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Old 01-08-2009, 08:23 PM   #26
Pete Holt
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Not bad for a Buick. The inside screams Chevy Malibu, but the outside is really nice. It's like a cross between an Acura TL and a Nissan Maxima, except for the front end.
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Old 01-08-2009, 08:32 PM   #27
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Yea, thank goodness the front doesn't look like an Acura... YUCK!!!
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Old 01-08-2009, 08:37 PM   #28
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So, we won't be getting the Insignia sheetmetal then? Shame. It has a very Mercedes feel to it.

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Old 01-08-2009, 08:40 PM   #29
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Externally, I see a Honda Accord with a different grill and the side view body line like a morphed Dodge Challenger, with a Toyota rear.
MY ..02.

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Old 01-08-2009, 08:42 PM   #30
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Not feeling the chrome accents or front grill, but otherwise not a bad job GM!
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Old 01-08-2009, 09:28 PM   #31
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Well all in all its a nice car.... sadly its NOT american design.. its an OPEL Insignia (German) rebadged a buick. Looks like GM finally came to their senses and FIRED the US design team.
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Old 01-08-2009, 09:45 PM   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ray_STi View Post
Well all in all its a nice car.... sadly its NOT american design.. its an OPEL Insignia (German) rebadged a buick. Looks like GM finally came to their senses and FIRED the US design team.
Naw, the US design team is alive and well and still f*****g up perfectly good Opels with pointless expensive re-skins.

That should have been a bailout condition...
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Old 01-08-2009, 09:55 PM   #33
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Wow - this is a great looking car!
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Old 01-08-2009, 10:01 PM   #34
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Originally Posted by Chromer View Post
Naw, the US design team is alive and well and still f*****g up perfectly good Opels with pointless expensive re-skins.
I have to disagree with the Insignia looking better than this LaCrosse. Both very decent cars, but there is just something about that C-shaped body crease (starting at the front doors) on the side of the Insignia that bothers me.

I also have the suspicion that Saturn was gonna get the Insignia body design, but GM has changed their long-term plans for Saturn (again), so they might just continue with the Aura for now.

Also, one of the things that all GM divisions need is consistency of design within the division. The Insignia doesn't share any of the design-language that the Enclave has. If all they did was slap on a Buick logo on the Insignia body, it would look like just another rebadge-job that GM has been infamous for for decades now.
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Old 01-08-2009, 10:02 PM   #35
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it looks like the saturn Aura, but it does look pretty good
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Old 01-09-2009, 07:49 AM   #36
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I see a litle bit of this in it:




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Old 01-09-2009, 08:38 PM   #37
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The car looks really good. No matter what happens in the future, GM can be proud of this one.
I would have gone a little easier on the chrome inserts though (especially above the taillights). Also, why detune the 3.6L direct injected engine from 304HP to 280HP?
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Old 01-09-2009, 08:52 PM   #38
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i bet the pics of the interior are just as deceptive as the cadillac cts. i was salivating over the interior whe i first saw it in the magazines and when i sat in it at last years auto show it took me all of 5 seconds to become disgusted with it and leave the car. It looks awesome in pics, but the materials look worse in real life, thats only my opinion though, i'm sure it wont stop the 70 year olds from flocking to it.
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Old 01-09-2009, 09:16 PM   #39
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This is the OTHER buick, the one below LaCrosse.. Regal! Smaller version.


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Originally Posted by Chromer View Post
So, we won't be getting the Insignia sheetmetal then? Shame. It has a very Mercedes feel to it.

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Old 01-09-2009, 09:35 PM   #40
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Very nice car, rear end reminds me of the Lexus GS series. This car should be either a Caddy or Chevy... at least they didn't make it a Saturn.
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Old 01-09-2009, 09:44 PM   #41
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dam thats a nice looking buick.
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Old 01-09-2009, 09:53 PM   #42
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Wow, that is nice looking. It doesn't look like something only our grandparents would drive.
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Old 01-09-2009, 10:14 PM   #43
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love the body lines
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Old 06-23-2009, 07:10 AM   #44
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Default 2010 Buick LaCrosse CX to get direct-injected 2.4L 4-cylinder




Quote:
GM announced today that its new direct-injected Ecotec 2.4L 4-cylinder engine will join the 2010 Buick LaCrosse sedan lineup alongside the two V6 options. The new engine option is expected to deliver a fuel-economy of 20/30 mpg (city/highway).

