Cananopie

I guarantee the 1 vehicle responsible for the dropping of Buicks average age-group is the one we all thought was most unlikely when it debuted- The Rendezvous. That vehicle has done more than its share in boosting Buicks image by becoming the hottest domestic crossover for whatever reason... certainly not for resembling the dead Aztek, I have no idea why, but thank God for it. The Terraza is definitely going to lower the age too because old people just dont buy minivans. However all Buick lineup now has characteristics to bring in younger buyers despite what the skeptics say.

Sadly Razor, I think you're right. I mean we're all hoping we'll even get a picture of it when the last Corvette or Mustang rolls off the line it'll be worth a fortune. Granted the LeSabre was never a sports car but dammit it was always there for your family trips- something the Corvette and Mustang would have a hard time doing. Its reliabilty throughout its whole life was outstanding. And even though some of you disagree even until recently the LeSabre had a very unique and I'd say elegant style to it. I do think the curves of a current LeSabre will be attractive 30 or 40 years down the line. Just because the engine was reliable, there was plenty of room, and was always affordable with the elegance standard doesn't mean it should be overlooked on its last year. I am very upset they killed a beautiful name. LeSabres have been in my family since 87 and we've owned at least 1 ever since. (there are 4 at my house currently and my grandparents own a Celebration Edition). Even if the rest of America overlooks the LeSabre we here at C&G will give a proper sendout.

Remember- Martha isn't selling jack. It's just going to air when Martha's show is on.

All anybody knows here or is willing to spill here is that there is definitely the LaCrosse, Lucerne, and Rendezvous replacement... all else is speculation. Most likely Roadmaster will not return anytime soon... the closest old name I see returning is Riviera for a Zeta platform coupe... but nobody even knows for sure if thats a go.

I like Heintz's quick-made hardtop Velite and I think it would sell well... but the wait is getting a bit ridiculous. First things first- I saw this car in person and theres no way this could go directly into production- first they'd have to cheapen it. http://www.seriouswheels.com/pics-2004/200...or-1024x768.jpg That interior is not going to be in a $27k vehicle... nor even a $45k vehicle. I've never seen a concept that looked like this go into production... the Solstice is the closest they've come. But compare the beautiful interior of the Velite to the mediocre interior of the $75k+ XLR and I don't see it happening. Call me crazy but I'm pretty sure I'd rather be sitting in the elegant Velite anyday of the XLR. http://www.familycar.com/RoadTests/Cadilla...DriversSeat.jpg The next problem I have with the Velite is by the time everything gets done with it (if it were to go through) it'd be like 2009... at best. 5 years to put a once cutting-edge model on the road it will have people screaming the word 'dated.' It's a fine looking vehicle but I think Buick should work on the qualities it has and build off of it and create an even more cutting edge Zeta car to be produced in 2009 based off the Velite but more cutting edge and make sure they fit in the simple things- like being cost effective and all the gauges in it and everything so we're not looking at a cheapened, dated, 2009 Velite that is only a shell of what the concept was 5 years prior (see LaCrosse). However I definitely love this car and if they could pull it off quickly, efficiently, and classy (WITH 2 DOORS AND A POWERFUL ENGINE) I'd be happy with it... but if they dare try and cheapen it too much just build another Zeta- better than the Velite (you can do it!) and surprise the world with it... and it better be 2 door and powerful (preferably let a Buick taste 300HP+). These are things to keep in mind when discussing this vehicle. We're not looking at a nearly finished production model, we're looking at what people are still discussing at the drawing board.

I think this article is fairly fair and accurate for Buick (just by scanning it quick) it says how the only definites are of course the Lucerne LaCrosse and Rendezvous replacement. They speculate on a flagship Buick but admit there is no evidence. I think they know about as much as we know and reported it fairly.

I think the chromatic emblem is very nice and fits with the times today. a big-ass red white and blue emblem can get pretty gaudy pretty fast. Even the Regals with the chromatic emblem look more modern than the Regals with the r/w/b emblem... but I guess it's all a matter of taste.

By the way, I'd just like to add black on black only for the CXS is a good move by Buick. Very stylish and classy. If you want a cheap black on black then get a Chevy or Pontiac. I like the idea that more style comes with more money you spend... a Lucerne CX doesn't deserve black on black- only the V8.

