GM Reveals 2010 Buick LaCrosse!

[FenwickHockey65]

Specifications

Trims:

* CX FWD
* CXL FWD
* CXL AWD
* CXS FWD


Engines:

* 3.0L SIDI High-Feature V6: 255 HP/211 lb.-ft.
* 3.6L SIDI High-Feature V6: 280 HP/261 lb.-ft.


Fuel Economy:

* 3.0L: 18/27
* 3.6: 17/26


Features:

* Bluetooth
* USB Port
* Electronic Parking Brake
* Power Rear Sunshade
* In-Dash Hard Drive
* Ice Blue Ambient Lighting (lots of it!)
* Ultrasonic Rear Park Assist
* Push-Button Start
* Heated and Air Conditioned Seats
* Adaptive HID Headlamps
* Rear view camera
* Side Blind Zone Alert
* Rear Seat Entertainment System w/ 2 LCD's
* ...and more.


Sculpted design

Buick’s long heritage of leading designs, such as the Y-Job Concept, the Roadmaster and the Riviera, helped define American automobile design through the years, according to Ed Welburn, vice president of GM Global Design. Today, Buick design is a product of a global team and resources. Creative collaboration between designers in the United States and China, in partnership with the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC) as well as chassis and body engineers in Europe, resulted in the first General Motors vehicle to be created on three continents.

“The new LaCrosse is intended to represent modern elegance,” said Welburn. “Throughout the design, you experience a balance of contrasts. Both the interior and exterior have been designed with harmony in mind. The exterior balances taut, sculpted lines with sensuous accents and surfaces. Inside, smoked chrome accents, warm wood, first-class leather and materials combine with cool blue ambient lighting to create an inviting environment.”

The exterior design is faithful to the Buick Invicta show car introduced at the 2008 Beijing Auto Show.

“It is instantly recognizable as a Buick, with its signature ‘sweep spear’ body-side styling, portholes inside the character line on the hood, and waterfall grille,” added Welburn.

Luxurious interior experience

Inside, the two-tone interior is defined by a flowing, uninterrupted design theme that wraps around the instrument and door panels. Attention to detail is evident throughout the interior, including the analog instrument cluster, chrome offset by dark wood accents, and the contrasting thread and French stitching on the instrument panel.

Buick’s signature QuietTuning – an engineering process to reduce, block and absorb interior noise – provides a distraction-free passenger environment.

An unexpected, inviting touch is the cool blue ambient lighting throughout the cabin from the center console, instrument panel and door panels.

Intelligent personal technologies

The contemporary atmosphere of the cabin includes the digital connectivity and personal technology offered in the new LaCrosse. That includes features such as in-dash navigation, Bluetooth connectivity, an auxiliary audio input and a USB port. For rear-seat passengers, a power rear-window sunshade and a DVD entertainment system, with two display screens integrated into the seatbacks, is available.

LaCrosse’s intelligent technologies also work to deliver a 360-degree field of vision behind the steering wheel, for a greater feeling of comfort, security and safety. It starts with the available head-up display in the windshield, allowing the driver to monitor speed while keeping his or her eyes on the road. At night, the available adaptive lighting package can direct the high-intensity discharge headlight beams up to 15 degrees for enhanced illumination of the road and its curves.

LaCrosse offers Side Blind Zone alert that notifies the driver if a vehicle in adjacent lanes is traveling in the driver’s blind spot. The LaCrosse is also available with a rear view camera, with the display integrated into the navigation system screen.

The technology available on LaCrosse enhances a suite of standard safety features that is designed to meet the criteria for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 20 Star Safety Rating. Highlights include front-, side- and roof-mounted head-curtain air bags, StabiliTrak stability- and traction-control system. The safety and security of OnStar is also included for the first year of ownership.

Responsive performance

LaCrosse’s stiff body structure serves as the foundation for precise suspension tuning, safety and a quiet ride. Buyers can choose from a family of efficient, direct-injection six-cylinder engines and a fuel-conserving six-speed automatic transmission with tap-up/tap-down control.

The direct injection engines in the LaCrosse create more power with less fuel and reduce vehicle emissions through greater combustion control – particularly cold-start emissions that are reduced by up to 25 percent.

