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Buick Avenir Sub-Brand Follows In the Footsteps of Ford Vignale

Thanks to a concept car based on the Mondeo (a.k.a. Fusion) , Ford introduced the public to the Vignale upmarket trim level back in 2013. Now General Motors wants a piece of that luxed-up action. More specifically, Buick will launch the Avenir sub-brand.
Buick Avenir sub-brand teaser 69 photos
Photo: Buick
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Oh, how great would it be if Buick was referring to the actual Avenir, the concept car that took the 2015 Detroit Auto Show by storm. But no, a production model based on the Avenir won’t happen. Not even the Avista Concept from this year’s Detroit Auto Show won’t see the light of day as a road-going offering. Instead, the Buick Avenir sub-brand is just a marketing trick pointed toward people that don’t realize how the cookie crumbles.

“Through the first half of 2016, Buick has been the industry’s fastest-growing major international brand, and Avenir is key to future growth and delivering on the high expectations of new customers coming to our showrooms,”
explains Duncan Aldred, vice president of sales, service, and marketing. “Avenir will be Buick’s signature. The highest expression of the luxury experiences we’re delivering now and in the future."

Regardless of the fact Buick is no luxury brand, let’s put Mr. Aldred’s quote into perspective with the automaker’s current lineup. The Verano is a Chevrolet Cruze in drags, the Regal is an Opel Insignia with a different badge, and the LaCrosse is a front-wheel-drive sedan riding on the same platform as the next-gen Chevrolet Impala. Now let’s talk about crossovers and SUVs.

The Encore is the more expensive cousin of the Opel Mokka, the Envision is built in China and doesn’t offer nearly enough protection for the driver in the event of a crash, and the Enclave is simply too old to mater (introduced in 2007 for MY 2008). As for the Cascada convertible, that’s an Opel based on the old-generation Astra, which happens to be assembled in Poland.

Other than the LaCrosse, I can’t get my head around the fact no other Buick is indeed worthy of being luxed-up with the Avenir treatment.

I wish General Motors all the best with this venture, but the thing is, most people won’t buy into the pipedream. In the Ford Mondeo Vignale’s case, most prospective buyers take a moment and ask themselves, “Won’t a BMW 3 Series be a better buy at this price point?” And to be honest, that’s how I see the future unfold for the Buick Avenir sub-brand as well.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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