I think people are getting worried for something that there is no need to worry about- Buick AND GM have both known the sales were not going to rise during the transition period. If you've read the article you've know Buick has heavily reduced fleet sales and this is good, however when you have less fleet sales you have less sales... oh PLUS we've gone from 4 cars to 2 with the spare tire known as the Terraza to help ease the pain. The Rendezvous, though the most popular Buick now (I'd guess- I have no statistics but the LaCrosse is new, the LeSabre is dead after this year and the Rainier and the Terraza, well, you know...) is getting old and is slowly losing sales yearly. The LaCrosse will not be at its peak sales this year and the Lucerne won't be at its peak sales next year. They will be on the up. The Terraza and the Rainier will not sell enough to keep Buick afloat but hopefully they can hold their own badge-engineered weight. I give them the equivilant sales to the Regal and the Park Avenue respectively. But the LaCrosse and the Lucerne have to make up not only the loss of the Century and the LeSabre but what the Rendezvous is now going to be lacking in its 4th year. and the LaCrosse won't make what the Century sold until at the earliest next year, probably the year after that, maybe not ever considering its increase in price because Buick moved upmarket slightly (which is ANOTHER thing we haven't even mentioned on why Buick sales haven't reached past sales). The Lucerne needs at least 2 years to get credibility but I highly doubt they will ever match LeSabre credibility. The name alone carried more trust and credibility than the best newest car on the market. GM and Buick are expecting whats happening now. Plus Buick RETAIL sales are up 3%! Thats amazing news during this transition! Plus Buick and Pontiac are supposed to become "smaller" companies anyways. However Flybrian is right- they shouldnt have left the gap between the Lucerne and the LeSabre but theres nothing we can do about it now. I think Buick is just as solid as it was a few months ago, a year ago, or 2 years ago... even moreso with the fleet cuts and such... or at the very least it's not slipping behind Pontiac as some people are willing to jump the gun and say Buick will get cut over Pontiac. Both companies are in a tight situation. Either, both, or neither could be chopped. Even though we all know the first one they should chop is Saturn... but thats beside the point. Buick's not doing that bad guys, keep your heads up!

If nobody else makes a tribute post about the history of the LeSabre, I will. I did it for the Regal when nobody here took the initiative. Since this is the acclaimed GM fan-site and I am a huge Buick fan I couldn't let the Regal go without a history lesson. Is there any way we'll know when the last LeSabre rolls off the line?

In all fairness to the 300 its been out a couple years already. People are getting over the 300 now that everyone owns one. However this is still great news to hear because the LaCrosse is selling quite well- I'm sorry Paulie you've only seen 4 LaCrosses, live in Western New York. I drove to Buffalo for some school books and back and saw 3 just today driving for about an hour. They're selling pretty well because they ARE nice vehicles- the only thing that stops me from wanting one is only 240 NA HP. I want a Buick where the engine and power surprises people because I'm in a Buick- even if its limited production (sometimes even better if its limited production like the GNX). The LaCrosse is a finely put together, classy vehicle that really does rival Lexus in the area of the market that matters for most people. Compare the 300 to the LaCrosse and the LaCrosse has way more class while the 300 has way more style (whether you like the style or not it's far less conservative and far more sporty). The LaCrosse is silent and solid and for under 30 grand. I am not surprised with its bout of good sales. Congratulations Buick- you need the money to get some more product out there.

Honestly this is probably Buick's best marketing move I know of. Tiger Woods doesn't sell Buicks, I don't care what anyone says. Old people like golf and Buick wants old people to see the new Buicks but they have the Buick Open to advertise- the money they spend on Woods is ridiculous. Then they usually advertise during the Emmys... yea- wow, I can't think of another award show I wait all year for. That was my attempt at a joke. NOBODY watches the Emmys- old, young, male, or female. This new Apprentice thing (even though I hate Donald Trump and I hate Martha Stewart) is creating a lot of buzz in the Newspaper. Just Friday the USA today put Martha right on the front page taking up the whole damn newspaper like it was a big deal that she was going on the Apprentice. The last Apprentice was a marketing success and pulled in a lot of viewers, Martha Stewart's is drawing in a lot of curious people and I think Buick will get noticed there. But if you didn't know my opinion yet (which I doubt)- Buick needs more cars and they need to be sportier. I like the Lucerne and am proud it's in the lineup... but going from the Regal to the LaCrosse is upsetting because the LaCrosse basically killed any sportiness Buick ever had... It's sad that the Lucerne, a full sized sedan, is more sporty than any option on the LaCrosse.

