World Cars Motor Show

Buick uses the Detroit auto show to show North Americans what gets the Chinese market all fired up: the Riviera concept that was designed and engineered in China, and made its world debut at the 2007 Shanghai auto show.

And while Buick has made no formal production announcement, we expect that both the concept??™s new hybrid powertrain and a coupe strongly resembling this one will enter production for both the Chinese and American markets.

The new Riv is a made-in-China design, courtesy of the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center, a joint venture between GM and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC). GM claims that inspiration comes from the original Y-Job concept of 1938 and the LeSabre, Electra 225, and Riviera coupes of the 1960s and ??™70s, although you really have to squint to see any of them in the new Riviera??™s curvy bod.

At 185.4 inches long, with a 112.9-inch wheelbase and riding on 21-inch, 10-spoke forged aluminum wheels, the gullwing-doored car is the most striking thing to wear Buick??™s three shields since the sexy Velite concept convertible from 2004, which influenced the Riviera concept. And while we??™re sure the doors won??™t make it past the show circuit, General Motors says the concept represents Buick??™s new global design direction for its next generation of mid-size luxury cars.

The two-plus-two seater features carbon-fiber body panels, including the doors, which boast a 76-inch wingspan and cast the word ???Buick??? on the ground at night when opened. Pedigree is established with the Buick tri-shield logo mounted on a trihedral waterfall grille that leads into a reflective strip through the hood to provoke memories of the mid-hood crease of classic Buicks. Two shaded-glass panels form the roof.

Inside are a three-dimensional speedometer and a center console that looks like a computer mouse, with a touchpad and LCD display screen. The transmission shifter has been replaced with electronic shifter pads.

The hybrid powertrain will be from Shanghai GM, another GM/SAIC collaboration, and provides evidence that China is attempting to become a global leader in alternative powertrains. GM wants hybrids on the road by the time Beijing hosts the 2008 Summer Olympics. China is Buick??™s largest market, a country where it is the brand of choice for government dignitaries, making it as fitting a locale as any to launch a new Buick concept. In fact, the Chinese love Buick so much??”and even though GM sold more than 1.1 million Rivieras in the U.S. from 1963 to 1999??”GM still might not give us first dibs on the real thing.

To give the Chinese their due, there are pictures of Buicks in China as far back as 1912, and news items dating back to 1906. The first Buick didn??™t come off a Chinese assembly line until December 1998: a mid-sized car based on the U.S.-designed Regal and Century. Today there are about 400 Buick dealers in China.

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We must confess that, being of an age that falls between 20 and 30, we have a distinct lack of enthusiasm concerning the resurrected Super badge. Yes, it??™s true the name has loads of historical significance for Buick, but anybody who could legally drive when the last Super rolled off the assembly line in 1958??”i.e., anybody who might actually care??”is, at a minimum, pushing 70. It??™s a good thing, then, that the Buick Lucerne, which serves as the basis for the Lucerne Super (shocking, we know), is a fine-driving car, especially for a leisurely jaunt to the pharmacy, and it has a trunk big enough to hold a few months??™? worth of luggage for the yearly migration to warmer climes. It??™s comfortable, quiet, and reasonably luxurious. What the Lucerne isn??™t, though, is a ride that quickens an enthusiast??™s heartbeat.

The regular car??™s available V-8, a 4.6-liter Northstar, is smooth but no barnstormer, delivering just 275 horsepower and 290 pound-feet of torque. The Lucerne Super delivers more power??”and we do give Buick credit for making the Super more than just a trim package??”but the truth is that the uprated version of the 4.6-liter (the Lucerne Super??™s only engine) pumps just 17 more horsepower through the front wheels for a total of 292. That??™s a disappointingly low increase for a car with the word? ???super???? stuck to it. What if Superman could lift only 17 more pounds than the average man?

The Lucerne Super also receives restyled, sportier front and rear ends, including a larger, chromier grille, dual exhaust tips, and exclusive fifteen-spoke wheels. Other Super-specific details include a? ???premium???? steering gear (as opposed to one sourced from Costco, we suppose), a specific calibration for the magnetic shocks, and an interior jazzed up with things like French-stitched seams, a walnut steering wheel and shift knob, and suede inserts for the seats and doors.

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