rivi I would want is a '66.
GM has some people that can design cars, looks good.
wow a non boring looking buick… am i dreaming?
Wasn't it the buick dealers who told Lutz "we don't want RWD vehicles?". I like this concept and I think it is what Buick needs to appeal to a younger audience. Ironically, Olds tried this too and had a winner in the Aurora but it was too little too late. I can actually see Tiger tooling around in this though and that is a good thing.
Buick still around???
I, too, feel that this will never reach American soil. Too bad cuz this and the Chinese Park Avenue are miles ahead of what they currently sell here. Don't forget, GM put the halt on any more RWD's for USA except what they've already committed to, namely the Camaro and G8. Why are the Chinese getting all the good stuff and we get the f-ing Lucerne? The only thing that Buick will have worth buying is the Enclave, which is going to be really expensive, and not even on sale yet.
Buick should have a big RWD Park Ave, a coupe version of that called the Riviera, the Enclave, and a very loaded, powerful, mid size front driver, and that's it.
Buick makes some great concept cars. Too bad none of them ever get produced.
Hey whoopee..Buick does not equal shit. Whoopi Goldberg on the other hand spews it. By the way, nice looking concept. Would look good in a showroom next to the Lucerne and Enclave.
Unbelievable! This is a remarkable looking machine. It very much leaves Buick "old fart" image behind. It actually looks upscale and sexy. This is the kind of thinking Buick has always needed.
I could see tis based on the VOLT, or the Kappa cars.
Sadly, I bet it'll never see daylight, in that form, in this country or any other.
NO! bad buick. Velite>>"riviera" concept.
yuck. talk about not knowing a good thing when you've got it.
build the camaro, add tons of sound insulation and cut off the top and add a buick grille… tada, velite. duh…
this…. looks like it'll put up GTO-battling sales numbers. creative, but NO
U-G-L-Y
The concept drawing proportions are pretty nice.. but the mock-up got taller and stubbier, not nearly as nice. Bring the fender/beltline and roof down and stretch the tail out a bit and you might convince me this is a proper boat-tail Riv successor.
Very nice. Now build it.
This car says something about the sad state of GM's North American styling studios.
Buick could not afford the liabilty cost of heart attacks caused by their aged customer base seeing this in the showroom as they walk into the dealership.
This along with the Velite conc. should be built to help the brand.
I really hope Buick starts building things like this. Their current stable of cars is atrocious.
im 22 and if buick made a car like this, id check it out. priced right i wouldnt hesitate to buy it. I think its kinda dumb to buy a car for the badge. If it looks good and you like it….buy it.
It better be RWD.
this is very cool, I just hope they build it
homoboy234
homoboy234, do you even drive (legally) yet?
This car looks good. It would change the image of Buick if the could actually build it. Look what the CTS did for Cadillac. Amazing turn around.
I don't care for this concept at all, looks too much like that shitty Mazda concept from the outside.
lol this looks like a miniature of what the next infiniti fx should be lol with the L shaped eyes and the narrow tails —- good luck jaguar if this is ever produced gives the new xf a run for the money
Why do they even bother with these interiors? I've seen concept cars come into production with almost no exterior changes. The interiors are NEVER the same though… they're always much more "realistic."
I have four words for GM:
Buick Grand National Zeta
boring…
Badge engineer one of these babies for every GM car brand around the world. I'll take the Chevy version. Wild, crazy grandaddy will take the Buick.
maybe it's the angle of the picture or the lens on the camera, but the driver's seat and area look waaaay to narrow for the average fat-assed Buford.
what's with the spaceship interior!?
It won't matter if it has the Buick logo on it, if they build it, the will come.
if they fixed the rear a little bit, then made the doors open normally with the tiny "aston martin" door handles, I would give this a look if decently priced
I like the interior, especially the driver's seat. Interesting combo of chrome, velvet, and abalaster in an early '60s motif. Simple and attractive
For the exterior, gull-wing doors are soooo 1986. It will need to be stretched and the roof raised to make usable room for the rear seats, otherwise just make it a two seater. The best feature is the light-up tri-shield on the rear. Come to think about it, I see a little Scion TC in the side profile…
As for RWD, I'm not sure this vehicle will need it, as it will be more of a luxury car than a sports car. FWD opens up the interior space and makes it safer for the vast majority of drivers.
A few better pix http://www.babez.de/buick/buick-riviera-coupe-concept.php
Someone said earlier Buick= #@$%. I don't think you understand the paradigm shift in the auto industry. In the future the US market will be secondary even to US auto makers! Weather Americans like Buicks or not,Chinese like Buicks. That's why it was unveiled there.
wow the new pics are great, i not an old man and like this car.
My dad had a 96 Riviera. It was a great car….when it worked:( Traded it in 2002 w/ 98k miles…$500, LOL.
I like this concept, I also loved the Lacrosse concept back in 2000 and look how that POS turned out, but I digress.
They ripped the front from the Mazda Kabura…
carloard
I was gonna say the same thing
Didn't I see this at the '92 auto show?
