Buick Returns to the Riviera

Buick Riviera concept

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Buick’s latest concept vehicle, the Riviera, unveiled at the 2007 Shanghai Auto Show, revives an old name, but christens the sportiest design to come from the seniors-focused brand in years. 

The Buick Riviera concept was created in conjunction with the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC) in China, which is a design and engineering joint venture between General Motors and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC), one of the largest Chinese automakers.

Ed Welburn, VP of GM Global Design, introduced the car and said its aim was to “showcase Buick’s new global design direction.” It’s the first time GM has applied the Riviera nameplate to a vehicle in eight years, after selling more than 1.1 million Buick Rivieras between 1963 and 1999. This name revival follows Buick's recent announcement that it is bringing back the “Super” moniker for a new line of high-performance models based on its LaCrosse and Lucerne sedans (click here to read more about these vehicles in our New York Auto Show coverage).

Though radical by current Buick styling standards, the Riviera concept pays homage to past models with its trademark waterfall grille and signature “ventiport” portholes at the rear of each front fender. The car's body is made of carbon-fiber and includes so-called “gullwing” vertical-opening doors, which have been a concept car cliche since the 1950s yet have rarely appeared in production models, aside from a handful of sports cars.

Buick Riviera concept

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Buick says the Riviera concept has been engineered to accommodate a hybrid propulsion system, but didn’t release details about the car’s mechanicals. An all-new hybrid powertrain will go into production at Shanghai GM, the automaker’s flagship joint venture with SAIC, beginning in 2008.

Among the inspirations for the Rivera’s dynamic exterior design and “earth and water” interior tones are ancient Chinese artifacts, contemporary electronic products, classic Buicks like the 1938 Y-Job concept and assorted models from the 1960s. “It’s not East … it’s not West … it’s Buick,” says James Shyr, PATAC’s design director.

Following the debut of its new high-performance Super sedans, the Riviera concept is the second major announcement Buick has made recently that indicates the company, which has long appealed to an older demographic, is seeking to redefine itself under the umbrella of its corporate parent, General Motors, which is itself in the throws of serious restructuring.