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When the Opel Cascada hits U.S. showrooms in 2015 as a Buick, it may leave its name at home, as well.
GM Authority reports General Motors recently filed a fifth extension with the United States Patent & Trademark Office for the trademark Velite, with the intent to use it for “motor land vehicles, namely, automobiles, sport utility vehicles, trucks, vans, engines therefor and structural parts thereof.”
The trademark had been in use as far back as 2004, when Buick unveiled its Velite convertible concept at that year’s New York Auto Show. Then, it was based upon GM’s Zeta platform, and had a 400-horsepower twin-turbo 3.6-liter V6 paired with a six-speed auto.
Presently, the original application — filed in 2011 — is still not fully approved by the agency, waiting for the automaker to submit its Statement of Use document confirming the trademark will be used on a real-world vehicle.
I like Cascada personally, Velite sounds like the next sub-prime specialty.
True, but Cascada sounds like the soap I use in my dishwasher.
V-Elite sounds like the next greatest trim level from Cadillac.
Only with the dash. Without the dash, it’s like a skin condition.
Please don’t call it Velite.
It comes in thin, sandwich-ready slices.
Maybe there’s a product placement connection with Velveeta, or Vegemite.
Yeah with a dose of VitaMetaVegamin as an option.
Velite? What the hell is a velite and what does it have to do with Buick? It sounds like it belongs on a Vauxhall! Hang the Riviera or Invicta name on it.
Velite was a Buick concept car from a decade ago. Before that, it was the Roman term for a disorganized, lightly-armed melee band that would be used to soften up opposing armies before the legions did their thing.
I played in a lightly armed melee band. Of course, that was part of the reason why we never got return gigs…
Did you just keep changing your name like Jethro Tull? Are you actually Ian Anderson?
Looks more like a “Stumpy” then an Invicta.
This is perfect for those who missed out on the Eos.
For some reason I like this. Back seat passengers however, need not apply.
Twin turbo 3.6L. Does it sound like a good idea? Yes.
Is the Velite going to get some crappy EcoFart 4-Cyl engine instead? Yup.
Yeah, I agree. Even if there is a second engine option, it will be no where near 400hp.
Exactly my thoughts when I read “400-horsepower twin-turbo 3.6-liter V6”.
Engine Options!
Bear in mind the car will weigh close to 4000lbs:
-Highest Trim: The same 1.8T Ecotec in the Cruze.
-Everything Else: 2.4L Ecotec that makes as much power as my Quad 4.
What? No 260hp+ Turbo 2.0L? No. Because this is GM. And they don’t believe in exciting 4 Cylinder cars anymore. (RIP Cobalt SS)
I think the standard Ecotec makes 185 HP now.
The only Q4’s that made that kind of power were the W-41 Olds and the ones stuffed in the Beretta GTUs.
Very true. I was exaggerating to make a point. Stuffing a 4 cylinder engine that produces 30 more hp in a car that weights 1200lbs more than my car…. It doesn’t sound engaging at all. Let alone efficient.
Isn’t Buick supposed to compete with Lexus? Or don’t they at least try? Shouldn’t your driving experience be engaging?
Where is the Cruze SS damnit?!
Its called the Verano T 6MT :)
Missing a prime opportunity to use the riviera name. Even cascada would be better than “velite”
Riviera only works (for me) if they refuse to offer a cloth seat bargain basement version, which is highly unlikely. How about Wildcat? At least that name got hung on all sorts of vehicles in Buick’s past and doesn’t have the same “luxury coupe” historical relevance as Rivera.
I’m surprised that in this age of hybrids and plug ins that GM hasn’t resurrected the Electra. Or maybe there’s some copywrite infringement problems with the owners of X men? :)
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2013/07/buick-electra-previewed-in-concept-car-drawings/
Ask and ye shall receive, er… muse and ye shall find you don’t know what you’re talking about :) Thanks for the link!
The Riviera was AFAIK only made as a special-build convertible. Given that all of these are convertibles, that name doesn’t work for me.
Wildcat works, but sounds a bit 70s for modern times.
That’s a neat trick considering that Buick dropped the Wildcat nameplate at the end of the 1970 model year for “Centurion”.
Not really feeling the Wildcat badge on this car regardless.
I normally have an aversion to all things Buick. But, this seems like a good move if they are ever going to get the average age of a Buick under the high 50’s. They really need a car like this. I have zero confidence that they’ll sell it with a 400hp TT 3.6.
You mean car buyers. The Buick average is actually 57, and that’s a drop from 64 just five years ago. Low to mid-50s is the sweet spot: that age group has the money for near-premium cars, and can still believe they’re young enough to drive a young person’s car. All Buick needs to do is add “young person” styling, but not too much (and slip in a smooth ride for those aging butts).
Doesn’t matter about the name, most of the Buick names are forgettable anyway. What I hope they don’t do is ruin this perfectly good car with that stupid chrome plated vertical blind looking grill. I think they’d probably boost their sales overall if they had something that looked good and modern instead of something that forces a car with pleasant enough proportions and styling into looking like a damn Buick even if it kills every last esthetically pleasing aspect that it otherwise may have.
Ah, what difference does it make in the long run, GM will probably sell it in China only.
There’s nothing wrong with the shield grille, except it’s way too big. For today’s cars, the grille should be no bigger than a trash can lid. On the Verano, the grille looks like a locomotive cow catcher.
Good point. The last few years Chevy has been bad about this as well, they have to put a Silverado sized bowtie on a Spark for some reason.
I was really hoping for Riviera. Now I know that the Riviera was almost always a large coupe, but unless it’s RWD and has pennies-on-the-dollar pricing (Challenger) you’re not going to see a large luxury coupe south of a 6-Series these days. So this small coupe really could have worked as a Riviera.
What’s the point of a big car with two doors? Why lug around all of that space, with no way to use it?
Gullwing doors the length of the passenger compartment would get we to change my mind on the two door thing, though…! Hinged doors and sliding doors both come with compromises (which become really obvious after a few years of parenthood), but that gullwing setup could be a sporty/cool/useful trifecta. And you’d actually get something in exchange for going “upmarket”.
If the windshield angle gets any lower, it will decapitate the driver and passenger in the event of a simple fender bender.
There is nothing like claustraphobia induced by a rear-view mirror directly perpendicular to your right ear!
I know that FWD convertibles existed for years and some people, or rental car agencies, may buy them…
Who chooses this over a Mustang or Camaro convertible? Both start around $30K, and can be nicely equipped for under $40K.
Recently divorced middle aged women. See: lebaron convertible, Sebring convertible
I think they lease the Lexus/BMW/Mercedes/Audi of their choice now. My last four bosses were all female, 35-50, and recently divorced. They all drove some sort of entry level luxury car on a lease, except for one. She drove an E60 M5 that she purchased.
She’s trading her MG for a white, Chrysler LeBaron.
What else would a Karen drive after a long hard day of using a machete to cut through red tape?
She also had to tour the facility, and pick up slack.
What an EPIC song.
I always wondered what justice shone like.
I want a truck with short cab and a loooooooooong…bed.
Someone who wants a convertible, but doesn’t care very much about performance. So in other words, this might swipe some V6 Mustang ‘vert customers.
I guess so. Since you can’t get leather on a V6 Mustang anymore, people that want a cheapish convertible, with leather, may end up with this.
I guess the IS250C isn’t cheap…
Checked: $42,960. Nope. But it’s the last Lexus vehicle without Predator face.
Maybe the V6 Mustang from a few years ago which had a mighty 200 hp but I don’t think that we should go around saying that V6 Mustang customers don’t care about performance.
Personally I want a ecobost 4-cyl model with manual trans and track pack. Deep green, por favor.
PrincipalDan,
I share that desire.
The only reason I say 2015 Mustang V6 buyers don’t care about performance, is that Ford doesn’t sell it on performance anymore. Not even the pretense of performance. The track pack/performance pack is gone. Options are limited. You can still get a manual transmission though.
If someone is looking for performance and doesn’t want a Mustang GT, it is the 2.3T. Luckily, the 2.3T is excellent. For $32K, the Ecoboost Premium with Nav and the Performance pack is a great value. I agree about the Guard Green. The equivilent GT will be $8K more.
If reports are true that the GT350 with start at around $53K, I don’t have eyes for any other Mustang.
It’s all relative. The slowest Mustang happens to be relatively quick in the grand scheme of things. The 200hp V6 Mustangs were too.
They exist for people who want the style of the car, but don’t want to pay extra for high performance. They will settle for somewhat above average performance. That’s where this Buick will land.
Rule number twenty-seven of branding.
If you’re making up a name, make it pronounceable.
Vel-i-tay, amirite? Must be Italian.
Sounds like diet Vegemite. VEgemiteLITE.
I think they should stick with some name that doesn’t imply a history, which this (Opel) probably won’t live up to. Go with Invicta or Insignia, those sound tasteful enough.
Buick was the “Sign of the Hawk”. Nobody wants another Skyhawk? How about Nighthawk? Blackhawk? Seahawk? Kittyhawk? Chickenhawk?
While this looks appealing, I don’t think it will convince my father to trade in his drop top Reatta.
Is that all rattly inside, due to “coachwork” type building? Has it got the CRT?
I will be the Anti-Christ. I actually LIKE this name (and I HATE Verano and Encore). Riviera is reserved for a range topping luxury coupe, and this is is not that car. The only heritage names that would work would be Wildcat or Skylark. As long as it doesn’t have a crazy a$$ price, I think it could be a modest hit. This will appeal to the crowd that bought the Sebring/200 convertible, NOT Mustang, Camaro convertible buyers.
a G6 in disguise. these flakes don’t know a Buick from a lawn tractor.
I think this will fit into the one niche market that neither GM, Ford or Chrysler has tapped in years; supplying cars for old farts to give to their trophy wives-maybe even trade in that wonderful 2003 Thunderbird that he gave her for their anniversary.
It would look nice in the garage setting next to your Enclave
I went to the Buick stand at the LA Auto Show and they had a pimp-edition Lacrosse with purple interior and exterior. When I asked the Buick rep if I could get it from the factory like that, she nodded and was actually happy that one of the “younger people” they wanted to attract stopped by.
On the other hand, why has nobody at General Malaise thought about Skyhawk and Skylark? It’s too small to be a Riviera and the G8 should have become the Electra.