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Reuss: Upcoming Buick Flagship Described As “Much More Beautiful Panamera”

Rumors of an upcoming full-size Cadillac flagship sedan have been rampantly circulating since the brand debuted the Ciel and Elmiraj concepts while GM was trademarking the LTS name. And when the flagship Caddy finally does arrive, likely in 2015, a Buick flagship will also surface.

Of the many things (besides a medium(ish)-duty pickup truck and next-gen Cruze hatchback) GM’s Mark Reuss revealed during a recent interview with Forbes was the possible direction for a flagship model for Buick. Reuss described the upcoming car as “a much more beautiful (Porsche) Panamera.”

If this vehicle is green-lit for production and makes it to showrooms, It’s unclear if it would utilize the same Omega vehicle architecture that will underpin Cadillac’s upcoming Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7 rival, which we believe will be called LTS.

To give us some sort of hint, however, was the Opel Monza Concept from Frankfurt. Pictured above, the rakish concept did have more of a rounded off hiney akin to the Panamera, and with gull-wing doors to boot. And with plans for Opel, Vauxhall and Buick to share more products going forward, the Monza Concept could very well be our first look at what’s to come.

Sam loves to write and has a passion for auto racing, karting and performance driving of all types.

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Comments

  1. Pretty much anything is a much more beautiful Panamera.

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  2. Hmmm…perhaps a car in the style of the Buick Riviera- /Opel Monza Concept!?
    Hope that such a car will also be available as an Opel in Europe…perhaps not as a luxury Porsche competitor but a sporty semi premium Audi A5/ A7 competitor.

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  3. Hope it doesn’t step on the toes of the caddy. And ” a more beautiful panamera?” Anything is more beautiful than a panamera, even the crappy little civics and Toyotas we have on the road today

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  4. Like I have been saying here for a while, we have really yet to see much from GM on the new Buick products and many will be surprised at what they will see.

    The products will not step on Cadillac as they will lack a little more content and the styling will be appealing in a much different way.

    While the Nox and Terrain are similar the styling is appeal to two very diverse groups. The lower content while still well optioned will also hold the price down to appeal to that middle segment.

    I hate the Panamera too but they are selling a ton of them so someone has to like them. Either way I see the styling as being Sporty but with some Upscale is the point Mark is trying to get across. The CTS is more Upscale with some Sportiness.

    Either way the Buick will appeal to those who want less hard edges and lines.

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  5. Hope it’s not a hatchback, IMO hatchback executives & luxury cars just don’t work. Make it a saloon.

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  6. It will most certainly have plenty of rear legroom and rear seat amenities. Wealthy Chinese like these kinds of things.

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  7. Not a fan of the Panamera, like most. In fact the only modern Porchse I like is the Cayman, and even still it’s ‘S’. But the Panamera Sport Turismo concept does look pretty dang good, or at least worlds better than the road going production version.

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  8. does this mean that the Buick flagship is going to be a Porsche?…I hope not. Porsches are to small.

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  9. @Rye Shelton
    The Panamera isn’t small, neither is the Omega platform. And no, it definitely isn’t going to be a Porsche shared platform, engine, etc.

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  10. I wounder how big the buick flagship is going to be

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  11. LTS IS a name. There is no reason for Cadillac to unearth tarnished gaudy names from the 60’s; it will only server to make Cadillac look weak.

    Besides, there’s a nomenclature to uphold in the range; barring the legacy Escalade.

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  12. LTS would be a meaningful name, as it fits with the range AND with the segment it would repersent. I mean, when you’re trying to stand toe to toe with the S-class, there is no reason to alienate yourself by being called “Biarritz”. It’s suicide and Cadillac would be laughed out of the segment.

    Besides, the new nomenclature reflects the new upright formal approach that A&S launched in 2002. There is no reason to damage Cadillac with a name that reminds people of whitewalls, opera windows, landau roofs, fins, and leopard skin bench seats.

    That was old Cadillac, and if you want a names that badly, I suggest you check out a used car lot that may have a mid 90’s Fleetwood.

