Buick does not build many cars like the Buick Avista: a 2-door, 2+2-seater hardtop coupe with 3.0 L twin-turbo V6, built from 2016 as electrification stopped being an experiment and the crossover took every market. Its designer of record is John McDougall, Aaron Stich (interior) / Jesung Ahn (exterior).
The background
The Buick Avista is a concept 2-door, 2+2-seater hardtop coupe built by Buick, first unveiled at the 2016 North American International Auto Show on January 10, 2016. The exterior, finished in superior blue, boasts a low-slung flowing pillarless coupe design with a sloping fastback roofline. The front fascia is said to have been inspired by the 1954 Buick Wildcat II concept car. On the inside, the seats are upholstered in mist gray leather, complete with carbon fiber aluminium accents to give the driver's compartment a more sporty appearance. The dashboard features a wide touchscreen previewing a "future version" of Buick's IntelliLink infotainment system. The doors and interior components were 3D-printed.
The Avista concept car is related to the Cadillac ATS-V Coupe and sixth generation Chevrolet Camaro by sharing the same rear-wheel-drive Alpha platform. Its chassis utilizes Magnetic Ride Control to provide more precise handling. Power comes from a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine producing 400 hp, backed by an 8-speed automatic transmission. Its engine comes equipped with cylinder deactivation to improve fuel efficiency. The concept car was met with critical acclaim, winning the 2016 EyesOn Design award (also won by the Buick Avenir in the previous year), as well as being named "Best Future Concept" by The Detroit News. The fastback coupe concept was applauded for its perfectly proportioned rear-drive stance. The Avista nameplate, meaning sight in Italian, was previously filed for trademark registration by General Motors on September 22, 2015.
The engineering
Under the skin sits 3.0 L twin-turbo V6. The gearbox is a 8-speed automatic. The layout matters: a front engine drives the rear wheels, the classic proportion — long bonnet, cabin set back — that most people picture when they picture a sports saloon or a grand tourer. The wheelbase is 2811 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Where it sits
Where it sits in Buick's history is not in doubt: the Buick Riviera came before it. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Chevrolet Bolt, the Ford Escort, the Tesla Model 3. Its Buick stablemates include the Buick First Call and the Buick Funeral Car.