With Ragtop, Buick Brand To Become Young At Heart

[BUICK RACER]

With Ragtop, Buick Brand To Become Young At Heart

Convertible would bring new image to staid lineup

The Detroit News

By Ed Garsten

March 24, 2004

DETROIT ? Sleeker, younger, sexier.

That?s the kind of extreme makeover General Motors Corp.?s Buick division has been undergoing for the last three years and the unveiling next month of the convertible concept car Buick Velite is another step in the brand?s metamorphosis from relic to relevant.

GM released its first image of the rear-wheel drive ragtop today. The concept car gets its official unveiling April 7 during media preview days at the New York Auto Show.

It may seem like deja vu for Buick. In 2001, another Buick convertible concept car called the Bengal made the auto show circuit. GM ultimately decided against producing it because of high production costs.

The Velite may have a better shot. Rather than a typical concept vehicle, the Velite is built on the same rear-wheel drive platform as the Opel Insignia, a concept car shown at last September?s Frankfurt Auto Show.

For that reason, there?s a strong possibility the Velite won?t suffer the same fate as the Bengal, and none too soon.

?Velite brings a flagship type of product in terms of just image to the brand,? said Jeffrey Schuster, head of global automotive forecasting at J.D. Power and Associates.

?It brings some excitement to the brand, which has done well in starting to reposition itself.?

If the Velite goes into production, it would be the first convertible in Buick?s lineup since the short-lived Reatta.

The Reatta was first sold as a coupe in the 1998 model year with a convertible added in 1990. It built a small, but loyal base of aficionados for Buick. But GM?s financial crisis of the early 1990s ultimately claimed the Reatta and it went out of production after the 1991 model year.

The last Buick convertible before the Reatta was the 1985 Riviera, although the most lauded ragtop from the brand is considered to be the 1953 Skylark.

Introduced as part of the brand?s 50th anniversary, the long, low-slung Skylark was touted by GM as the ?answer to the European sports car.?

The ?53 Skylark convertible had it all ? power brakes, power steering. The owner?s name was even engraved on a plate mounted on the hub of the steering wheel.

The 1982-85 limited edition Riviera convertible was known in some circles as the ?Rolls-Royce of American convertibles,? according to Larry Gustin, Buick spokesman and historian.

?Buick convertibles have been a really important part of Buick?s heritage,? Gustin said. ?Some of the greatest cars in Buick?s history were convertibles.?

In more recent years, Buick has lost much of its style cache, instead carrying the image of a reliable, but unremarkable line that appeals mainly to older buyers.

Buick is now in the midst of a $3 billion product transformation aimed at better positioning it as an American luxury marque.

The aging Century and Regal are being replaced by the 2005 LaCrosse, and the 2005 Terraza will give the brand its first minivan.

For Buick, one of GM?s oldest divisions, a string of hits is a necessity.

The division saw sales sink 22 percent in 2003 compared with 2002, according to Autodata Corp. Through February, Buick sales are down 16.9 percent compared with the first two months of 2003.

Just a few years ago, it was a toss-up as to whether GM would kill off Buick instead of Oldsmobile.

?From going from that in the early 2000s to where they are now and where they?re expected to go in the next couple of years, it is remarkable,? Schuster said. ?It?s the rebirth of another brand with some heritage.?

[NTX5467]

Although there might be some segments of our modern society that might get their feathers ruffled, but wouldn't it be nice if they would include the "Buick Theme Song" in their advertising and as a general advertising theme for the next generation of Buicks?

Some article I read mentioned that a "flagship" model vehicle didn't necessarily have to be the biggest size vehicle in the brand's portfolio of models. That could well set the Velite up for such a position at Buick. Kind of like Thunderbird was for Ford in prior times, I suspect. I do wish the Velite was on a larger platform, though, with MORE engine and a "more Buick" name.

Enjoy!

NTX5467

[Matt Harwood]

A rear-wheel-drive Buick convertible? Build it! This is exactly the kind of product Buick needs as a "halo" product to get people to reconsider buying a Buick. Flagship is the perfect position for this kind of car, since it won't be a large volume seller, but it will put Buick's mission into the public's eye, which is exactly what Buick has been needing for the better part of a decade.