    There is no reason to make the LTS hearken back to “the good old days” because the period of the mid 50’s to 2002 was polluted with Cadillac’s worst products. There is NO REASON to contaminate the present with junk from the past, that includes the names.

    Why would anyone want Cadillac to look regressive, backwards, and slovenly when they’ve spent 11 years growing with the CTS and it’s established name?

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  13. The new Buick will be a larger car but do not expect Duce and a Quarter big as those days are long over.

    I suspect the Omega will be from CTS size to Zeta size platform. Large cars today are about what Mid Size was in the 70’s.

    Generally people today want like a larger comfortable cars but they do not want massive as the past. Also GM wants to keep weight down too.

    While the LTS may be a good sized car I kind of think the Buick flag ship will just be a little smaller, lower and sportier.

    Buick will become what Pontiac could have been at a price few would have paid for a Pontiac. Instead of pretending to be Euro styled they will be Euro quality cars from Buick. The joining of Opel will insert some real Euro tuning and heritage.

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  14. Of course I’ve looked all over the Elmiraj, and all I saw was a thoroughly contemporary car, and the foremost execution of A&S by Welburn and his team.

    If you think the Elmiraj was ‘inspired’ by those old heaps, there were are the traits of those piece of trash? Where are the fins? The whitewalls? The bustleback? The landau roofs? The console shifter? The bench seats? Where are those worthless styling fearures that “conjures the glory of past Cadillacs”? They certainly aren’t on the Elmiraj, and it moved more people to “build it GM” comment than an pink Eldorado could.

    None of that whory old styling junk made it to the Elmiraj because Weburn knows the difference between 2013 and 1953; what cheapened Cadillac back then mustn’t be allowed to ruin Cadillac today. When the LTS arrives, none of those horrible reminders of the past will make it to production.

    Why anyone would hold up the cars from the 1950’s as a benchmark of cars today is beyond me. Such people are unfit to own an A&S Cadillac, let alone anyone contemporary luxury car from any automaker.

    I wonder if Mercedes has fans that are crying about the 1950’s as much some people do about Cadillac. Funny how Mercedes can pride itself on making its best cars today, whereas some can’t conceive of a Cadillac built today that would thoroughly outgun a Cadillac from the 1950’s.

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  15. Know your place, socially and automotively.

    If you object to that, then find some evidence about Weburn and Eldorado. If you haven’t any, then you really are powerless.

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  16. Andrew notes “The Panamera isn’t small”.

    Actually, the Panamera is a stretch Porsche.

    Still making it look like one despite moving the engine to the front, is quite a feat of the designers.

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  17. Rye Shelton wonders “how big the buick flagship is going to be”.

    My take: as long as the Enclave, but not as high.

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  18. Yeah, you are done here. You can’t point the dated styling cues (because there aren’t any), let alone find me any citation of Welburn; just defaulting to his subordinates.

    Welburn’s word on the car dictated it’s form; I’ve asked you to get Welburn’s word on this, and you haven’t done so. I don’t see why Dean has a word on this, and it’s certainly not helping your case, however flimsy it is.

    I suppose next you’ll be trying to convince me that the Elmiraj is ‘retro’ since it has such a “strong connection” to a 1967 heap of trash.

    Still, it’s a nice way for you weasel out of a discussion you had no way of supporting yourself with.

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  19. Square halogens of the day are not the cast and drawn HID+LED’s of today. You’re really reaching with that one. Same with stamping creases on past trash. A thin and frail crease isn’t going to make anybody remember anything. Nobody I spoke with got that much from looking at the Elmiraj. Everything they saw was this century, not Googie architecture.

    Keep ’em coming, because you sure as hell didn’t deliver last time. You’re the one asserting that the Elmiraj has traces of trash in its otherwise fantastic bodywork, and you’re not putting any food on the table.

    You’re no industrial designer. You’re powerless.

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  20. I see the LTS is arriving in 2015 as 2016…I wounder when the buick flagship is going to arrive and if its going to be on the omega or not.

