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Holy Crap! Buick Riviera Concept Pictures

leftlanenews.com — General Motors this week revealed the Buick Riviera concept at the Shanghai auto show. Designed at the GM Pan Asia Technical Center, the car is yet another stylish Buick designed by GM's China design team.

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  • MrViklund, on 10/12/2007, -24/+10Holy Crap! Totally Amazing Breaking!
    • kajoob, on 10/12/2007, -24/+11Rip off the Infiniti G37 design much?
    • dopesick, on 10/12/2007, -14/+9I agree, I look at it and I dont see anything original in design. I see alot of bmw, mercedes and infinity influence.

      I like the design of the car, and a return to gullwing doors is indeed different and cool, but thinking of todays parking accomodations, completely impractical.

      I hope they can get their heads out of their ass before they suffer the same fate as oldsmobile.
    • neoform, on 10/12/2007, -13/+12Nice, I always wanted a car with doors that can't be opened.
    • Scyth3, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4It could be just me, but looking at the trajectory of how the door would close -- would make it even easier for parking in tight spaces.

      Notice how small the height of that door is and how it'd swing inward? Currently car doors go outwards, and take up the width of the door, which is always a lot larger then the height.
    • AWeeBitInsane, on 10/12/2007, -6/+3The car looks really cool, but they still didn't come up with a solution to the name BUICK. Driving that car, one must have "THIS IS A YUGO" plastered all over the car to avoid the embarrassment.
    • flashboy131, on 10/12/2007, -0/+33Keyword... "Concept."
    • DS513, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Buick has made awesome cars in the past...
      The 1970 Buick RS is one of the fastest muscle cars ever made. Look it up.
      http://www.musclecarclub.com/musclecars/buick-gs/buick-gs.shtml
      Of course, that was over 30 years ago...
    • rhamej, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12And it even comes with it's own cigarette burn. :-D

      http://www.leftlanenews.com/wp-content/plugins/iimage-gallery.php?idpost=4988&idg=1&idi=29

    • moltar2, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Ya, and what about Buick Grand National '87? I still see them driving around. They go for 10-20k, which is often more than a new car these days!
    • wedges, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7too bad it's still a buick
    • TheWorm, on 10/12/2007, -0/+27Yeah, it looks beautiful, but so do all concept cars. By the time it hits the market it will probably be watered down to this http://www.theautochannel.com/media/photos/buick/1998/98_buick_park_ave_ultra.jpg
    • smackhero, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1wow, beautiful design. it's very reminiscent of the new camry/lexus designs (front-end, body shape/contour, and lights). it's definitely not the same, but it clearly deviates from the style of domestics and takes inspiration from japanese automakers.

      it'd be cool if these cars ever see production, but looking at the aesthetic style of current and past buicks, it's hard to conceive that they would change their look so drastically. i think it would be a good thing if they changed their looks, as the current designs are hideous. but they've stuck with those god awful cars for so long, why would they change all of a sudden?
    • betterth, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Wow, Buick sure was "inspired by a competitor", eh?

      Let's compare:
      http://www.leftlanenews.com/wp-content/plugins/iimage-gallery.php?idpost=4988&idg=1&idi=14

      With the Infiniti G coupe:
      http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2007-infiniti-g37-coupe/195016/

      Let's make it a little more narrow and make the front clip a little lower and add a little exotic spice, the back end a little more exotic and buicky, and just to no one says "OMG it's a G!" we'll add gall wing doors.

      INGENIOUS!
    • Hardcase, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1http://www.astonmartin.com/content%5Callsites%5Cimages%5C800_600_imageGallery_DB9_2_dbf8d7b0-555e-4b11-bcac-c9a7bc504bee.jpg

      Don't get all hoity toity about Infiniti. Ford beat 'em to it a few years ago.
    • jake8689, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4but like all GM cars it gets 29 mpg on the highway
    • tahillia, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@hardcase

