Buick Avenir Concept - Return Of RWD Buick Performance?

Now that’s a Buick. Nick Kurczewski/New York Daily News

It’s been a long time since Buick had a rear wheel drive model. When the Grand National died in the eighties it was mostly FWD and 3.8 liter V-6’s from that day forward. The V-8 returned with the Lucerne and the Rainier SUV but were short lived exceptions.

Suddenly, the 2015 Detroit Auto Show turned out to be a big deal for Buick fans as the Tri-Shield division rolled out the Avenir (French for “Future”) Concept. Could a real, RWD Buick be in our future? Check out the story from Daily Auto News.

Nice detail everywhere. General Motors

We all know the days of Buick City in Flint, Michigan, are gone forever. Buick’s former US buyer pool abandoned the marque long ago for Japanese and Euro sedans and only its popularity in China saved it from oblivion during the great Carpocolypse. Nowadays, the division is showing signs of life and doing well, it’s model lineup an amalgamation of GM Design from around the world.The only thing missing is a flagship and the Avenir should fill that hole in Buick’s lineup.

Liz Wetzel led Michigan based team on interior styling. General Motors

The styling was a collaboration of GM Design from Australia and Michigan. It’s long and creamy smooth with curved flanks, side sweep spear and familiar Buick grille. There’s even a hint of boat tail Riviera echoed in the rear end styling. The RWD proportions and dash to front axle ratio are what really set it apart from Buick’s latest offerings, all spawned from FWD GM platforms.

Long wheelbase, big wheels and sculpted bodylines give car presence. General Motors

Based on GM’s full size Omega platform debuting as the full-size Cadillac CT6, the four-seat Avenir concept has an impressive list of features including LED exterior lighting, 21-inch wheels, next gen direct injected V-6 engine with cylinder deactivation and stop/start technology, nine-speed paddle-shift automatic transmission, driver-selectable suspension damping, twin-clutch all-wheel-drive system, next-gen Buick IntelliLink infotainment with large, 12-inch-diagonal color touch screen, mobile device wireless charging and OnStar 4G LTE with Wi-Fi hotspot.

We know GM has a 440 HP, twin-turbo V-6 on the shelf so if they add that mill to a two-door version of this car, do we have a new Grand National/Gran Sport/Wildcat here? The RWD Omega chassis already exists so why not spread development costs over another couple of models and cure Buicks missing flagship/performance issues once and for all? An EV or hybrid version called “Electra” would give old Elon Musk a run for his money too.

Finally, ditch the design committee Avenir name and call the thing “Roadmaster.”