General Motors took the wraps off the Avista concept coupe that is the design future of Buick. Photo credit: Len Katz.
General Motors displayed a new 2 + 2 coupe dubbed the Buick Avista concept vehicle at a special preview on the eve of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit that will set the course for future designs.
“The Avista embodies the dynamic soul of Buick,” said Duncan Aldred, vice president of Global Buick Sales, Service and Marketing. “It is a modern expression of the brand’s heritage of sophisticated performance, communicated with beautiful elegance.”
Ed Welburn, GM’s chief designer, said the Avista builds on Buick’s long history of sleek, sculptural designs. “It’s a magnificent design. It represents the future of Buick,” he added.
Liz Wetzel, chief of interior design for Buick, said GM’s designers didn’t start working in earnest on the Avista until last spring. “The Avenir showed the elegant side of Buick,” she noted. But Buick isn’t only about elegance. It’s also about performance, she noted. “We wanted to show the spirited side of Buick,” said Wetzel.
The Buick Avista reflects the "spirited side" of the brand, according to GM executives. Photo credit: Len Katz.
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The interior also emphasizes modernity with its strong, simple lines, added Wetzel, adding the designs of the instrument panel and the seats of the car are very clean and purposeful without a lot clutter. The emphasis on the technology in the car, she said.
Wetzel also said the modern interior also matches the great proportions that are the hallmark of the exterior design The Avista’s uninterrupted body lines stretch front to rear, suggesting motion – resembling Buick’s design language introduced on the Avenir concept and carried into production on the 2017 LaCrosse, Aldred noted.
“There is elegant simplicity in the Avista’s surfaces, which speak to the purity of the car’s performance, and a timeless beauty that’s a hallmark of Buick design,” said Bryan Nesbitt, executive director Global Buick Design. “It was designed to capture the spirit of the perfect drive.”
The Avista’s uninterrupted body lines stretch front to rear, suggesting motion – resembling Buick’s Avenir concept. Photo credit: Len Katz.
Marking the front and rear, Buick evolves its signature wing-shaped lighting with “soft curtain” elements that create illuminated “halos” around lamps’ edges, suggesting a three-dimensional shape and sculpture. Their design forecasts the evolution of Buick’s production lighting features, while the Avista’s grille features the brand’s new winged tri-shield insignia set against a three-dimensional mesh background.
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Like the exterior, the Avista’s 2+2 interior is defined by flowing, uninterrupted lines conveying elegance through simplicity – with intense technical and surfaces details, in everything from 3D-printed door and seat trim to a future vision of Buick’s IntelliLink, with touchscreen controls on a widescreen instrument panel display.
Buick evolves its wing-shaped lighting with “soft curtain” elements that create illuminated “halos” around lamps’ edges. Photo credit: Len Katz.
The center console also incorporates touch-screen controls and extends to the rear seating area. Open side storage compartments built into the front of the console are enabled by the new Electronic Precision Shift, similar to the 2017 LaCrosse.
Buick designers enhanced the passengers’ sensory experiences with next-generation QuietTuning and air-quality control, including advanced noise cancellation technology, ionic air purifiers and aromatherapy.
The Avista is built on a rear-wheel-drive platform and uitilizes also uses a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 features fuel-saving Active Fuel Management (cylinder deactivation) and produces 400 horsepower.
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Stop/Start technology to complement its power with efficiency. The engine is backed by an eight-speed automatic transmission and Magnetic Ride Control delivers more precise body motion control.