2014 Buick LaCrosse, Regal and Regal GS Take the Stage in the Shadows of the Highline.
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By Larry Nutson
Senior Editor, New York Bureau
The Auto Channel
On the eve of the 2013 New York Auto Show media preview days taking place at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, auto writers gathered in old New York’s Meatpacking District for an early look at the redesign of two Buick sedans. When redesigned in 2009, the Buick LaCrosse set the stage for Buick’s sedan lineup that we know today. LaCrosse has served as the style leader and innovator for the brand, with a design that blends classic Buick cues with elegant flowing lines and premium interior materials. It introduced a number of segment firsts, from HiPer Strut suspension technology to the industry-exclusive 36-mpg eAssist technology. As a result, more than 500,000 LaCrosses have been sold around the world since its introduction.
Following on the heels of LaCrosse, the introduction of the Buick Regal and Regal GS marked yet another important milestone in Buick’s resurgence on the global stage. Regal heralded the return of a storied nameplate and expanded consumer options, delivering vehicles that blended the design elegance of a Buick paired with driving dynamics of a European-inspired midsize sedan. Regal has brought new customers into the Buick showroom with a conquest rate higher than 45 percent, and consistently delivered the lowest average age customer in the Buick portfolio.
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The full-size LaCrosse offers new interior and exterior design cues, advanced safety technologies and enhanced in-vehicle connectivity. New front and rear styling, featuring signature wing-shape LED daytime running lamps and LED wraparound tail lamps, complements its sculpted exterior design. The interior is more contemporary, with new seats, enhanced materials, redesigned central instrument panel and console – and an all-new, available Ultra Luxury Interior Package. The cabin also incorporates Buick’s next-generation IntelliLink infotainment system, with intuitive controls and natural voice recognition.
New radar- and camera-based safety features help surround the new LaCrosse with protection. They include Side Blind Zone Alert, Lane Change Alert, Lane Departure Warning, Forward Collision Alert, Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Automatic Collision Preparation. GM’s patented Safety Alert Seat works with these features, providing seat vibration pulses indicating the direction of a potential crash threat.
Adaptive Cruise Control is also offered. It senses traffic in front of the LaCrosse to adjust vehicle speed, including stopping the vehicle in heavy traffic and accelerating again.
“We evolved the interior and exterior design, increased luxury amenities and materials, and enhanced the safety and personal technologies to give customers more reasons than ever to rediscover Buick,” said Tony DiSalle, U.S. vice president of Buick Marketing.
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The new Regal also introduces new radar- and camera-based safety features – including Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Lane Change Alert, Side Blind Zone Alert, Lane Departure Warning, Forward Collision Alert and Collision Mitigation Braking – for surround protection. In-vehicle connectivity is enhanced with next-generation IntelliLink, featuring simpler, more intuitive controls and natural speech recognition.
Adaptive Cruise Control is also offered. It senses traffic in front of the Regal to adjust vehicle speed, including stopping the vehicle in heavy traffic and accelerating again.
“The new 2014 Regal is more expressive, more connected and more technologically advanced,” said Tony DiSalle, U.S. vice president of Buick Marketing. “Nearly half of new Regal buyers are conquests who are new to Buick and they represent the youngest median age among the brand’s lineup.
“The new Regal gives those discerning buyers more of the technologically advanced features they want in a modern luxury sedan, all with the style and refinement they expect from Buick.”
New front and rear styling, with bold, signature wing-shape LED daytime running lamps and LED taillamps were designed to give Regal a more contemporary and premium presence. The interior features a redesigned central instrument panel and console along with a new fashion interior trim combination.
The new 2.0L turbo engine delivers 18 percent more horsepower in the Regal Turbo, for a greater feeling of on-demand power The available Haldex all-wheel-drive system helps make the most of traction in all driving conditions and also enhances the cornering capability of the Regal GS when driven in the GS mode of the Interactive Drive Control System.
© Larry Nutson
