titan

THANK YOU! I almost got tired of reading the posts looking for someone who recognized that fact also. Though GMC, Pontiac, and Buick have dismal numbers right now, Buick is the only brand that has a global presence out of the three. Saabs are great, but GM has never figured out how to make them sell, and it's a brand that will fetch much needed dollars; GM should sell it. GM has put a great effort in with Saturn, but nothing has come to fruition with it. It should be shuttered. As with Pontiac, I'd hate to see GMC go, but in this market place, there's no room for a brand dedicated solely to trucks and SUVs. Buick, who already has an extremely strong presence in China, can flourish in the NA market with it's not competing against GM stable mates. Also, GM has proven it can make very individual products through the use of product sharing, but it's still hard to convince consumers of the differences when you have to take care of so many brands (Lambdas are a perfect example). Buick is not a true luxury brand in China; it's highly aspirational, slotting just under MB and BMW. Buick can be the same here. A flaghship based of the LWB Commodore, the new Lacrosse, the Enclave and a baby Enclave, and perhaps Halo Coupe or Coupe/Hardtop Vert if everything goes well, is a great place to start. Give the lineup a pricing structure similar to Acura (fully loaded cars with just a few optional additions at a discount to Lexus) and market it as a Value Alternative to Lexus. If all goes well, the Lineup can incrementally be fleshed out. The other reason for cutting down on brands is Marketing; Marketing is NOT CHEAP, and running TV, Brochures, and prints ads are very expensive. These are expenses Toyota, Honda, Nissan, VW, and others don't have. Chevy obviously won't be going anywhere, and it's a GLOBAL brand. Caddy is starved for product, and certainly has potential to be an MB rival; also, it's a GLOBAL brand. There's a happy medium between the Chevy and Caddy, and you can believe the money used to save a brand out of the BPG channel won't be one where I see people on this Thread still pining for an all RWD, sporty, excitement brand. That's simply not where the sales lie. The sales lie in quiet, understated, luxurious, isolated, and comfortable transportation (LEXUS PLEASE STAND UP); oh yeah, and Buick is a GLOBAL brand.

What's really important, the interior, remains intact also. The design is the same as the Invicta Concept, and it seems to use quality materials, along with genuine wood.

I think that because the hood is pop open,it throws the look of the car a bit. The rear of the car, seems to stay true to the concept. It actually retains some of the bling from the rear of the Invicta Concept.

NEW SHOTS! It definitely looks dumbed down, though that was expected for production. Still, this is too much. As already mentioned, the lower air dam really helped make the concept look menacing, along with the headlamps. The Larger wheels will definitely be available, but that may not be enough to make it hot. I'm holding final judgment for the final production model, but this is worrisome.

Something tells me this will be the entry level car, because of the placement of the black lacquer finished plastic on the dash and console, where the "up level" car will get wood.

I was worried, but not as much anymore. Buick didn't dumb down the interior much at all. The leather covered hood gauge hood and lower dash looks great. The upward sweeping center console is in tact, and the gauges look to be in tact also. It's obvious the push button ignition is there, and the doors will be partly covered in leather too. All awesome. The only thing I'm not loving is the two-toned leather seats, with the black square of the leather put in the seat. Still, all in all, very encouraging.

Buick won't get Alpha. It's get the midsize Zeta platform that the G8 rides on. Next Gen Lucerne... I think it's a good move. http://www.egmcartech.com/2008/06/04/rear-...ill-be-smaller/

I am also. Very, very disappointed. I love the Invicta concept, but Buick needs a larger, RWD flagship. I was actually looking forward to possibly purchasing that car. If this news holds true, I'm done with GM; atleast where it counts, by purchasing their vehicles. Nothing against the other brands, but the Lucerne replacement was the car I was hoping to get.

There's a place for Saab and Hummer. Hummer is expanding in Africa, and with the right product Saab can be brought back to good position also. The U.S. should not be the main market for either brand.

I'm sure the ambient lighting that runs above the wood that sweeps the dash is there, just unlit. Note the soft blue glow of ambient lighting that's in the foot wells. Geez, I love this concept. The promising thing is that the Invicta Concept's interior looks very production ready. I don't see alot that wouldn't go into a road going car. Note the ambient blue lighting in the footwells. If they're able to keep the car looking like this (or close to it), I'm going to seriously consider buying it. I'm looking to buy a car in 2010, and I was shooting for the next gen M. If it's out of my price range, I'll have to go down the price ladder a little.

AMEN!

The roof like looks surprising close to the concept, IMO. Look at the height of the B-Pillar.

It's a concept, so it's definitely real wood in there. The question is whether real wood, real metal, and the leather dash will make it to production.

This is absolutely goregous. I want one.

i can't find the pics on thecarconnection.com. once i'm there, where do i go?

ugh

I can't wait to see the Invicta concept... geez.

I doubt it.

Geez. I can't wait to see this concept. I think changing the Lacrosse name to Invicta is a good move.

It's going to be beautiful.

LOL. Hilarious...

I like the Traverse alot. It looks great, but more importantly doesn't look like a rebadged clone.

Love it, love it, love it. I want one.

I agree.

I agree 100%. Styling wise, this car is a home run, IMO. The interior is very, very nice also. Features like the huge sunroof and powerful engine will help sell this car. This will be a sporty car, especially in AWD form. It's funny how much criticism this car is getting for being the "flagship." As the nicest sedan in Lincoln's lineup, this car is the flagship by default; like the M is for Infiniti. And just as the Q will debut in another year or so, Lincoln is rumored to have a full size RWD flagship in the works with an all all new V8.