DETROIT — Buick went in a new direction — East — with the design of its newest concept vehicle, the sporty Buick Riviera.
The coupe is the first show car to be designed jointly by teams in Shanghai and North America, GM’s vice president of design, Ed Welburn, said Thursday. Welburn unveiled the Riviera ahead of the North American International Auto Show, which starts media preview days on Sunday.
“The opportunities are great for the Buick brand,” Welburn said. “There is room for design that has got more flair and is sportier.”
The front-wheel-drive coupe with gull-wing doors and a swooping glass roof revives the Riviera name after an eight-year hiatus. General Motors Corp. sold more than 1.1 million Rivieras between 1963 and 1999.
Since then, Buick has become GM’s most popular brand in China, with domestic sales of 332,115 vehicles in 2007, up 9 percent from the year before. Welburn said Buick is especially popular with Chinese executives, which is one of the reasons for the Riviera’s luxurious interiors.
The Chinese design team was primarily responsible for the distinctive lighting on the vehicle, said Dave Lyon, GM’s executive director of North American interior design. The Buick logo, hood strip, headlights and side mirrors have a bluish backlight that can switch on at night. Lyon said it was a “theatrical” touch that reflects the pulse of Shanghai.
Lyon said the Chinese team also developed the elongated headlights that flow into the traditional Buick “portholes,” the vents that denote the type of engine in Buick vehicles. The design was based on an ancient Chinese symbol for prosperity.
Inside, the Riviera was designed to evoke a luxurious day spa, with leather bucket seats, plush carpet and ambient blue lighting, Lyon said. The dash moves in a continuous line across the sides and front of the vehicle and controls are kept to a minimum.
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