When General Motors named the Chevrolet Nova, the majority of customers in America had no issues whatsoever with the spacey moniker. Spanish speaking countries were a different matter entirely, as the literal Spanish translation of "no va" is "no go." As the story goes, Chevy's Nova was less than successful south of Texas, although some analysts (armchair and otherwise) dismiss this historical naming issue as nonsense. Whether the Nova was an issue for GM or not, the automaker wasn't looking to tempt fate when the Buick LaCrosse began production in 2005. The French translation of "LaCrosse" is something along the lines of "self love" – not a flattering name for a family sedan. This being the case, the LaCrosse was renamed Allure in Canada and Buick buyers north of the border were free of ridicule and humiliation.
After careful consideration, GM has decided to ditch the Allure nameplate and instead leave the LaCrosse badging on the sedan's boot for the new 2010 model. GM Canada spokesman George Saratlic told the National Post that the decision was made to help streamline marketing costs. The feeling at GM is that Québécoise accept the name lacrosse in reference to the popular sport, so the benefits of having a consistent naming convention across North America far outweighs the negative stigma of the name.
Saratlic adds, "We do think that this will help customers learn more about the new Buick LaCrosse sedan thanks to the strengthened advertising push this will enable and that the car will have distinctly upscale characteristics that clearly define what it stands for in the market." Since we've poured precisely zero dollars into investigating the impact of the LaCrosse name in Canada, we'll take the company at its word. We would, however, suggest that Canadian LaCrosse drivers keep both hands on the wheel, at least for now.
The high-profile 2010 Buick LaCrosse, the vehicle the automaker hopes will lure younger buyers into its showroom, is being delayed a few weeks due to manufacturing quality concerns. Mark LaNeve, GM's VP of U.S. Sales, told reporters and analysts that although 300-400 cars were shipped in August, future deliveries will be halted until Buick works out the so-called "quality issues." While there was no elaboration or specifics, LaNeve added that the issues "were not serious but were enough to delay us three or four weeks while we made sure they were fixed so that our customers didn't have any problems."
Arguably the most important vehicle launched by the brand in decades, Buick is positioning its all-new LaCrosse as a serious competitor to Volvo, Lexus, and Acura. Furthermore, the mid-size luxury sedan is bait for people in their mid-40s and 50s, decidedly younger than the brand's 68-year-old median age buyer last year. Few would consider a short quality-related delay a stain on the launch of the new model. In fact, the publicity this is generating will likely help spread Buick's LaCrosse message.
When it comes to isolating the two most important stats automakers consider when determining a vehicle's success or failure, the Lexus ES350 is a smash it. The stats in question are sales volume and profit, and the ES typically tops the entry-level luxury sales chart while often exceeding its competition in terms of price. Conversely, Buick has been stuck at the opposite end of the spectrum, with little in the way of product or respect – at least until recently. The well-received Enclave proved that General Motors' one-time bastard child could make competitive product, but the 2010 LaCrosse is tasked with taking on the likes of Acura and Lexus.
Inside Line was impressed enough with a LaCrosse it reviewed earlier that the online publication pitted Buick's upstart against the long dominant ES350. IL notes that the Lacrosse outweighs the ES by nearly 500 pounds, generates 2.5 fewer miles per gallon and has a .6 second slower 0-60 mph time, yet it handily bests the aging ES in nearly every category. Hit the read link below to check out the comparison. Has Buick arrived as a legitimate contender to Lexus? It's definitely too early to tell, but it looks like the division could finally be ready to put up a good fight.
General Motors may be taking a page out of its own book as it reportedly plans to raid the Opel parts bin for future Buick models. The last time GM decided to import Opels to the United States, it did so with the Saturn brand, and we all know how well that exercise turned out. Regardless of its past failures, it does make sense to design platforms that can be used in all of the global markets that GM has access to, and the upcoming 2010 Buick LaCrosse uses the same Epsilon II underpinnings as the latest Opel/Vauxhall Insignia. That car debuted to mostly rave reviews at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year and it proves that not all vehicles using the same platform need to be identical, as they were in large part between the Open and Saturn brands.
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GM might make a swap in its European production plans, shifting Buick assembly to Opel and Saab assembly to Sweden. Names of the models in question haven't been mentioned, but the Opel Insignia, Chinese-spec Buick Regal and coming Saab 9-5 are all built on GM's Epsilon II platform. The original plan was to produce the Saab 9-5 in Sweden, and Saab has been studying the Trollhatten factory's viability for the task. Factory representatives at the Russelsheim plant have also been lobbying for more cars to produce, thinking the operation underutilized, and they would certainly be building more Buicks than Saabs. And if other rumors are correct, it would keep siblings that GM plans to bring closer together - Opel and Buick - under the same roof. The swap, which would mean not building any new Saabs in Germany, would also send 9-3 production to Sweden. Sending 9-5 production there as well could also be seen as another step in extricating Saab from GM's web to assist in efforts to find a buyer for the brand.