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  21. German paper “AutoBild” mentioned some months ago that there will be a fastback version of the next generation Opel Insignia which will be positioned between Audi A5 and A7. Perhaps this is what we will see as a Buick/Opel “Panamera”-style car…

    http://www.autobild.de/artikel/opel-und-vw-zukunft-4396024.html

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  22. Observer7 says that the new Buick flagship is going to be as long as the Buick Enclave but not as high….its got to be bigger than the Lacrosse since it is going to be positioned above the Lacrosse and since the Lacrosse has poor trunk space…it would be a good idea for the new flagship to have good cabin and trunk space.

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  23. Let it step on LTSs yours. Vertical luxury competition means bigger profits for GM.
    The auto world should learn a big lesson from Kia/Hun when it comes to the huge profits to be gain from vertical internal competition.
    In todays fragmented auto market Sloan`s latter is dead. GM would be wise to simply redskin similar designs on par with Optima and Sonata, except in this case with luxury touches. This way, GM can target very different demos with only a small investment.

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  24. There is a rumor that we will not get next gen Insignia. Instead, the modular platform would be common but each design would wear different skin, and be sized differently.
    Insignia can not be larger than LaCrosse; a flagship can not be smaller. Maybe the car will bee sized differently for each market given the flexibility of modular.

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  25. Do you think Buick will make a Omega full-size flagship?….I see the LTS is going to be about 205 inches long maybe the Buick Omega can be just a little smaller…..about the Impala or XTS size with differint styles.

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  26. I don’t know but doubt it. An Impala sized flagship puts it in conflict with La Crosse, which should be shrunk but won’t.
    I’ve read the flagship would rIde on Alpha. Not sure if I believe this do to cost issues but who knows?

    Then again, there are now rumors that next gen Holden Commodore will be FWD. I’m convinced that this car will somehow work its way into Buick this time outside of China.

    GM is on its way to a “One” strategy like Ford in terms of how the regional brands are being linked. This should be interesting.

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  27. Alpha would be too small for a flagship…I hard the the next generation Buick Regal is going to ride on Alpha.

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  28. Why can’t Buick just build a full-size Omega flagship with different styles and engines than the LTS.

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  29. Not if they shrink Lacrosse. Remember, Lacrosse was intended to cover two segments, midsized and large because the car debuted before Regal.
    To properly fight Lexus and Acura, Lacrosse needs to lose a few inches which would then allow for a Buick flagship the same size as CTS, and be RWD on Alpha.
    The car does not need to be huge and would be positioned one slot below Chinese Park Ave which is a popular executive car.

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  30. I do not buy that…..the CTS size is alittle too small..why do Buick has to be so small.

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  31. the Alpha is not for flagships…200 inches long would be good for a Buick flagship…and than they can shrink the Lacrosse…maybe 4 or 5 inches.

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  32. Alpha can only go upto 195 inches long… for them to have the Buick flagship on Alpha..they would have to shrink the Lacrosse about 10 inches…smaller than the Regal……I just do not buy that at all.

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  33. Alpha can stretch at least 195 feet, putting it within range of you 200 foot quote. Alpha has been linked to Opel Monza, as well any future Buiuck GNX/Grand National by this site. Also, a few years ago Motor Trend wrote a article on Alpha linking it to a future Buick.
    The era of huge Buick Park Ave sedans has passed. There is no market, it would be a money looser. The cars would serve as NYC taxis replacing the Town Car.

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  34. Also, it is predicted that Alpha will be used for the next Holden Commodore range which currently serves as the Chinese Buick flagship. ://gmauthority.com/blog/gm/gm-platforms/alpha/
    Here Monza is discussed on Alpha, as well as other possibilities. All are big enough for a modern flagship as defined by the Japanese luxury brands.

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  35. LTS sound like a disease, reminds me of ALS, and I’m not trying to be a glib jerk.

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  36. I’m all right with a 200 inch long Alpha Buick flagship……the park avenue is about 205 inches long and your right it is a little too huge and it’s also a gas pig….200 inches is not that huge if it’s efficient…modern flagships can be large better and efficient at the same time….but not as large as the park ave.

