1959 Buick Electra 4 Door Hardtop on 2040-cars

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Buick Avista concept is 'buildable', but not a priority

Buick could build the striking Avista concept that debuted at the Detroit Auto Show, though it's not a top priority, the brand's top executive said Tuesday in New York. "The reaction's been so great, we'll try to run the numbers and see if there's a business case," said Duncan Aldred, Buick vice president of sales, service, and marketing. Buick will show the Avista in red this week at the New York Auto Show as a followup to its Detroit debut. Buick actually built two prototypes, which are being used to promote the brand's performance potential at auto shows around the world this year. "It's very buildable," Aldred told reporters after the reveal of the reveal of the 2017 Encore small crossover before the New York Auto Show. "Ultimately, it comes down to priorities." He added, "We'd love to do it. We could do it, but [there's] lots of things we'd love to do... Nothing to confirm or deny." The Avista concept suggests a sports car with a twin-turbo V6 with 400 horsepower put to the rear wheels. The two-door followed another impressive Buick concept, the Avenir, which was four-door styling exercise from the 2015 Detroit show. Though the Avista remains on the minds of enthusiasts – helped in part by Buick – the priorities for the brand are crossovers. The Avista offers style, but the freshened Encore is the substance for Buick in New York, which along with the Envision, launches this year into the red-hot utility segment. The new Cascada convertible and redesigned LaCrosse also are joining Buick's lineup this year. While the Avista is doable, the brand clearly has other priorities ahead of it. Related Video:

We hear Buick is testing a Regal wagon with focus groups

Rumors about a possible Buick Regal wagon have come and gone for the past few years, and today we have another one. A friend of Autoblog recently let slip that Buick is talking with customers and running focus groups of a new car against the Acura TSX wagon and an unnamed Volvo wagon. Of course the Buick model being used in the focus groups wasn't mentioned, but the Regal is the only Buick in the lineup of comparable size and with a wagon version overseas. Plus, we've heard that Buick told dealers a wagon is in the works at a meeting a few months ago. We reached out to Buick for comment, however no details were given. A Buick spokesperson told us, "By the end of 2017, we'll be revealing three more new models for a total of seven new Buicks in just 24 months." Of the seven new models, four have been launched: the Cascada, Encore, Envision and LaCrosse. Looking at Buick's current line-up, that leaves three models that haven't been updated yet: the Enclave, Regal and Verano. This is where a Buick Regal wagon could come in. We know the Enclave is definitely getting a replacement. The large crossover market is huge and GM has a platform for it. We're also expecting a new Regal sedan to come out next year. The Verano, however, is unlikely to see another generation. If the Verano goes away, that leaves an opening for a new Buick model. Rather than another sedan, Buick probably wants more crossovers, as the company said it expects its current line-up to bring in 70 percent of its sales. It could very easily add another CUV to the line-up by giving the Regal wagon the Volvo Cross Country treatment. Raise the ride height, gird it with plastic fenders and bumpers, and give the wagon a trendy name like "Tourx" or "Regal Tourx," which the company has already trademarked, and Buick's newest crossover is ready to go. In fact, GM has effectively already done this to the Regal's German sibling, the Insignia, in the form of the Insignia Country Tourer, pictured above. In summary, a CUV-like wagon could give Buick a trendy car in a hot class for a minimal investment. It would even provide Buick with a model that has no equivalents elsewhere in the GM stable, giving the company a bit more distinction. If the company does bring us a wagon version of the Regal, we would expect to see something next year, possibly with the reveal of the normal Regal variants.

Buick shows off new Ultra Luxury Interior for LaCrosse

The options sheet of the 2014 Buick LaCrosse gets all kinds of fancy with the addition of the Ultra Luxury Interior. Pointing its Tri-Shield logo at the world of haute luxury, the cabin treatment combines sangria leather with ebony accents, shadow tamo ash wood trim and a microsuede headliner to "drive fashion forward."
You'll need to start with LaCrosse models with the 3.6-liter V6 and either the Leather, Premium or Premium II trims to go all Brioni and Buckingham on the cabin, and the privilege package will run you $2,495. We're told that you won't find such contrasting hues anywhere else in the class, though, and that kind of exclusivity might make any price a bargain.
You can find more information on the Ultra Luxury Interior in the press release below, along with some intensely fashion-foward gobbledygook.