![Detroit 2009: 2010 Buick LaCrosse [w/VIDEO]](http://blog.niot.net/blog-images/22_Jan/detroit-2009-2010-buick-lacrosse-w-video.jpg)
While the outgoing Buick LaCrosse featured one distinct superpower -- invisibility -- the 2010 iteration could be a savior for the brand. With classy sheetmetal that will probably remind you of the Buick Invicta concept, vastly improved interior materials, and an all-new powertrain, the 2010 LaCrosse should compete better with cars like the Lexus ES350 and the Lincoln MKS. Powered by either a 260 hp, 3.0L direct injected V6 or a 280-hp 3.6L, it should offer performance to match its portholed good looks. We actually took a close look at this new LaCrosse a couple of weeks ago, and you can see that video and review by clicking here, but for now we've added a new live gallery from Detroit and posted the press release after the jump. There's also some new video to see of the unveiling.
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If the car you see here looks somewhat familiar, it should. It appeared in concept form at last spring's Beijing Motor Show as the Buick Invicta concept. At the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, the Invicta becomes the 2010 Buick LaCrosse. Like many recent examples, the Invicta was a less a concept than a very mildly disguised version of the upcoming production car. Just before the Christmas break, General Motors gave the media a preview of the new production LaCrosse in the design dome at the company's tech center in Warren, MI. GM North America VP for Buick-Pontiac-GMC Susan Docherty, global mid-size car vehicle line executive Jim Federico, and Buick brand character chief designer Dave Lyon provided a run-down for us on the new LaCrosse. The mid-size Buick is the first North American market application of the revised Epsilon II architecture that debuted last summer as the basis of the Euro-only Opel Insignia.
Let's forget about the Pontiac G3 for now and focus on what General Motors is doing right. Case in point is the upcoming 2010 Buick LaCrosse, which has just been caught undergoing testing wearing very little camouflage. We can clearly see now that Buick designers drew heavily on the Invicta concept for inspiration. Even the concept's character line remains that kinks just ahead of the rear wheels to create a smooth arch over the rear fenders. Photographers actually caught two LaCrosse models out testing, one of which showed a clean rear bumper and the other was brandishing two large, rectangular tailpipes and wearing demonstrably larger wheels. They even managed to snag a clear shot of the interior that shows an impressive dash design with what appears to be very high quality materials like a double-stitched leather dash and real wood accents. Thankfully, the 2010 Buick LaCrosse looks like a winner along the lines of the Cadillac CTS and even Buick's own Enclave. It may even add ammunition to the argument that GM can build a world-class car when it wants to, but we'll wait until we see one in person and get some seat time to make our final judgment.
Oh sure, we've already shown you spy shots of the 2010 Buick LaCrosse that reveal the kit and kaboodle, but don't let that take away from GM's release of a teaser shot showing the upcoming sedan's new grille. Along with the pic, GM confirmed that the new LaCrosse will debut at the upcoming LA Auto Show in November. We'll be there to cover the reveal, as this smallest of Buick sedans (for now) will be a big player in the brand's future success. It's nice and all to have a critically acclaimed full-size crossover in the Enclave, but more and more buyers are moving away from big CUVs into smaller vehicles at the moment, and Buick hopes they'll move right into the new LaCrosse.
Though the newish Buick Enclave has received plenty of accolades, it's the right vehicle at the wrong time for GM's smallest brand. The other two vehicles in Buick's lineup – the LaCrosse mid-size sedan and Lucerne large sedan – might better appeal to gas-conscious buyers than a large CUV, but they're far from leaders in their segment. A new LaCrosse, however, will reportedly be arriving as a 2010 model. Car and Driver just published these spy shots of a pre-production model caught with its camouflage pants down, and they reveal its design will borrow heavily from the Invicta Concept that was revealed at this year's Beijing Motor Show. That's not a bad thing, as the Invicta is a fetching sedan that went over well with the Chinese crowds. And while we could be mislead by the grainy quality of these spy shots, we swear there are two rows of portholes on the hood.
The '10 LaCrosse will likely arrive atop GM's Epsilon II platform that also underpins the upcoming Insignia and will next find its way to the '11 Saturn Aura and '12 Chevy Malibu. Engine choices are anyone's guess, but don't expect another V8 Super model. We guess the next-gen LaCrosse will get a smattering of four- and six-cylinder engines, the smaller of which could employ turbocharging and direct injection. Also check out C&D's pics of the new LaCrosse interior, which looks like a smaller version of a Cadillac CTS interior. Since we know have pictorial evidence of preproduction prototypes this far along, it's safe to assume that Buick will debut the 2010 LaCrosse during the upcoming auto show season.
