Riviera Redux?

2009 Riviera Concept

When I was young, a gentleman friend of my grandmother owned a beautiful Marlin Blue '63 Riviera with a white leather interior.  I remember riding on the rear center console of the Riviera going to a drive-in movie with the windows down and the sound of the exhaust burbling the tune of that Wildcat 401 cubic inch V-8 engine.  That car quickly cemented in my mind what a Buick should be and I've been fond of "real" Buicks since that time, especially Rivieras.

From 1963 to 1999, the Riv was the flagshp coupe in the Buick lineup.   During that time, the Riviera was arguably the styling leader within General Motors.  The '63-'65 models were highly praised for their style.  Bill Mitchell's boat-tail design for the third generation Riv shocked everyone in the auto industry and, while polarizing for many, could not be ignored.   The last of the big Rivs arrived with the beautiful 8th generation cars based on the G-body platform with the last one being produced in 1999.  It was the end of an era not just for fans of the Riviera, but also fans of personal luxury cars.

2004 Mercedes Benz CLS

In today's market, large coupe's are not viable business cases, but General Motors should consider bringing back the Riviera as a flagship personal luxury car not as a standard 2-door coupe, but as a 4-door coupe.   In 2004, Mercedes Benz created a new class of vehicles with their CLS-class.   The model has been a huge success with luxury car buyers.   Volkswagen followed up in 2008 with the CC, bringing the 4-door coupe to more people with a far lower price than the Mercedes.   The American car companies do not have a vehicle in this class, and for General Motors to be a full line vehicle manufacturer a 4-door flagship coupe would be a nice addition to Buick's portfolio of vehicles.  

Development costs for the new Riviera would be relatively low because General Motors already has many components already developed.  There current long wheelbase Epsilon II architecture is a stiff platform and offers the flexibility of either front or all wheel drive.  The new Riviera would be powered by new LFX 3.6 liter V-6 with direct injection and 6-speed automatic.  This engine produces 303 horsepower in the 2012 LaCrosse.  For drivers who wanted a high mileage stylish coupe, an eAssist model could also be offered.  Currently, the eAssist LaCrosse gets 26 mpg city/37 highway.  An eAssist Riv would do similarly well depending on the weight differences between the Riviera and LaCrosse.

The major development costs for General Motors would be the exterior and interior styling of the car.  A Riviera must be the most beautiful of all Buicks.   As a four-door coupe, it would need a sloping roofline that would give the car a sleeker appearance.  The interior would be more luxurious than that of the LaCrosse, offering more standard equipment such as standard leather and MyLink touch screen Infotainment.   As the flagship, it should also offer features that are not available on any other Buick car.

Volkswagen CC VR6 4Motion

General Motors recently released a statement saying that the market will drive new models instead of the unions.   There is a market for a four door coupe in this price range.   The Volkswagen CC currently has no competition at it's price point.  A four door Riviera coupe could compete with the Volkswagen CC with a price beginning at an estimated $35,000 and rise to $45,000 for a fully loaded model with all wheel drive.  While the Riviera would never be the best selling car in the GM stable, it's styling would increase showroom traffic to Buick dealers, bringing increased sales across the brand and give Buick a flagship car to help continue to improve the image of Buick in the minds of consumers at little development cost.