The engine, which will be available on the 2010 LaCrosse CX, will produce a total of 182-hp with a maximum torque of 172 lb-ft.

Buick said it expects 25 percent of customers to opt for the 2.4L model.

The base 2010 LaCrosse CX model with standard equipment and a 3.0L direct-injected V6 engine will start at $27,835. Pricing for the 2.4L 4-cylinder model will be announced closer to launch date.

Click through for the press release
http://www.egmcartech.com/2009/06/22...4l-4-cylinder/
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Old 06-23-2009, 07:19 AM   #45
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Default Rethinking Buick: 2010 LaCrosse offers a four-cylinder engine, all-wheel drive Read




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From its striking design to its pulsating TV spots, the LaCrosse marks a decidedly different direction for Buick.

And that’s just on the surface. The change gets even starker under the hood, where for the first time in a decade, the brand will offer a four-cylinder engine, as General Motors works to meet stiffer fuel-mileage standards expected for 2016. Buick also will offer all-wheel drive in the LaCrosse, the first time it’s ever put that technology in a sedan.
The redesign for 2010 brings a lot of change for a brand that has become fairly stodgy in the marketplace. But that’s the idea, says Susan Docherty, vice president of Buick-Pontiac-GMC in North America.

“We’re working hard to change the perception of the brand and to let people know Buick may not be what they think it is,” she said in a Web chat with journalists Monday.

The LaCrosse will begin arriving at dealerships at the end of this month, and V6 models will start at $27,835, including shipping charges. The V6s are versions of the same engines that appear in a range of GM vehicles, including the Cadillac CTS and SRX and the Chevrolet Camaro. Using variable valve timing and direct injection, the 3.6-liter unit makes 280 hp, while the 3.0-liter is rated at 255 hp for front-wheel-drive versions.

The four-banger is thought to be the first in a Buick since the 1998 Skylark. It’s from GM’s Ecotec family and makes 182 hp and 172 lb-ft of torque. It’s an inline setup and employs direct injection; look for it to get an estimated 20 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway.

A picture of The instrument panel features eye-catching lighting.
GM

The instrument panel features eye-catching lighting.
The LaCrosse is a global blend of GM engineering and design resources. The interior, which features ice blue ambient lighting, Bluetooth connectivity and in-dash navigation, is a collaboration between American and Chinese designers. The platform was borrowed from the Opel Insignia, produced by GM’s European arm.

The chief competitor will be the Acura TL, while the Lincoln MKZ, the Lexus ES350, the Chrysler 300, the Toyota Avalon and the Ford Taurus also are expected to draw comparisons, officials said.

GM brass say they hope that the LaCrosse can continue the ongoing facelift for Buick and point to the path set by the Enclave. The median age of buyers of the handsome crossover is 12 years younger than the brand’s typical demographic, and Buick is planning a social-media component of its advertising to try to reach untraditional buyers in their 20s.

“Today, many people perceive Buick as a great brand with good quality and a high level of craftsmanship,” Docherty said. “However, they see it as a brand that’s ‘not for me.’ What started with the Enclave in terms of changing perceptions needs to continue with the LaCrosse.”

Meanwhile, Buick officials remain mum on how the brand might be fleshed out, noting that the Regal that has shown up in some advertisements is a concept (though it’s on sale in China) and saying it is unlikely that the Pontiac G8 would be rebadged.


http://www.autoweek.com/article/2009...NEWS/906229978
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Old 06-23-2009, 10:13 PM   #46
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Originally Posted by blk_wrx View Post
Very nice car, rear end reminds me of the Lexus GS series. This car should be either a Caddy or Chevy... at least they didn't make it a Saturn.

YES, exactly! The rear cabin half exactly reminds me of the Lexus GS. Buick is definately redefining their image with both the LaCrosse and Enclave (grille is starting to look old, like an old scab).

GM hopes new Buick LaCrosse will lure young buyers (plus confession of guilt!):
Quote:
GM hopes new Buick LaCrosse will lure young buyers
By TOM KRISHER - 1 day ago
DETROIT (AP) - With only four brands selling far fewer models than in the past, every new car or truck that General Motors Corp. rolls out is paramount, and none is more important than the 2010 Buick LaCrosse.

