Buick has announced that it is making the Avenir a reality. But before you get your hopes up that this is the Avenir concept car that made a stunning introduction at last year’s Detroit Auto Show, know that this introduction actually refers to a naming convention rather than a particular vehicle.
GM’s premium brand hopes that what has worked so well with GMC and its higher-end Denali models will work for Buick, as the Avenir sub-brand can be thought of as the Denali of Buicks.
Buicks with the Avenir designation will feature distinctive touches such as a three-dimensional grille, larger wheels, and their own upscale interior trims. All are meant to enhance the vehicles’ high-end look and feel. Buick made the announcement as the brand is experiencing something of a revival in the United States and abroad, particularly in China.
"Through the first half of 2016, Buick has been the industry’s fastest-growing major international brand, and Avenir is key to future growth and delivering on the high expectations of new customers coming to our showrooms,” Duncan Aldred, vice president of Global Buick Sales, Service and Marketing, said in announcing the sub-brand. “Avenir will be Buick’s signature. The highest expression of the luxury experiences we’re delivering now and in the future.”
In case you’re wondering, "Avenir" is French for "future." Buick notes that the name is indeed taken from the concept sedan, while the new sub-brand uses the grille pattern from the also-stunning Avista coupe concept that had its own dazzling debut at this year’s North American International Auto Show.
While Buick is keeping mum as to whether those concepts will become realities, it notes that both models "have served as guideposts for designers sketching and modeling Buick’s future."
As for exactly which vehicle or vehicles will first be offered with the Avenir designation and when that will happen, Buick says to stay tuned.
