Spy Shots: 2010 Buick LaCrosse caught completely uncovered

John Neff — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:26:00 EST

Though the newish Buick Enclave has received plenty of accolades, it's the right vehicle at the wrong time for GM's smallest brand. The other two vehicles in Buick's lineup - the LaCrosse mid-size sedan and Lucerne large sedan - might better appeal to gas-conscious buyers than a large CUV, but they're far from leaders in their segment. A new LaCrosse, however, will reportedly be arriving as a 2010 model. Car and Driver just published these spy shots of a pre-production model caught with its camouflage pants down, and they reveal its design will borrow heavily from the Invicta Concept that was revealed at this year's Beijing Motor Show. That's not a bad thing, as the Invicta is a fetching sedan that went over well with the Chinese crowds. And while we could be mislead by the grainy quality of these spy shots, we swear there are two rows of portholes on the hood.

The '10 LaCrosse will likely arrive atop GM's Epsilon II platform that also underpins the upcoming Insignia and will next find its way to the '11 Saturn Aura and '12 Chevy Malibu. Engine choices are anyone's guess, but don't expect another V8 Super model. We guess the next-gen LaCrosse will get a smattering of four- and six-cylinder engines, the smaller of which could employ turbocharging and direct injection. Also check out C&D's pics of the new LaCrosse interior, which looks like a smaller version of a Cadillac CTS interior. Since we know have pictorial evidence of preproduction prototypes this far along, it's safe to assume that Buick will debut the 2010 LaCrosse during the upcoming auto show season. Our bet's on January debut at the Detroit Auto Show.

Gallery: Beijing '08: Buick Invicta Concept

[Source: Caranddriver.com via Jalopnik]

Spy Shots: 2010 Buick LaCrosse caught completely uncovered originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Spy Shots: 2010 Buick LaCrosse

John Neff — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 12:26:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedan, Buick

click above image for more spy shots of the 2010 Buick LaCrosse

Despite a heavy rotation of security guards protecting the identity of this test car, Priddy photographer Chris Doane managed to snap it during one of one its brief public outings in an undisclosed location. It's the 2010 Buick LaCrosse, a car that's extremely important for Buick, which is down to a lineup of just three vehicles (LaCrosse, Lucerne and Enclave). It's also an important car for GM, as the 2010 LaCrosse will be the first vehicle sold in the U.S. on the new Epsilon II platform, a chassis that will eventually underpin the next generation Saturn Aura and Chevy Malibu. But Buick's getting the new platform first, and will no doubt make a splash with this all-new vehicle when it arrives in 2009 and a 2010 model.

Though heavily covered, we can see through the mesh obscuring the front end to see a grille not unlike the one worn by the Enclave CUV. With the Enclave enjoying critical acclaim and sales success, it's no surprise that Buick will be trying to repeat the formula in its mid-size sedan. Also note the roof, which is dominated by an oversized sunroof with two sections.

We're unsure what engine was powering this test vehicle, but dual exhaust pipes hint at something hot. While it could be a V8, we're betting it's the 3.6L V6, most likely with direct injection. In the new Cadillac CTS, this engine puts out over 300 HP. Doane reported the test car was plenty quick, so this scenario seems likely, but expect the 3.6L DI V6 to be detuned a bit for duty in the LaCrosse. Can't have a FWD Buick encroaching on the territory of Cadillac's RWD sport sedan, now can we?

[Source: Chris Doane for Brenda Priddy & Company]

Gallery: 2010 Buick LaCrosse - spy shots

Spy Shots: 2010 Buick LaCrosse originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 Sep 2007 12:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments