NAIAS 2016: Buick Avista Concept - This Is It!

by Mark Stevenson

January 10th, 2016 9:20 PM

naias 2016 buick avista concept this is it

Buick, eager to shed its geriatric image, has at least pulled out a few stops preceding the 2016 North American International Auto Show.

It’s no Grand National, but it is a sporty coupe. Avista is its name, and it packs a 400 horsepower wallop under its hood thanks to the same 3-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 that’s tipped for duty in the 2017 LaCrosse.

The Avista 2+2 coupe rides on the same Alpha platform as the Chevrolet Camaro and Cadillac ATS and CTS. However, it receives a less potent powerplant than what’s available in those other rear-wheel drive cars — not that 400 horsepower should be sneered at.

And while we may disagree with the basket in which Buick is putting its eggs (a premium hatchback or cross-country wagon would be nice, guys), there’s a $20,000 difference between the Camaro SS and Cadillac ATS-V. That would be a prime place to put a luxury coupe that has the power to get out of its own way and the plush ride characteristics lacking in both the Camaro and ATS.

No production model is planned of the Avista, but those boys and girls at GM will surely be keeping their ears to the walls to hear what we all say about it. Whether they listen or not is another thing entirely.

We’ll have more details on the concept tomorrow.

#2016Naias #2016NorthAmericanInternationalAutoShow #AlphaPlatform #Buick #BuickAvistaConcept #BuickGrandNational #Detroit #DetroitAutoShow #GrandNational #NorthAmericanInternationalAutoShow

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2 of 63 comments

SilverCoupe on Jan 11, 2016

Wow, that is just gorgeous! This car would get me out of my Audi A5 and into my first Buick since my '64 Riviera.

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Jdmcomp on Jan 11, 2016

The real question to me is: "Will this be available as (a better looking) Vauxhal/Opel?"

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