Is this marketing madness, brand hubris, rejection of existing customers, or is Buick’s impending attempt to spin off Aviner as a “sub brand” for the 2018 model year smart business? Maybe all of the above. Details, not surprisingly, are scarce on what could simply be fully loaded vehicles with more chrome and different badges and floor mats. Actually it’s not “sub” (Buick’s description), but apparently intended to be priced above existing Buick models.
Avenir, French for “future,” is taken from an attractive concept sedan from 2015. That concept and this year’s Avista coupe concept — from which the new “sub-brand” borrows its grille pattern — have served as “guideposts for designers sketching and modeling Buick’s future.” (Are you asleep yet?)
“Through the first half of 2016, Buick has been the industry’s fastest-growing major international brand, and Avenir is key to future growth and delivering on the high expectations of new customers coming to our showrooms,” said Duncan Aldred, vice president of Global Buick Sales, Service and Marketing. “Avenir will be Buick’s signature. The highest expression of the luxury experiences we’re delivering now and in the future.”
Avenir vehicles will add “distinct” or is that clichéd touches, including a three-dimensional mesh grille, large-diameter wheels, and different trim finishes. Inside, Avenir models “will have unique seat details, modern trim materials and Avenir script identification.”
