Buick Avista Concept Is A Rear Wheel Drive Grand Tourer

Ahead of the North American International Auto Show this week, Buick unveiled its latest concept coupe model, the Avista. Bearing the design hallmarks of its previous Avenir concept, the Avista marries a striking contemporary visual with high powered sports performance under a single 2+2 grand tourer roof. Aside from its highly modern cockpit befitting a concept coupe, the Avista is also interesting for being the first rear wheel drive car to come from Buick's mostly front wheel driven stable in a very long time.

That RWD is provided by a 3.0-litter 400 horsepower twin-turbo V-6 engine from General Motors. It is the said to be the same Alpha platform used in the Chevy Camaro and Cadillac ATS and CTS. The engine features start-stop as well as cylinder deactivation or Active Fuel Management for power and fuel efficiency. Paired with the engine is GM's Magnetic Ride Control as well as an eight-speed automatic transmission for delivering more precise control over body motion.

In terms of design, the Avista carries over the Avenir's "flowing" design, with an uninterrupted line from front to back, without any B-pillars to break the appearance of motion. Lamps both on the front and the rear have discernible "halos" that suggest a three dimensional shape. Despite the luxurious facade, the Buick Avista is also designed for action, with a 110.7-inch wheelbase and 63-inch and 62.9-inch tracks, front and rear, respectively.

Inside, the interior of the concept coupe also adheres to that flowing character. Perhaps that is nowhere more evident than in the driver's cockpit, with a touch sensitive cockpit that extends to the rear seating area and a widescreen instrument panel display.

For now, Buick has not yet revealed any intent to bring the Avista concept into production, though there might be few pieces of it here and there that will make it into the production line. So in the meantime, the only place to see it will be at the NAIAS 2016.