One of the standouts at this year’s Detroit Auto Show, Buick’s graceful Avenir concept deserves (and is getting) some special attention. The massive four-door (which is bigger than a Cadillac Escalade) is a marriage of Buick design traditions, including its sweep-spear bodyside and VentiPorts, and a glimpse at future production vehicles from the brand — fitting, given Avenir is French for ‘future.’
Its design, a collaboration of Buick’s global design team, was intended to “really [take] your breath away,” by representing “a break from convention and progressiveness in technology.” What does all of that marketing-speak translate into? A beautiful concept car whose beauty isn’t skin deep. Under the surface, a direct-injected V6 with fuel savings features like stop/start and active fuel management purrs away, connected to a nine-speed auto and shifting the Avenir via a twin-clutch all-wheel-drive system.
Inside the Avenir, you’ll find Buick’s next-gen infotainment system, Intellilink, complete with a 12-inch touch screen and driver-recognition features such as automatically synced preferences for navigation and calendar events. In the rear, passengers can connect their devices to video screens, while relaxing in premium leather seats and rich carpeting. Buick aren’t saying if we’ll see any or all of the Avenir’s features in a new model any time soon — but if they can successfully distill it into a production model, they’ve surely got a hit on their hands.