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  37. Why is Buick referring to the Porsche soloon sedan as a Buick flagship…I think the Porsche soloon is ugly…what about a large hatchback like sedan with a bigger trunk… the trunk on the Porsche sedan looks vary small. I don’t think the Porsche sedan fits as a Buick flagship…it can be sort like it but not as small. I think the Porsche sedan is a better fit for the Grand National.

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  38. A larger sleeker Porsche Panamara with a bigger truck… is more like it for the Buick flagship.

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  39. GM will next build two unique Buick cars for NA. GNX will be the flagship, and will attain such status not from size but, instead, from its speed and RWD platform.
    A flag ship plus GNX would just be too much unless they plan to drop La Crosse, and only sell Regal (Insignia) in Europe…a rumor that I don’t believe. That many sedans plus Cascada which is currently being Federalized, would be to large a line up.
    Buick flagship was talked about long before Omega platform. I would love to see it used but Monza is already on Alpha

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  40. Porche Panamera is 195.7 inches long. GM will not build two unique Buick cars for NA. GNX will be the flagship, and will attain such status not from size (195 inches) but, instead, from its speed and RWD platform. Seems like Mark uses the ters halo and flagship interchangably.
    A flag ship plus GNX would just be too much unless they plan to drop La Crosse, and only sell Regal (Insignia) in Europe…a rumor that I don’t believe. That many sedans plus Cascada which is currently being Federalized, would be to large a line up and to expensive for the company.
    Buick flagship was talked about long before Omega platform. I would love to see it used but Monza is already on Alpha

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  41. GNX do not sound like a flagship at all GNX is just a mid-sized RWD performance car…. I just do not buy that.

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  42. GNX will never appeal to anyone under 50; its another bad memory like Regal and Rivera.
    Does the size of a flagship change over time? Do you consider Pandamera flagship material at 195.7 inches? Since Mark compares the Buick to the Porsche, we can assume they will be about the same size.
    Where is Mark going to get money for a line up this big? (This isn’t the 1980s, Caddy only sells 5 cars currently.) Lexus sells nine, but rumored Buicks (Anthem, Cascada, Adam, which this site says could be federalized faster due to new varient) bring us up to an already huge line up.

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  43. That would make the flagship smaller than the Lacrosse and be more cramped the flagship being that size doe’s not look good…what’s wrong with it being the impala or XTS size.

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    1. I’m just taking what the man said at face value. Panamera is 195, same size as Alpha, and he is comparing the two
      cars.
      Secondly, this site and Motor Trend have linked GNX, Monza and Rivera to Alpha.
      Lastly, a car in that design mode over 200 feet would be ugly!
      There is still debate about Buick getting Omega. The logic is probably that both divisions would lose money on such a large car.

      Reply
  44. @Stephen Marcus
    He said nothing in regards to size compared the Panamera, he was talking body shape and aesthetics.

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  45. True that, he did not need to.
    Monza like car is clearly what he’s talking about considering the greenhouse and Porche like rear, and we know the platform used on that concept.

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  46. does that mean the future buick flagship is going to look like a porsch panamara??? ……the front does not look sleek at all.

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  47. if it look like the porsch panamara……stretch it…make the font hood shorter and make the front A-piller sleeker and longer.

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  48. the front A-piller of the Opel Monza and Buick Riviara concept look vary good….much better looking than the Porsch panamra’s

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  49. than I can say a much more beautifull Porsch Panamara.

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  50. You may want to talk to people who have bought Buicks for years…. we want a Lexus Ls460 size car for our families, I’m 41 and teaching my kids family values and the importance of spending time together, its amazing how all the American car builder have gone to these mid sized cars, hell family is still priority 1. I have a BMW 7 series and a Audi A8L. I want my Town Car back and my Buick Roadmaster back..

    Reply
    1. The Roadmaster fans now live in Rest Homes; the Town Car is now a cross over, and either that or a minivan is probably best for a family.
      Luxury cars makers love single people, or couples with small families.
      In fact, the disposable income this segment of the population holds makes then perfect buyers. This is why companies like BMW & Audi try to target same sex couples, for example, through publications like The Advocate.
      The new Town Car or even Buick Enclave would be great for your family.

      Reply

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