The 2010 LaCrosse will be offered in three models - CX, CXL and CXS:

* CX – equipped with a new 3.0L direct injection V-6, premium cloth seats and 17-inch wheels. The 3.0L engine generates an estimated 255 horsepower (190 kW) and 211 lb.-ft. of torque (286 Nm) and is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.
* CXL – also equipped with the new 3.0L direct injection V-6, adds leather-appointed heated seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, fog lamps, outside rearview mirror with LED turn indicators and puddle lamps, and 18-inch wheels. Intelligent AWD is available.
* CXS – equipped with a 3.6L direct injection V-6; real-time active-dampening suspension; perforated, leather-appointed, heated and cooled seats, and chrome-plated 18-inch wheels (19-inch optional). The 3.6L engine, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, generates an estimated 280 horsepower (209 kW) and 261 lb.-ft. of torque (354 Nm).

LaCrosse production will begin this summer at the Fairfax Assembly facility in Kansas City, Kan.

[Moose]

WOW! IMO, that car looks GREAT!

I think GM will have another success on its hands with the 2010 LaCrosse.

[UCF w00t]

Looks good but why can't this be a Chevy or Cadillac? What's the point in Buick?

[FenwickHockey65]

Originally Posted by UCF w00t

Looks good but why can't this be a Chevy or Cadillac? What's the point in Buick?

Pretty much Buick is now "comfortable luxury." Nice, smooth curves, a comfortable, soft ride, etc.

Cadillac is more or less "performance luxury." Sharp edges, sporty exterior, performance based drivetrains, etc.

[UCF w00t]

And Pontiac? Just performance?

[FenwickHockey65]

Originally Posted by UCF w00t

And Pontiac? Just performance?

Pontiac will become a performance niche brand. Some say with just two vehicles...G8 and Solstice? Who knows.


By the way...can anyone say, "lexus-killer?"

[Moose]

Originally Posted by UCF w00t

Looks good but why can't this be a Chevy or Cadillac? What's the point in Buick?

It wouldn't fit into the "portfolio" of Chevrolet or Cadillac. Chevrolet offers the Malibu, which unless I'm mistaken, is similar in size, etc., to the LaCrosse, and as for Cadillac, I don't know that they're looking for a "smaller" vehicle than the CTS. (right now)

Originally Posted by UCF w00t

And Pontiac? Just performance?

I think with the restructuring at GM, Pontiac will no longer be a separate division, but a particular vehicle.

I'm probably a little "off" with my reasons, (it's late and I'm tired ), but if I recall what I've read, those appear to be the reasons.

[OUR72GTO]

Looks like a Altima or Maxima to me.

[ArcAngel]

that is sweet and no it looks like an opel

[Moose]

Originally Posted by OUR72GTO

Looks like a Altima or Maxima to me.

I believe it's based on an Opel, and was going to be the new Saturn Aura. But with the life of Saturn in question, I think it was decided to use it for the new LaCrosse.

[FenwickHockey65]

Originally Posted by Moose

It wouldn't fit into the "portfolio" of Chevrolet or Cadillac. Chevrolet offers the Malibu, which unless I'm mistaken, is similar in size, etc., to the LaCrosse, and as for Cadillac, I don't know that they're looking for a "smaller" vehicle than the CTS. (right now).

There's a sub-CTS model in the works on GM's new Alpha RWD platform...but with all the budget constraints as well as the suspension of most future product programs, we're not sure what's going on with the Alpha platform at the moment.

Originally Posted by Moose

I believe it's based on an Opel, and was going to be the new Saturn Aura. But with the life of Saturn in question, I think it was decided to use it for the new LaCrosse.

You're thinking of the Opel Insignia. It WAS going to be the new Aura, but the next-gen Aura's on hold indefinitely. There's been reports that the Insignia will instead be brought stateside as the return of the Buick Regal. It's already on sale in China under that nameplate, and it's a stunning vehicle.

[Moose]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

There's a sub-CTS model in the works on GM's new Alpha RWD platform...but with all the budget constraints as well as the suspension of most future product programs, we're not sure what's going on with the Alpha platform at the moment.

[UCF w00t]

I guess what I was getting at is that (I think) this thing SHOULD be a Chevy or Cadillac. There's no point in having all these competing vehicles. It kinda goes back to one of the big issue GM has. They're not making it better by releasing a slightly different vehicle under a different nameplate. They say it costs too much to have more options for individual cars so instead they make more options of cars. A bit back asswards if ya ask me.

[GatorBlue371]

Originally Posted by UCF w00t

Looks good but why can't this be a Chevy or Cadillac? What's the point in Buick?

Buick is HUGE is Asia... im thinking they want to make buick the world wide old person car by advancing their cars across the line