While the Chevrolet brand showed off the new Cruze hatchback and the production Bolt EV, the Buick brand went with a high performance concept to draw people to their display in Cobo Hall – and it worked.
In a year where we didn’t see a great many performance vehicle debuts in Detroit, the Buick Avista Concept was one of the hottest cars on the floor even with only limited information.
Before getting into the pictures and the scant details, keep in mind that the Buick Avista is purely a concept car and while we could (hopefully) see a production version someday – this concept car appears to be a bit too “auto show glam” for the assembly line.
General Motors amplifies the fact that it isn’t a production-ready vehicle by only offering up the basic details, but those details combined with the stylish exterior are more than enough to peak my interest.
Most importantly, the Buick Avista is powered by a new 3.0L V6 twin turbo V6 that is promised to deliver 400 horsepower to the rear wheels via an 8-speed automatic transmission. We also know that the Avista Concept has the latest version of the company’s Magnetic Ride Control suspension setup and the massive carbon ceramic brakes, both of which are shared with the Chevrolet Camaro.
It should be noted that this gorgeous Buick coupe is based on the Alpha platform of the Camaro and it shares the same wheelbase, front track and rear track dimensions as the Chevy muscle car (110.7 WB, 63 FT, 62.9 RT), giving it the same aggressive stance as the 6th gen Camaro in SS form.
Some people are griping that this is just a dressed up Camaro and to some extent, they are right – but the Buick Avista shows that GM is at least considering a sporty coupe for the Buick brand in the future.
Based just on this concept, the future of Buick could hold something that will almost certainly score younger buyers while also giving the older buyers a premium performance coupe with upscale finishes inside and out to what we find on the Camaro.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
