China (!) gets a Buick Riviera!!!

[ixlar8]

2007 Buick Riviera Concept

Live from Shanghai - the future of Buick?

by Paul A. Eisenstein (2007-04-19)

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2007 Buick Riviera Concept (China)

2007 Buick Riviera Concept (China)

2007 Buick Riviera Concept (China)

One of the most celebrated names in the history of General Motors' Buick brand is back - at least in concept form.

Company officials aren't ready to say whether a production version of the prototypeRiviera is coming, but they acknowledge that some of the key design elements of the show car debuting Friday, at the Shanghai Motor Show, will directly reappear in upcoming Buick products.

http://www.thecarconnection.com/Car_Show...283.A12241.html

[Guest Jimmyriv]

Where the heck are the Riviera logos? <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> [color:"green"]

[ixlar8]

It appears that the Buick name is more important than the Riviera. I have a friend who spend six months in Hainan Province, in the Capital city of Haikou on a contract job for IBM. He told me that Buick is considered the "RollsRoyce" or "Mercedes" of China. He was told that the early 20th century emperors used custom Buick Limo, so the Buick is the most desirable. This is why Buick is the most sold GM nameplate and why more Buick's are sold in China than in the USA. If so, maybe that is why the Buick tri-shield is visable not the Riviera 'R'. Anyone have confirmation info on this??

[ixlar8]

This just in... spy shots of Buick prototype being considered for Chinese market!!

[Dales90]

I don't remember the exact year, but probably about 1997 or so, my future daughter-in-law had a chance to spend a senior year session in China, and was amazed to see billboard after bilboard of Buick SHOES, yes, like Nike's, but BUICK, then she noticed dozens of people wearing them, and tried to find a store to get me some Buick shoes. She took a pic of a billboard, and it took a friend of hers the next session to score a size 6 or so, pair of the Buick shoes.

I displayed them at a BDE event that summer, but don't remember the exact year.

Anyway, what a deft method to gain name recognition there, and think how the phonetic pronounciation of Buick sounds oriental.....

It made it easier to introduce the car with that name recognition.

CBS Sunday morning show in 2004 or so did a nice article on the way Buicks are thought of there, interviewing many on the street, in the showrooms, etc, and it is obvious from sales figures, the rumor is true.

Dale

[Guest Buickman67]

If I am not mistaken, the Buick Park Avenue that is to go on sale in China is a rebadged Holden Commadore made in Australia...which is the same car that is coming to the USA as the Pontiac G8.