I hope they're not just taunting us again as they did with the Bengal and the LaCrosse show car, which was just flat-out gorgeous.

[Dave@Moon]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> I do wish the Velite was on a larger platform, though, with MORE engine and a "more Buick" name. </div></div>

I'll pass on judging the worth of the engine until I hear performance stats for the car. And as far as size goes, who wants a fat sporty car? Like the Reatta, this car seems to be just about perfect for it's role. Let's hope it does the job Reatta should have!

And as for the name, <span style="font-weight: bold">I flat love it!</span> It fits in perfectly with <span style="font-style: italic">Electra, LeSabre, Invicta, Centurion, Apollo,</span> etc. It leaves me with the impression that Buick is returning to using classic historical terminology to define their cars, not Lexus style patched together syllables (like Terraza), empty descriptive words (LaCrosse, Ranier), or European alphanumerics. COOL!

One question, how do you pronounce <span style="font-style: italic">"Velite"</span>? Is is "VEL-LIGHT", "VEE-LIGHT", "VEE-LEET", "VEL-LEET", or some other combination? Any Latin scholars out there?

[Centurion]

Dave, I found last Saturday that there are all kinds of Internet discussion forums related to new and upcoming cars, and some of them are specifically geared toward GM products. The comments regarding this car were almost universally enthusiastic.

There is some question about the name to be given the car. Evidently, the platform that this car will be built on was previously referred to within the corporation as the "V-Lite" platform, so "Velite" may simply be a catchy reference to the original platform designation. "Velite" may indeed be the name applied to the concept car, but there was very strong speculation that the production car will be called "Riviera". One of the forums appeared to have a formal link to GM, and some of the discussion regarding the car seemed quite authoritative.

Apparently, some photos of the actual concept car were leaked onto the Internet, then hastily removed. Those who saw the car from all angles, including the interior, commented that the car is absolutely stunning. I will be eager to hear the reaction when the concept car premieres at the upcoming New York auto show.

[Guest my3buicks]

Brian, I saw a whole series of photo's on the V8Buick.com sight. It was shown on the road, and from many angles, and interior shots. All I can say is FABULOUS!!!!! This car has to be built !!!!!!

[Centurion]

Here's what I found at GMInsidenews.com. (Prepare to drool!):

[JohnD1956]

Brian, Thanks for the research on this. I'm putting my house up for sale. Who will need it when you can ride around in that!

[Guest Skyking]

WOW! now that's a Buick...............!

[Dave@Moon]

The car is beautiful. The subtle boat-tail reference and modern ventiports are especially nice. However it is obviously a concept car, the production car will need things like functioning bumpers (completely lacking here), air bags (also nada), legible gauges (no doubt less attractive ), and tires that can move up more than 1.5" w/o hitting the fenders.

That said, it's best thing I've seen out of GM in 40 years.

Also I hope they keep the name. Even if they did accidentally stumble on the name, it references and complements their history without repeating it, again.

[Redrob]

I think Buick has a real winner here. Often lately, concept cars are almost identical to the production model, and I think GM would have no problem getting the Velite up to code and have it look the same. Buick has done a good job with their truck line, and now with the LaCrosse on the way, <span style="font-style: italic">Buick is back, baby!</span>

Until the last year or so, I was starting to feel deep in my heart that GM was sinking Buick like they did to Oldsmobile, through lack of marketing and lack of decent product. I don't feel that way any more. I'm patiently waiting for the LaCrosse to replace my aging Regal, and I can feel the continuing resurgence of Buick!

Unfortunately, with the improvement and changing of Buick's current image, I doubt classic names of the past will be attached to new models. I'm expecting the replacement LeSabre model to feature a brand new name, too. While I don't particularly like the name "Velite," I doubt Buick will name this beautiful car a classic name like "Riviera." Personally, I think it looks like a "Skylark,", but that's just me.

[BigFella]

It is a great looking car. One I would put on my list as well!

Speaking of missing items, I don't see a radio either :-)

I'd also like to see it with the top up...is it a hard or soft top?