The midsize luxury sedan, designed to compete with Acura, Lexus and Toyota models, is key to attracting younger people to Buick, which now seems to be the official car of gated Florida retirement communities. With a median buyer age of 68 last year, Buick's marketing executives know that time is running out for them to pull young baby boomers, Generation X, and even Generation Y into the fold, or the brand is in serious trouble. "It's absolutely critical," said Craig Bierley, Buick's product marketing director. "We're looking at something that's drastically different than what you think of as a Buick." Enter a sculpted, aerodynamic car with iPod connections, blue interior gauge lights, navigation system, video, Bluetooth and other gadgets that appeal to younger people. But the biggest promise that Bierley makes is that the LaCrosse will drive much more like a BMW than the cushy Buicks of old. Its chassis is designed by engineers from GM's Opel unit.

"The German engineers that we leveraged in the development of the chassis tuning in this car, their influence is definitely felt the minute you get behind the wheel," he said. The car comes with a choice of two V-6 engines or a four-cylinder one that gets up to 30 mpg on the highway. The larger 3.6-liter engine puts out 280 horsepower and should go from zero to 60 mph in less than 7 seconds, according to Buick.

GM, which has received billions in government loans and entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this month, hopes to duplicate the success of the Enclave crossover vehicle when the LaCrosse arrives in showrooms in the next few weeks. The Enclave, a crossover vehicle that seats eight, has a median buyer age that's 12 years younger than the Buick brand's, according to Susan Docherty, GM's vice president for Buick Pontiac and GMC. "We expect LaCrosse to continue that trend," she said Monday in a webcast with reporters to roll out the LaCrosse. But that means the buyers of other Buick vehicles - the current LaCrosse and the Lucerne larger sedan - are getting even older. The median age rose to 68 from 67 in 2006, according to GM. That compares with 53 for Toyota last year and 55 for Chevrolet.

Age is especially troubling for GM, whose buyers are generally older than those of foreign competitors, said Rebecca Lindland, an industry analyst for the consulting firm IHS-Global Insight. As increased government fuel economy regulations and higher gasoline prices skew the U.S. auto market more toward cars, GM, Chrysler Group LLC and Ford Motor Co. have to figure out ways to catch the next generation of car buyers, mainly Generation Y, the children of baby boomers, she said. Seventy-five million members of Generation Y, which Lindland defines as people born from 1978 to 1994, are aging into the car-buying years, about the same number as baby boomers, who brought profound change to the U.S. auto market.

"Buick definitely has a significant challenge," she said. "It is a brand that for over 100 million Americans, a combination of Generation X and Generation Y, it's a tainted brand." GM, though, isn't going for the next generation just yet. Its target market for the LaCrosse, according to Bierley, is people in their mid-40s and 50s. Those are people likely to have the money to buy it, with a base price of $27,835. Its marketing campaign, called "Take a Look at Me Now," will feature television spots, ads that run in cinemas, and a lot of digital media. The company also will emphasize Buick's reliability.

Earlier this year, the brand tied Jaguar at the top of J.D. Power and Associates' rankings of quality after three years. Lindland said social media is key to reaching younger buyers, creating talk on Internet sites that turns into consideration in showrooms. Lindland, who has seen the LaCrosse at a preview, described it as beautiful, but says she's waiting "to confirm that it doesn't drive like a boat." GM, she said, has a difficult task ahead of it to convince baby boomers that Buick is worthy of consideration because many have left the brand already for foreign competitors. Younger buyers also are unlikely to consider Buick because of its stodgy old image, she said. "That being said, we've seen them turn Cadillac around," Lindland said. "It just requires a length of time and patience."
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...NbHlgD98VVTMG0

Last edited by strohausii; 06-23-2009 at 10:22 PM.
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Old 06-24-2009, 10:17 AM   #47
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Originally Posted by AVANTI R5 View Post
That line through the doors is trying to evoke memories of the car my Grandfather was driving in the mid 50s. If he was still alive maybe he'd be interested. I've got higher hopes for the Insignia/Regal, and just maybe this small RWD model that's was mentioned yesterday.
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