      The difference is the Infiniti is actually affordable. As much as I love the Aston Martin, I can't really go out and buy one. The G37, however, is a different story. Still attractive. Still fast. Still a luxury car (obviously in a different league). But realistic.
    • rudyB, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1finally
    • quoquo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Who is this Mr. Buick?
      Looks like a Peugeot (French car) to me.
    • AegisGFX, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I done gone and moistened my panties.
    • macfanboi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Way too progressive for the 50+ year old Buick crowd.
  • McShaken, on 10/12/2007, -1/+49Key word here is "concept".... Once the management at GM has its way (by cutting corners to save a few bucks) with this awesome looking car, it'll be cut down to look and drive like every other GM out there...
    • SlvrEagle23, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2...except with a big and seemingly pointless power button!
    • meetthescott, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5I never would have thought this before seeing this concept, but if they play their cards right with designs like this, they can revive Buick just like they revived Cadillac.
    • Scyth3, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Yeah, but the Camaro concept was made into reality without cutting corners. The new CEO of GM is willing to take chances now, and it's paying off big time. In some regards, GM is starting to take risks and buick they know is dying brand which is worthy of a few show-stopping cars.
    • greenamp, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Buick isn't really dying. Oddly enough, it's actually the best quality line of vehicles that GM produces.

      And I just wanted to comment as well that the gamble they took with the new Silverado design did not pay off at all. Compare it to the design of an F150 or a new Tundra, and it looks horrible.
    • smackhero, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3the new camaro & mustang retro designs aren't that risk-taking. it's customary to redesign a model every few years. it's just that this time around they picked a good looking design.

      they're still holding onto the same sales model and marketing tactics: sell big/heavy cars touted as being more powerful. all they continue to do is impress people with horsepower and engine size. and as a result, the overall performance of their cars are not that great. the fact is, the bigger and heavier a car is, the worse its handling will be. so increasing power to increase speed/acceleration is not as useful as reducing weight/size or using more advanced technology to push out more power with a smaller engine.

      if they were truly bold and willing to take risks by making progressive changes in their way of thinking, they would embrace the new consumer demand for greener, more fuel-efficient vehicles. this means having selling points other than size & power. it also means spending more in R&D to create innovative technology increasing fuel economy or exploring alternative energy sources.

      it's not hard to increase engine displacement and produce gas-guzzling V8's. however, it does take some skill to create more powerful engines that require less gas. it takes even more daring to devise alternatives to combustion engines-a dated technology which has evolved very little and makes use of few advances in modern science & technology.

      luckily, american consumers are getting smarter finally, and this puts a little pressure on domestic manufacturers. (however, bush's tax breaks for people who buy hummers attempts to counter a large part of that. it's like console makers selling their hardware cheaper to get people to buy more games.) so far, american auto makers have only made minor concessions to market changes and consumer demands. for instance, their hybrid technology is pathetically inadequate and was only created to label their vehicles as hybrids without the benefits that toyota or honda's hybrid technology offers.

      also, playing a game of catchup (in technology as well as in looks) is hardly taking risks. it's finally giving in to change and the reality of the consumer market.
  • luket13, on 10/12/2007, -2/+40Maybe Tiger demanded they build a car he actually wanted to drive.
  • chrisxkelley, on 10/12/2007, -3/+10I'm not sure how well those doors would fare in a crowded parking lot... seems like an excuse to take up two spaces to me.
    • Erowid, on 10/12/2007, -4/+7I gotta say, those doors are the worst part of the car... :(
    • hexydes, on 10/12/2007, -6/+2If they want to go with the whole "rising door" paradigm, they should use Lambo doors, rather than Delorean doors.
    • binaryspiral, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Gullwing doors don't actually take a large amount of space to open - especially if their pivot points are farther in the center. You actually can open them in less room than your average standard two door car's door, and once they're open - you don't have a door to worry about - its above you.

      Now the reality is - it does rain and snow... and these doors open up a nice hole in your roof while open, so there you have it - gull wing doors stay a reality of the concept car.
    • catalysis, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1They may swing out less than standard doors, but if you are in a tight space you would have to crawl out underneath. No thanks. These concept cars never make it to the street anyways.
    • tamurlane6, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3if you look at it though the hinge is almost in the middle of the car for the door. This is the same concept that dodge used on the magnum allowing the rear hatchback to swing closer to the car. I don't think these gull wings will swing as far away from the car as some did in the past.

      edit: dammit too slow
    • Scyth3, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Gullwing doors appeared on Delorean's, so no it's not "just for concept cars". It works, and typically they have an advanced drip-rail design to dispose of rainwater. Due to the design of that cars door as well, it'd probably save you from getting wet while getting out of the car.
    • smackhero, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1deloreans were poorly designed ugly pieces of crap. that's why they went out of business. they just didn't sell.

      and i agree with hexydes: Lamborghini's vertical swinging doors have a much better design. the hinges don't have to be placed inwards for it to take up little room when opened.
    • bilbravo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@smackhero:

      Actually, they went out of business because John Z. Delorean was bankrupted defending himself on several different charges.

