Buick Is Back!

Up until the 1980s, with the demise of the Grand National and its much more evil GNX cousin, Buick had a knack for building successful well-thought out vehicles. Buick built its heritage on a rather successful line of GS vehicles including the 1967 Buick GS400 and legendary Buick GS Stage I, II, III, and IV, as well as hits such as the Bill Mitchell-designed 1963 Riviera personal luxury group. The American maker even had one of its vehicles, the Reatta coupe and roadster, designed by none other than Pinninfarina of Italy.
In the last twenty years, though, the band was known for churning out mundane, middleground vehicles that filled the "not-quite-luxury-but-not-exactly-sports-cars" category in the American corporation's brand lineup. Instead of churning out high powered performance cars, the brand churned out such garbage as the 1992-1996 Skylark, that horrendous Terraza minivan (so did the rest of GM's stable, but still...), the ill-fated Ranier SUV, and more recently, the lukewarm Lucerne sedan. Despite wearing the "Super" moniker, it was nothing of the sort.
In late 2007, however, Buick seemed to turn around. With the introduction of the hot-looking Enclave crossover, it appeared GM was getting serious about revitalizing the brand. For good. The Enclave replaced the humdrum Ranier, the butt-ugly Rendezvous crossover thing, as well as the bastard-of-a-van-thing Terraza. Sharing its platform with the late Saturn Outlook, Chevy Traverse, and GMC Acadia, the Enclave is part of GM's plan to replace minivans with.. other SUVs? Okay, I don't get it, but at least they're better looking than said minivans.
In mid 2008, it was announced that GM was going to redesign the slow-selling LaCrosse and give it distinctive styling. In late 2009, GM delivered on the promise. Based on the Epsilon platform which underpins the premium Saab 9-5 and not-for-US-sale Opel Insignia, the new car debuted with much praise. Unlike the outgoing model, the new car is decidedly more upscale, offering a wide range of options to suit buyers from many demographics. Like many premium luxury cars, the new LaCrosse has interior illumination (bright blue in this case), rearview camera for parking, and it features GM exclusive Onstar turn-by-turn navigation system as well as many other upscale features.
However, the big news for the 2010 model year is the return of the Regal for 2011. Discontinued in 2004, after years of slow selling, and fleet and rental sales, it was replaced in by the even worse-off Lucerne sedan. Like the new LaCrosse, the new Regal is moving up the totem pole. Interestingly enough, the new Regal is also based on the Opel Insignia. While the LaCrosse goes head to head with luxury-oriented sedans such as the Lexus ES350 and Hyundai Azera, the Regal will do battle with sportier sedans such as the Acura TSX and Volvo S60.
In addition to the base 2.4L four cylinder, turbocharged two liter four cylinder is coming as well. This engine will be in the Regal GS. Packing realistically 250 to 260 horses and an equal torque numbers, this hot sports sedan will be AWD and offer a six-speed stickshift for the first time in ages. If the Opel Isignia OPC is anything to go by, the Regal GS is sure to be a bahnstormer. In Europe, the hot Opel is position to go head to head with Audi's legendary S4. Can it do the same here? Or will it have to fight off the new-for-2010 Ford Taurus SHO first?
All indications point to a good year for Buick, with exceptional products once again. Maybe this time the dealers will actually know something about the cars they're selling. And just maybe, the younger generation of car buyers will catch on to the storied brand and let the Buick performance legend live on for another generation. Buick is back, and people need to open their eyes and take advantage of it.