The gull-wing doors are very nice, but those like the interior, ala Star Trek, kinda' nail home th point that this car may NEVER make it to production. However that is not assured. this is a very cool car and I'd hope to see more cars try the Gull wings doors in the future, maybe even to production.
So 1986? What is wrong with that? Were you born after that year so you don't know? It doesn't really matter. You don't like it. That's fine I really could care less. But Something new an interesting and while atypical door systems are nothing new to concept cars, they would be very new aside from exotic sports cars. The last car on the "affordable" side with gull wing doors was the DMC-12 Delorean. That IS a cool car.
AS for all the Shit-mouth flying around here, "Look! Look! Look at me! I can say something completely devoid of taste and intelligence and get a rise out of others. I have nothing worth discussing so I'll start a swearing contest. I'm so pathetic and lonely I have to cause trouble to validate my excuse for an existence." A paraphrase of all the mindless ass-mouthed, brainless, trash talking that has nothing to with anything aside from your lacking egos. You know who I'm talking about.
The rest of you grow up and stop playing with the damn monkey already!
Luv this car. C'mon GM… please build it!!!
Just 1 more thing: Yeah, GM can only do "shit" like the C6 Vette, that can "only" outrun both Ferrari F430 and Lambo Gallardo AND Murcièlago at Nurburgring… Worldwide loved and respected as a sportscar.
Done.
Hey homeboy, both Britain and the U.S. got hit by terrorist attacks. The difference is that we went after them and kicked their ass, while the Europeans sat around and did nothing. I could also guarantee that all the Americans posting here are smarter than you, since you can't come up with intelligent responces, you just cuss like crazy.
Nice car, too bad they will never build it. Honestly, why is Buick still a brand? Why hasn't GM killed it off yet?
GM does build some nice concepts, but I don't know why they bother because they end up actually making crap.
It's a sign of America in general. We no longer are #1 in many areas, we don't even have the tallest building in the world anymore. We settle for half-ass. Why aren't we building better, faster, most expensive cars in the world? Why let Toyota, Ferrari or Rolls Royce have all the fun?
Instead we get Malibus, Monte Carlos, Rivieras. When one company gets an idea, they all do. Hey let's rebuild the Mustang, Charger, Camaro, etc. For crying out loud, build something new and kick ass for a change.
Man I would love to be CEO of GM. We'd get cars you would lust after. Win the lotto today and you wouldn't buy any cars from GM, except for maybe a Z06.
whats the point? it'll never look like that even if they do build it.
Nice and pretty original. Interior is……..ummmmma little too far out and the gull wing doors wont sell, at least not on a Buick anyway. If this makes it to market (that is doubtful), it probably wont even remotely resemble this car. GM should have kicked Pontiac, GMC and Buick to the curb when they did Olds. If they got developmemt money, spend it on Caddy, Chevy and Saturn.
lol Buick is still around?
Bolex - "we're faithful and patriotic", what a grade A throbber.
It befits the resident of a nation which re-elected a president who sends their own youth to their deaths in order to increase the wealth of his cronies to declare that showing enthusiasm for a product designed and shown in their leading competitor's market is a patriotic act.
.
V-series, whose arse is being kicked right now? Not the Taleban in Afghanistan, who are slowly regaining control of the country, not the Iranian-backed Syrian terrorists who have finally been able to invade Iraq, thanks to the Allies destroying the country's infrastructure and defences. There have been over 100,000 civilian casualties, is that who you meant?
.
Unfortunately the Europeans are not blameless in this, because despite your jingoistic assertions, they are not sitting around and doing nothing. In fact the British are also dying alongside your troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, as we support your morally questionable wars. Its nice to know that our sacrifice is appreciated.
.
Other European nations have sent smaller forces. Perhaps their lesser involvement is because the US has never been able to explain the link between terrorism and Saddam Hussein to the international community.
europerspective: You're talking sense up there, it's greatly appreciated. Some people just don't get it, would rather hide behind a red, white, and blue flag of ignorance and fear, a fear that is then hidden behind an act of macho patriotism. Thanks for saying something real on this moron board.
I like this car more and more everyday. I do see a bit of nissan 350Z/Infiniti design in this car. Oh well i still like it.
Concepts are irrelevant unless they make it to the showroom floor.
i just got the weird feeling that this is going to be like the next Delorean.
the middle east will always be at war….forever….period.
too bad they havnt driven a new buick they are actually not too bad.
Absolutely sweet!!! This should hit the showroom floors AS IS!!! Do not change anything! Yeah I know… if they do make it they will change everything
The only change that is needed it that stupid ass name. Riviera? come on it's a new day folks let go of those stupid old names.
Buick
Highest-selling car: Lucerne sedan
Base price: $26,410
2006 sales: 96,515 (up 994%)
Lowest-selling car: Terraza minivan *
Base price: $27,425
2006 sales: 11,948 (down 41%)
Buick is one of the most successful brand of cars in China more than in the USA. I think that's why the designer team's from there, so they include more of the domestic taste into the design.