      If you wanted to argue that they didn't sell, it probably wasn't because they were ugly--but instead because they cost close to $20k, which is quite a bit of money in 1982.
    • smackhero, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1^that kind of price wasn't unheard of for performance vehicles. but it was just too underpowered for the class of sportscars in that price range. also, there were quality issues initially due to the manufacturing plant being run by unexperienced workers. the drug deal didn't come till later when he was desperate to come up with funding to keep the company from going under.
  • allaboutdatiki, on 10/12/2007, -5/+5Build it!
  • theeXguy, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Great looking car. A bit eccentric, but cool nonetheless. The bad thing is, if it goes to production, owning a car like that is usually not practical. Draws a bit too much of attention. Still nice to see what concept design they can come up with.
  • deadbaby, on 10/12/2007, -1/+28Looks a lot like the hundreds of other concept cars that never get made.
  • uklastemperor, on 10/12/2007, -6/+7It looks like a toaster.
  • linkin1, on 10/12/2007, -5/+2Submitter: mrkcohen
    -------

    it was submitted by Cohen....typical
  • padrebuf, on 10/12/2007, -4/+2interior's tiiiite
  • DaBrainiac, on 10/12/2007, -1/+24It's 2007 and no flying cars! WHERE ARE OUR FLYING CARS PEOPLE?
    • JamesWilson, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Ask Moller.
    • bradleyland, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Most people I know aren't capable of driving earth bound automobiles. What makes you think we're ready to take to the skys?
    • avihappy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Duke is driving it with his Optimus Keyboard.
  • Tatusmi, on 10/12/2007, -5/+4Too bad it has the Buick name attached to it.
  • lkmbrd, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5It won't come to fruition.
  • b-dizzle, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9It appears Buick is now trying to appeal to the "cool old people" crowd.
  • diggless, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8if GM is behind it and there is any hint there may be demand, you can bet they will bury this is a warehouse.
    • 0crabby0, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Right beside the Ark of the Covenant...
  • Coolone84, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7Looks like a BMW humped a Mazda 3 and out came this car.
    • hexydes, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2You say that as if it is a bad thing...
  • schnoggi, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2gorgeous body, really well done.
    dumb gimmicky interior
    and don't even bother with those silly doors
    would be nice if they could set the dumbing-down committe out to a seminar/pasture and just push this past, but yeah, they'll totally castrate it and make it into...a Buick
  • huckmank, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6ZOMG!! A cool looking concept car! That NEVER happens!

    /sarcasm

    This will never make it to market.
  • mphree, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2It's still a Buick...
    • Heilige, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1How does that car resemble buick style? Just because it has a Buick name? It looks like more Ford concept art all the same to me. I'll stick with my 86 Riviera TType
  • Yonson, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Hot damn... that is definitely not my grandmother's Buick.
    • Aliarse, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Bet it still drives like your grandmothers buick.
  • ILL_Robinson, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Nice! "Stylish Buick" has been a bit of an oxymoron in the past - good to see some nice designs in the queue.
  • Aliarse, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3Fugly.
  • Foodstamp81, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Well it would do GM good if they would release it. But as already been stated since people will actually like it they won't make it.
  • binaryspiral, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2It's like a prettier Cadillac XLR... neat concept car.

    Back to reality - Buick would never make this car - they put three tiny portals on the sides of the Lucerne and based their entire marketing budget around it, like it was the greatest idea 'eva.

    Buick = Boring nuff said.
  • Zovix, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Nice looking from the outside but the interior is worthless. That white lighting looks pretty bright.
    Not only would that be a pain in the ass at night but also a "come give me a ticket for distraction"
    beacon to police.

