NEW YORK–General Motors Corp.'s Buick division hopes to build on its design-led resurgence – epitomized by the elegant Buick Enclave crossover – with a new concept vehicle and new ads starring golfer Tiger Woods.
Ed Welburn, GM's vice-president of global design, said Tuesday that the new concept, the Invicta, will debut next month at the Beijing Auto Show. Welburn only showed a broad outline of the vehicle's design, but said it builds on the sweeping styling and classic waterfall grille of the Buick Riviera concept coupe, which was unveiled last year at the Shanghai Auto Show.Welburn said the Invicta will show even more clearly than the Riviera the design direction of new Buick vehicles. He also hinted that the Invicta could signal the entry of a coupe in Buick's lineup, although he said the aerodynamic design would work equally well for a sedan.
The Invicta, like the Riviera, was developed jointly by GM design teams in North America and Shanghai. Buick is GM's most popular brand in China, with domestic sales of 332,115 vehicles in 2007, up nine per cent from the year before. The brand is especially popular with Chinese executives, which is one reason for upgrades that have been made in Buick's interiors.
Buick also showed a new television ad that will debut nationwide this week starring Woods, a longtime Buick pitchman. In the ad, Woods is shown hitting paint-filled golf balls onto a canvas, creating a Jackson Pollock-like work of art.
Buick plans to auction off three of the canvases Woods created starting in June at the Buick Open golf tournament. The money will go to charity.
Topper Limousine
