Buick Avenir Concept Won't Be Built, Avista Has Slim Chance to See Production
The Buick Avenir and Avista concepts may be the most exciting thing the brand has debuted in recent years, but neither will likely head to production.
The Buick Avista concept bowed at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show, a stunning coupe that has a better chance of being produced than the Avenir. That’s because in a recent interview with Automobile, Buick and GMC chief chief Duncan Aldred confirmed Buick is not building the Avenir at all.
“We never went into the show with the plan to build it,” he said. “You’re going to see elements of Avenir in LaCrosse. But the reaction we got last year did stimulate a lot of valuable work, really looking at ‘can we, should we build that car.’ Bottom line is, that didn’t quite work for us. And … the sedan market is declining quite rapidly. We’ve also got an emerging and strengthening Cadillac line as well, and you’ve got to look at that potential. It would have been a viable business case, but we haven’t got unlimited capital.”
The Avista concept is a bit different however, since it’s built on the cheaper Alpha platform that underpins the Cadillac ATS and CTS models as well as the Chevrolet Camaro.
SEE ALSO: The Buick Avista Concept is Half Camaro, Half ATS and Completely Stunning
Aldred even acknowledged that Buick is capable of producing the Avista, but the bad news is, the American automaker considers the Cascada its halo model and plans on letting it run its course. Naturally, Aldred wants another halo model to follow, saying that “it’s very important to the brand, 1.25-million sales internationally last year.”
The Avista is also being called a pure concept, showing off Buick design as well as elements that will head to production Buick models over the next few years. For now, it doesn’t appear that the Avista will head to production, but we can only continue hoping.
[Source: Automobile]
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Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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Buick needs to make the Avista. Its not an option.
Cascada is oddly-proportioned, underpowered and front wheel drive, just because it's a convertible doesn't mean it automatically becomes the "flagship". The Avista is sleek, got plenty of power and rear wheel drive, it would make a perfect modern-day Riviera.