    Unless of course that is the "dome" lighting and only comes on when you open doors/flip the light switch.
  • equitium, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6For all of those people thinking buick has always been granny cars. I have one response: Grand National GNX. The fastest production car of the 80's. And today most of them are the fastest things at local drag strips. There is rumor that Buick is going to make a full concept of the Grand National too. Which would be sweet if they still use the turbo 6.
    • S1ngular1ty1, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1Being the fastest production car of the 80s isn't really saying that much considering most cars of the 80s sucked.
  • moofer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1You will never see that car in the wild. GM will find away to cheapen it up to the point where it will be like every other car they make, doubled, tripled, or quadrupled up with other product lines on shared chasis... This is the reality of GM. When was the last time you saw them release a car that was anywhere near a concept car they developed?
  • beni, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The styling looks a bit too 'edgy' to be a part of Buick's line. I could see it as a new Pontiac model though, fits with their styling a bit better.
  • namae, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Anyone else see the resemblance with the BMW Z9?
  • nycmac247, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2still uses gasoline...
  • goatcaca, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Crap is right on.
  • Dysarthria, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Hey, if this design gets released as is, great. If not, at least it shows GM is trying to think outside of its box. Look at the Solstice, that went from concept to production in what, like 2 years? It can be done. If GM doesn't begin producing cars we want to buy, it will just mean fewer options for the consumer. I'm hopeful.

    Oh and for those of you calling that at G37 rip-off, Infinity has been ripping-off BMW for years, and it took this years G35 to finally get it right.
  • pharmd, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2looks almost like something already available in Europe: the alfa romeo brera

    http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=alfa+romeo+brera&btnG=Search+Images
    • wayback09, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Not even close. If by almost, you mean not at all?
    • mphree, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2The Alfa Brera is possibly one of the best looking cars ever. Altho, it looks nothing like this Buick, am I missing something?
  • ChayD, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Wow! It has a power button! (reminds me of the 'If Microsoft made cars' joke about all their cars having a 'Start' button) - Well, some keyless cars do have
    a start button, but you get my drift.
  • roberto_deneero, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Just like it says, concept. Buick would never dream of building this car. Their market research team will prevail with testimonials from current 85+ year olds who claim they want this in a car: http://www.bedford.k12.va.us/bstc/autotech/carbid/images/skylark82b.jpg
  • roberto_deneero, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Yay.
  • bejayel, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0That thing is a G6 coupe with a new rear end...

    Its still pretty though.
  • combatchuck, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3It's a Crossfire with a Buick logo. Ooooooooooh.
  • BJanis, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3It IS stylish. Do you know what that means? It means the american auto makers will not sign off on it. American cars are the biggest piles of ugly junk in the world. Sad. It didn't have to be that way.
  • Zatko, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1If anyone releases a normal car with gullwing doors, I am sold
  • fighterofevil, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1yes please!
  • mattmollysdad, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Does it come in Emerald Green with a black top? Reminds me of the TV program "Due South" where the Chicago cop Ray Vecchio, (David Marciano) would drive his big Rivera all over the Windy City... now that was fun.
  • JK1150, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1It is a concept that will probably never be made...
  • noseeme, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Note: The first two words of your title are "Holy Crap!"
  • greenamp, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I hate to say this, but that concept looks almost exactly like the Accord Coupe concept Honda showcased earlier this year:
    http://www.mobilemag.com/content/100/354/C11135/
    http://automobiles.honda.com/future-cars/index.asp
    • MrSkrilla, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1except the Accord looks way better!
  • benmarvin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Hmm. Too bad the real thing will only look about 10% like the concept.
  • caution, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4The unions have the American auto makers bent over and screwed sideways.

    I think the big three are just starting to "get it" and I hope it's not too little too late.

    They've got some good diesel tech around the bend and some hybrids that may do ok I suppose.
  • HalFTW, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Looks ***** stupid.
  • roho76, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0That's the American car company moto: Spend a million making a great looking car. Lose a million making a great looking car. The End.
  • alansky, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1It's a sleek concept, but who would buy it even if it was for sale, which it isn't (and probably never will be)? Buick is an old man's car.
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