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Car & Driver Visualizes 2015 Buick Grand National, GNX

In its list of 25 Cars Worth Waiting For during 2014-2017, Car & Driver mentions the return of two storied nameplates to the Buick brand. These names recall fantastic performance — faster than even the Corvette at that time. They are, of course, the Grand National and GNX.

GM Authority was the first to report the trademark filings where General Motors applied to renew the monikers, singling the automaker’s intent to bring the Grand National and GNX back. And from the looks of things, the new models will follow their bloodlines, with rear-wheel-drive, and a turbocharged V6 engine.

This is because General Motors has the hardware to make the cars possible. The Alpha architecture — which may not do so well as a B-segment performance platform — is a fantastic basis for anything requiring RWD, amazing balance, and relatively low weight. And while Alpha is first being used on the Cadillac ATS, it will also serve as the building block for the 2014 Cadillac CTS, and eventually the 2015/2016 sixth-generation Chevrolet Camaro. It will also be the Alpha platform that underpins the 2015 Buick Grand National and GNX, if Car & Driver’s predictions are accurate.

There’s also the new twin-turbo 3.6L V6 “LF3” engine that will debut in the Cadillac CTS VSport, and eventually the impending ATS-V. In the CTS VSport, the boosted six-banger is expected to push 420 horsepower to the crank, making it easy to visualize something along those lines in a sinister black Buick GNX, with turbos spooling up within a cloud of tire smoke in the middle of an empty parking lot.

Former staff.

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Comments

  1. Is this news confirmation of old rumours? It kind of seems like C&D is just late to the rumour mill game on this.

    Didn’t realize Mark Reuss was a legacy at GM.

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  2. The illustration looks great, but I can not stand the cutout, or insert, below the headlights.

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  3. Six American nameplates out of 25 is all we get from C&D????

    The 2014 Corvette doesn’t get in yet the 2014 Acura MDX does????

    Somethings reverse threaded about their thinking.

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  4. Reply
  5. MichaelW, Sweet thx… Casey is good…

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  6. @Manoli Katakis 2nd time I’ve read that the Alpha platform doesn’t size well for B segment cars. I was looking up the specs on the Cruze, and despite it being front wheel drive, it’s external specs are nearly identical to the ATS. So why couldn’t a two door small (it’s already small) car work on this platform? Sorry for the dumb question. Just curious 🙂

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    1. If you’re referring to the small sports car aimed to compete with the FRS/BRZ riding on the Alpha architecture, think smaller. The ATS wheelbase is 190″ and I know the Cruze is a few inches smaller, 106″ maybe.
      I know the FRS has a 101″ wheel base, and the Merc SLK is riding on a 95″. This small car GM/ Mark Reuss is talking about would be in the 100″ ranging; half a foot shorter wheel base.

      As for a Cruze coupe, yea that could obviously work no problem on the Cruze platform.
      But the idea for the little sports car is to be RWD. If GM went ahead with a FWD car to compete with the FRS they would be laughed at relentlessly.

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  7. The DX22 is out of the question as do make it a RWD would bring so many short comings and would cost as much to convert to RWD as doing a propose dedicated RWD chassis.

    Second Buick should have never stated Grand National for the new car as it will be a much different car than the original. This car will be more a Lexus, Acura killer than 1/4 mile killer.

    Yes Mark grew up as a GM brat as did many of the other people now in charge. Cheryl Pilcher head of the Camaro also is a GM brat too. They know and love GM and want to do more than anything to be the ones who bring GM back to where it should be.

    I like the illustration and hope this is bases on some reality. Also do a coupe on this as a Riviera and you would have a nice 1 2 punch.

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  8. Not to point out the 4 door sedan in the room but shouldn’t the GNX and the grand national be a 2 door coupe? as per tradition?

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    1. That is why I say they should not consider using either name as the new cars are not going to represent the old ones other than being RWD and Turbocharges.

      This car even with two doors is a different animal pure and simple.

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  9. I’m not to fond of the overly creased body contours and the cutout under the headlight is sort of Encore-ish. Do like how the wheels fill up the openings though. I think this needs a different name as this tends to spoil the legend/heritage of the previous models.

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  10. I can completely understand why they used those visually appealing Opel Adam wheels.

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  11. I like the design shown on the Car & Driver site and I don’t mind the four doors either. Coupes don’t sell as well as they used to, even though guys like me would like more of ’em out there. I think as long as we get a rear-wheel-drive Grand National and GNX, we’ll get a good car worth buying. I would like to see more Riviera in the face though because, c’mon, that concept car was killer lookin’….. Also, three fender vents…… A Grand National and GNX might eat into Cadillac ATS sales though, and maybe a bit of Chevy’s sales too. They’re both risky cars to do these days, but I think they’d be worth trying for at least a couple of years because GM cares about what we say and knows what we want.

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  12. Love the idea…bring some performance excitement to Buick…Grand National and GNX were exciting vehicles back in the day

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