Where did we hear this theta news? I don't even remember an article or someone mentioning this that has inside connections. I'm pretty sure there's only 3 definites for Buick- LaCrosse, Lucerne, and Rendezvous replacement.

Wildcat- I understand that because of the Buick/Pontiac/GMC that Buick is planning on scaling down, but from what I understood from it was this-- apparently GM decided at some point a few years ago they are going to give Buick, Pontiac, GMC, Cadillac, Chevy, the works all full lineups... this included the ideas of the Terraza, Rainier, G6, Torrent, etc... Buick was getting 3 BILLION dollars to make this happen... The Park Avenue, LeSabre, Century, and Regal was NOT the full lineup they had in mind, they had at least 3 cars in mind and 3 "trucks" and they definitely hinted at a 4th car for a while. Now to cut that in half is extremely disturbing- 2 cars and 1 "truck"? Is that even a car company anymore? And the reason they were consolidating the dealerships I thought were because Pontiac and Buick were going to have lower volume, but more unique vehicles... No offense to Pontiac OR Buick but the Torrent isn't unique, the LaCrosse isn't very unique, the G6 isn't very unique, and the Lucerne is not that special- not special enough to support 1/3 of Buick at least. The Solstice IS unique and new and fresh and is something worth making Pontiac smaller because it's a new kind of car that screams Pontiac (even though Saturn had to butt its head in there and take the platform) but the vehicles are different enough to give each a unique look. The Lucerne and the LaCrosse are still badge-engineered vehicles. If anyone thinks that Buick could be supported off of 2 badge-engineered cars for at LEAST 5 years (probably 7 again which is Buick's usual rotation) and a redesigned Rendezvous I'm very scared for Buick. Buick needs at LEAST 4 vehicles. And something lame like the Terraza or an aging Ranier won't do it in a couple years. I think Buick has plans for at least 1 vehicle we here at C&G just don't know about. Buick has never been on the high priority list for spys to find out what they're doing- in fact we didn't even know what the Lucerne looked like until a night or 2 before it was unvieled. I give Buick a little more credit than 3 vehicles. I hope so at least. And thanks Harley, I thought it was a neat idea but I think I might make a different one, I'm not warming up to it so well.

OC I think it'd be interesting to know your idea of what a great midsize car is so we know what angle you're looking from. You seem to be looking from a sports car angle which I am also upset Buick is lacking with the LaCrosse. Even though the 3.6 picks up quicker than the 3.8 neither are very impressive with 0-60 times, but nor are they horrible either. I agree with you though- Buick should bring back some sort of sports division. Every other GM company has- it's only fair.

I just asked because I find it hard to believe that Buick will only have 2 CARS for the next 5 years, both of which will be out this fall. With this Buick is neither improving its image (such as a Zeta Buick would or a vehicle above the Lucerne) nor capturing the sales they did with the Regal/Century LeSabre/Park Avenue crowds because they will only have 2 cars to pick from. Especially since their only other option is "truck based" models which apparently would leave us with a dying Rainier, a not-even-tried-to-be-unique Terraza (which I thought GM was getting rid of Buick and Pontiac cookie-cutter vehicles), and a replaced Rendezvous. So assuming the Terraza gets knocked out too (because it certainly wont hold any sales being such an obviously similar minivan to the rest when you can get a more unique Chrysler for the same price) there'd only be 3 vehicles for Buick? I'm skeptical Buick could survive on these- I think (more like hope) that GM and Buick are thinking fast about what else needs to come out for their product line- because they're far too short.

Is any of this information credible though or is it just surmising like we do on here all the time?

I think that was the same dealership I got my pictures from, only it was part of its tour. It was definitely inaccessible. Let us know how it felt to sit in it (you did sit in it, right? right?!)