NEW YORK — Buick has dusted off one of its classic nameplates — Invicta — for a new concept luxury vehicle that will be formally unveiled in mid-April at the Beijing auto show.
General Motors says the Invicta was jointly developed at corporate design centers in China and North America — a pattern that could mark the future design direction of the Buick brand, which is expected to share more models between those two markets.
GM says the Invicta showcar continues the thread of the futuristic styling theme introduced last year on the Buick Riviera concept that was displayed at the Shanghai show. It borrows such signature Buick design cues as the chrome waterfall grille, portholes and "sweepspear" curving line that runs along the vehicle's flanks.
The Invicta name — Latin for "unconquerable" or "unvanquished" — was used briefly by Buick from 1959-'63 on an uplevel version of the big LeSabre, and was supplanted by the Wildcat. The Invicta brand also appeared on a series of British cars from 1925-'50, and more recently on a limited-edition British sports car called the S1.
What this means to you: The Wildcat name is pretty catchy, too, but probably doesn't convey the right image to Buick's target audience. — Paul Lienert, Correspondent
General Motors says the Invicta was jointly developed at corporate design centers in China and North America — a pattern that could mark the future design direction of the Buick brand, which is expected to share more models between those two markets.
GM says the Invicta showcar continues the thread of the futuristic styling theme introduced last year on the Buick Riviera concept that was displayed at the Shanghai show. It borrows such signature Buick design cues as the chrome waterfall grille, portholes and "sweepspear" curving line that runs along the vehicle's flanks.
The Invicta name — Latin for "unconquerable" or "unvanquished" — was used briefly by Buick from 1959-'63 on an uplevel version of the big LeSabre, and was supplanted by the Wildcat. The Invicta brand also appeared on a series of British cars from 1925-'50, and more recently on a limited-edition British sports car called the S1.
What this means to you: The Wildcat name is pretty catchy, too, but probably doesn't convey the right image to Buick's target audience. — Paul Lienert, Correspondent
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