Hot News: Buick Mini Fighter

Say what? A Buick Mini fighter? The set of Buick Avant design study illustrations recently revealed at the General Motors Lab Web site showcased several styling directions a new premium Buick small car might take.

But the closest representation of the new Buick so far (the vehicle is as yet unapproved) is a rakish, coupe-like two-door hatchback like the clay model shown for less than three seconds during a video at thelab.gmblogs.com (see below) with GM’s new advanced design chief, Andrew Smith. And the car's development is much farther along than you think: it has been in the works for at least two years without being assigned to any single GM division.

The GM Lab masked this car's advanced state of development by wowing us with pie-in-the-sky features typical of concept cars, including a luggage porter, smart door and "move-over mode."

GM is considering versions of a premium small car in the B-segment category for both Buick and Cadillac. The Buick Avant, or whatever it's ultimately called, would have its own distinctive design language in order to give the struggling division a fresh, new identity. Except for, perhaps, a waterfall grille, it's not likely to come to production with current Buick design cues.

In late 2007, GM invited journalists to tour a studio where designers were working on the production version of the Chevrolet Volt, unveiled to the public last year. Drawings of a small, Mini-like car were on the wall of one studio.

One published report said GM could have assigned the car to Pontiac, Saturn, Saab or Buick, and we speculated (Motor Trend, April 2008) that Saab or Saturn seemed most likely (or in the tradition of the Old GM, both) candidates. We saw two drawings on the GM wall; a fairly upright two-box, two-door hatchback and one with a more wagon-like roofline, reminiscent of the '50s Chevy Nomad.

Turns out that GM was considering the car for all those divisions in late 2007 and '08. Now, of course, it needs only to worry about Chevy, Buick and Cadillac. And Chevrolet, which has a replacement on the way for its sub-standard Aveo subcompact, will not get a version of the car for now.

GM wants to make the Buick premium small car as coupe-like as possible, but without giving up interior space. That's a tall order. The design that's the lead candidate for production has a beltline surface treatment that kicks up into the c-pillar, which is in the shape of a sideways "V," ending in a high taillamp. This design softens the hatchback look of the rear lid and glass.

A car like the Buick Avant could be built in both North America and in China, where it would replace the Buick Sail, which is little more than a rebadged Opel Corsa. GM thinks it could capture the attention of young buyers who aren't as Buick or domestic brand-averse as their Gen X and Baby Boomer parents. How soon? The Lab has much more consumer research to do on this departure from Buick's status quo. Optimistically, no earlier than the '13 or '14 model year.

Thanks to: Motor Trend