VIDEO: New photos, first commercial for China's new Buick Park Ave
Click image for high-res gallery
The new Buick Park Avenue was formally unveiled in Shanghai yesterday, and there's a lot of new media out in support of it. First off, clicking the image above will bring you to a high-res photo gallery of the Chinese-built Park Ave, which is based on Holden's long-wheelbase WM Stateman and Caprice. As the interior photos show, the cabin has been dressed up extensively, with tasteful use of wood on the wheel, dash and rear snack trays. As with the superb-looking Cadillac SLS, the Park Ave is geared toward the backseat passengers. The car's available engines are built at Holden's engine manufacturing facility in Victoria and shipped to China for installation. As you might have expected, Buick has called upon one Tiger Woods to star in the first television commercial for the new Park Ave. You can watch it after the jump, as well as read the latest press release.
[Source: GM]
Gallery: 2007 Buick Park Avenue (China)
Holden Expands Its Global Role
GM Holden today announced plans to export Global V6 engines to China. Two versions of the Global V6 engines will be fitted in the new Buick Park Avenue being built by Shanghai General Motors.
The new engine export program is expected to be worth several hundred million dollars to GM Holden over the next few years.
The Buick Park Avenue, unveiled to media in Shanghai last night, will utilise both the 3.6L V6 engine and a unique 2.8L V6, both being built at the GM Holden's state-of-the-art Engine Operations plant in Victoria.
The new Buick - which will be built at Shanghai GM's Jinqiao plant - is the first vehicle to go into production outside Australia utilising the global rear-wheel drive architecture developed by GM Holden. The vehicle will have an exterior based on the Holden Statesman with the interior completely redesigned by GM China to suit the local market.
GM Holden's specialist rear wheel drive engineering expertise has also been called upon to engineer the car to serve as a luxury limousine for rear seat passengers as distinct from the sports luxury, driver-orientated vehicle produced in Australia for domestic and export markets.
GM Holden Chairman and Managing Director, Denny Mooney, said, "The Buick Park Avenue is another exciting step in the worldwide adoption of the global rear-wheel drive architecture developed here in Australia and is a valuable export program for GM Holden in the world's fastest growing auto market.
"Our engine export program generated over $570 million in revenue in 2006 alone and this will be a further boost to this key area of our business.
"With today's announcement of these engine exports to Shanghai GM, our engine production plant in Victoria is supplying customers in markets as diverse as Italy, South Korea, Germany, Thailand, South Africa, Sweden and China.
"Australia's role in the forthcoming Chevrolet Camaro for the US market, and now the Buick Park Avenue for China, underlines how Australian design and engineering expertise is playing a lead role in General Motor's worldwide vehicle production."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
stephentur 1:17PM (4/11/2007)
Love that Aussie platform!!!!
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Namir 1:18PM (4/11/2007)
Wow, aside from the hideous Buick badge that thing doesn't look half bad. Maybe I do have something to look forward too when I'm too old to wipe my own butt.
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beken 1:21PM (4/11/2007)
This is a nice looking car. There are a few things I could nit pick about but I won't do it here, except for one. This care being marketted in China, why are all the buttons and switches labelled in English?
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Dave 1:26PM (4/11/2007)
Theres no way Cadillac would let Buick sell this cart in the US. Too bad. This is exactly what Buick neds to get younger customers.This car totally fits with Lutz's plan to make Buick "Lexus like"
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Gregg W. 1:21PM (4/11/2007)
Good looking Buick. Of course nothing like that would sell in the States...we luv re-badged, FWD, fleet clones...zzzzzz
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mojojojo 1:21PM (4/11/2007)
That is one nice looking Buick! I can see Buick having a Cadillac-like turnaround with cars like this in North America.
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paul34 1:26PM (4/11/2007)
Plus, you can tell from the interior shots that this is obviously for Mr. Big Corporate Man to ride around in while a servant occupies the driver seat.
Definitely not anything American when looked at in that regard. China just doesn't work like the US.
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John P. 1:29PM (4/11/2007)
First Buick I like since I saw a 1965 Buick Wildcat. Why Oh why don't they sell that here NOW!
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iamhoff 1:29PM (4/11/2007)
First of all, I'm with Beken...are all the cars sold in China (hell, Japan, Germany, etc.) equipped with controls and buttons labeled in Engrish? Just seems kinda funny. Anyhoo...
Once again, a car that could and should replace its US counterpart. I especially like the clean front end. I don't care for Buick's current US waterfall grilles, and the combo of that grille with the oversized 7 series headlights and minimal chrome looks tight. And the interior! That back seat wouldn't look out of place in the back of the LS 460L or the 760 Li. Why GM (and Ford) oh why don't we get the cool cars here in America? I guess GM is taking steps, with the G8, but some of the Caddys and Buicks that make it to China should be coming here. You can have the Fusion and 500/Taurus...I'll happily replace 'em with the Mondeo and Falcon. Hell, even the Oz-land Camry looks better than the one here. We ARE the car-crazed country of the world. We should have the coolest stuff, dammit!
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Hamud 1:35PM (4/11/2007)
Holy mother of god, this car looks awesome, loved the interior, just fu...ing great.
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Bob 2:08PM (4/11/2007)
Words I never thought would come out of my mouth: That is one good looking Buick.
Hell, that's just one good looking car, regardless of brand. Kudos to the folks at Buick China. Heavy whack on the skull to Buick USA for not being able to figure this out on their own.
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proclive 2:01PM (4/11/2007)
I once thought that BUICK meant Bought Under Influence of Crack, Ketamine, but after seeing this I would buy it.
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AJ 2:01PM (4/11/2007)
I like the English labels on the dash center. Are you sure this is for China?
AJ
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dave 2:10PM (4/11/2007)
Damn ... slap four rings on it and call it the next A6. That's too good for GM.
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A_Hood 2:25PM (4/11/2007)
How come we can't get cars like this in the States.
We get the boring FWD cars.
That's it I'm moving to China.
Not, wouldn't dare give up my uncensored internet.
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Dennisctc 2:35PM (4/11/2007)
A_Hood...I couldn't agree more!! Why don't we get decent cars in the US?? Ford has their new Mondeo that looks incredible, now this Buick???
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mike355f1 2:40PM (4/11/2007)
English is the international business language, hence it makes it a lot easier then hiring a bunch of translators- in addition to the mess it would create in buying used cars. Its a great Australian/American design, but with a price of 75k US dollars, i'd go for BMW/Benz.
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Armen 2:41PM (4/11/2007)
So is it just me or do those headlights look like the ones on the 7 Series?
And what could GM possibly be thinking for not bringing this car to the US?????
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riverhead 2:42PM (4/11/2007)
The Commodore came here at the Pontiac G8. I would buy that before a 5 Series (even though I own a 3 Series). GM, why can't the Stateman and/or Caprice come here as a Buick Park Ave? I would buy that before a 7 Series. Boomers want something with a little more oomph ... know what I mean? Turn a Commodore into a Buick Regal while you're at it.
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Sean Cahill 2:51PM (4/11/2007)
Wow... I'd actually rock a Buick! I never thought I'd say that.
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