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Buick has gone back to China in order to find the way forward… and based on these renderings of the soon-to-be-launched Envision Concept, their designers have been spending some time with Mazda’s “Japanese Alfa Romeo”-focused stylists. Which is an interesting state of affairs: When Buick’s US managers lost their way, GM’s Chinese staff rediscovered the essence of the brand in designs like the Riviera and Invicta concepts. Now, it seems that Buick’s Chinese stylists may be starting to lose the plot, turning out this effort that looks like it could carry nearly any auto brand in existence. Is it time to bring Buick design back home?
15 Comments on “What’s Wrong With This Picture: Buick To The Future Edition...”
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I wonder how those doors would hold up on a windy day?
And gullwing doors don’t work in a garage, which is one great reason they never make into production. Personally, I think such gullwing door renditions are a complete waste of time.
Since the sell more Buicks in China than the U.S.A., isn’t this now Buick’s “home”?
And therein lies the harsh reality. Read this commentary from our favorite Autoextremist:
http://www.autoextremist.com/current/?currentPage=9
This concept embodies everything that’s wrong with current design. Stupid doors, silly oversized wheels, and character lines that seem to have overrun the asylum.
Worst of all it’s not, in the slightest way, original.
Reminds me of a Pringles chip, are the scissor doors really necessary?
It looks like it’s aping Infiniti’s recent design language for their CUVs. I don’t know what alphanumerics they use to name them so I’m not even going to try.
Definitive proof: the design studios at Buick are staffed with 20 year olds who read graphic novels.
As a 20 year old who on occasion reads a graphic novel I agree, though if I were designing a car knowing that it would go into production it’d be more practical, it’d be something that looks like a car rather then a shoe.
Really I would think that a car designed by someone like that would look more like this… http://www.instablogsimages.com/images/2009/05/18/steampunk-merc-jules-verne-car_YWSb3_5965.jpg
I blame cartoons. Behold the Teen Titans T-car, the first sport utility coupe (cruddy picture but trust me its a SUC)
http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100327024921/teentitans/images/8/8a/T-Car.JPG
Booyah!
Car on the right: Look, I’m going to fly!
yes.
Instead of undercutting the competition by producing more cheaply, I wonder if Chinese auto companies will instead take those car concepts, a lot of which are pretty good looking on paper, and leave a lot of what we like in the final production model.
Cost has got to be a major factor in consumers getting these dumbed-down designs. Maybe the Chinese will go that extra step to leave the styling details in there and can afford to do so even if they charge the same amount as competing brands.
Nope, not gonna buy this thing, it looks like it could be just another CUV type vehicle with oversized tired and swoopy, but now cliche’d styling cues and those wind doors, get real.
Those aren’t technically gullwing doors, that belongs to the beloved Mercedes Benz of the same name and the doors on the Delorean.