At first it did not grab me, but I see some chromosome of '64 Riviera, in my book the most gorgeous American car. And I sure it looked wildly futuristic in '64. Let see if it will pass conception phase.
WHY?!?!?! this will never see production. and if it does it probably will be available for everyone else but the U.S. I think it funny when they say " Though the show cars gull wing doors are likely not to see production." The Doors?!?!?! thats the only thing that might not make it?? What a bunch of fuck heads!!!
Well Autonut I still don't see any 64 Rivera genes yet, certainly doesn't make you wrong, I just haven't picked them up yet. I really wish this vehicle would have some of Bill Mitchell's styling cues from the original Riv. Not retro, just a few details. I see more of the 71-73 Boattail years myself. Buick could pull itself out of the dumper with more designs like this.
I forgot Buick even existed.
Buick doesn't need this car. Buick needs to use styling cues of this car. Any of the front-end curves and cues would do wonders on a Lucerne/Lacrosse.
This is my favorite show
This Riviera looks kind of like a G
whoopee: I used to be like you (Buick= "old"), and that kept me from appreciating my stepfathers Grand National. But I'm about to buy an Enclave, so I guess I got over that.
CTS: “don’t know if I would buy it, but it would at least bring me into a Buick showroom for a test drive..”
That’s half the battle.
Renton; I'd like to get that Grand National.
bacalao “wow a non boring looking Buick… am I dreaming?” Seems Buick is making “non-boring” a habit. Saw this cool-looking black car at a gas station not long ago, and was surprised to see it was Lucerne.
Cookie: I liked the aurora as well. And for that matter, the Acheiva.
Golf4me: “Buick should have a big RWD Park Ave, a coupe version of that called the Riviera, the Enclave, and a very loaded, powerful, mid size front driver, and that's it.”
I think you’ve come up with about a perfect model lineup.
Detractus: “Buick makes some great concept cars. Too bad none of them ever get produced.” Sure seems that way.
Get real “Buick could not afford the liability cost of heart attacks caused by their aged customer base seeing this in the showroom as they walk into the dealership.”
That’s funny.
TOZO” “Badge-engineer one of these babies for every GM car brand around the world.” Hell no. Maybe for one GM brand in each market.
Rerone: “In the future the US market will be secondary even to US auto makers!” good call.
“Win the lotto today and you wouldn't buy any cars from GM, except for maybe a Z06.”
I would, an Enclave. But I'd also get something fast and Italian for my alone-time.
DialM4Speed: “ This should hit the showroom floors AS IS!!!” dream on. Cool handle, anyway.
"the car is yet another stylish Buick designed by GM's China design team."
No wonder Buick is doing so well in China. They should fire their design department in US and just let the Chinese do it. I'm sure you guys would even agree on this end.
Veda: GM and Fird should both send their designers to "study abroad."
Ford
Yea, whoopee is an idiot. I'm 21 and I'd LOVE to have an '87 GNX. A Syclone would be nice too. Yes, I know that's not a Buick. When I hear the word Buick, the letters that come to mind are GNX and GSX.
I realize the first comment is from April but it is such a good example of some of the idiotic comments that people leave on here. How ridiculous.
Lutz will turn it into a Plain Jane.
Nothing special to take to out to the county club.
No Gull Wing…….. No Sale
Don't screw this one up Lutz.
Yeah I'm kinda bummed that Buick is getting better cars in China then we are. I love the Chinese Buick Park Avenue. They need more Zeta here in the U.S. But I guess Buick is staying alive because of China (sorta). Anyways I'm really liking the designs lately that are coming out of Buick. They could make a comeback. I loved the Buick Grand National Turbo even if it was a monte clone. But When Buick puts their heads to it they can come out with some really nice stuff. Enclave, Riviera, etc. Also liking this concept as well.
Build it.
If gm builds this car as shown, I think it will sell. HOWEVER, if they don't offer the POWER to match the looks—it will be another flop.
You're on a roll GM, and if you're really serious about giving Buick it's identity back- build it.
Gorgeous car. I can't wait to see how GM butchers it for production
Looks like that fine-ass G35, with a li’l bit of VW thrown in.
The 1964 Riviera was a more interesting design, for its era, than this car. The gullwing doors that once signified a clever solution to a technical problem (300SL) now just say "DeLorean," or even worse, "Bricklin."
check this out look at the picture with the door open then look at this. http://seriouswheels.com/1990-1999/1999-BMW-Z9-Gran-Turismo-Concept-Side-OD-1600×1200.htm
1999BMW z9
That's sweet!
GM has the oppurtunity to turn this thing into a serious money maker.
- Keep the same basic design
- add two doors
- Use the G35 as the template
- keep it around 30k. T
This could be a car that attracts the younger buyers they seek
Haha, the BACK of this thing looks exactly like the FRONT of the BMW 5-Series.
corvette, the difference is that the Buick actually looks desirable.