With all the negative news about GM's recent financial struggles, and the complaining about the Chevy Beat not coming to North America for several more years, a really good piece of news went unnoticed...
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/15/gm-to-c...ruck-productio/Wagoner addressed GM employees and shed some light on what products are in the pipeline...The rear-wheel-drive Buick Invicta will be released in the U.S. next spring.
Okay, I personally think this is badass. Chinese Buicks may not be as lusted-after as European Fords or Holdens, but they're another great example of a "domestic" manufacturer's overseas program that is vastly superior to what we have here. I, personally, think that the Invicta could be a huge success in the States, and also hope that a Riviera coupe will follow it shortly.
For those who don't know, the Invicta Concept is really very different than anything else on the market right now, and a really appealing package in my opinion. The Invicta Concept was a nearly-production sedan, featuring rear-wheel-drive and a direct-injected turbocharged four, making 250 horsepower and 220 lb-ft. It's at the larger end of midsize sedans, upscale but not "luxury."
The Riviera was a little more detached from production, featuring gullwing doors, carbon-fiber bodywork, and a hybrid powertrain. Still, its overall lines and its RWD would make sense as an upscale-but-not-luxury coupe based upon the Invicta platform and drivetrain. If they brought the Invicta, it seems to me guaranteed that a production Riviera would follow the next year (basically an Invicta coupe, with perhaps a sportier suspension and maaaaaybe even a manual?). It would also do a good job of shaking up perceptions of Buick, the way the Sky changed how people thought of Saturn.
Am I the only one who is excited as hell at the prospect of Chinese Buicks in North America?
