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2004 Buick Velite Concept

The Buick Velite is a concept car from GM’s Buick division. The concept was a two-door, four-seat, rear-drive convertible/roadster.

2004 Buick Velite Concept Overview
Body style: two-door coupe/convertible
Classification: sports car
Driveline: longtitudinally-mounted front engine, rear-wheel drive
Construction: unibody
Manufacturer: Bertone
Designer: Buick (General Motors)
Architecture: GM Zeta platform
Related vehicles: Holden Commodore VE and VF Pontiac G8 Chevrolet SS Sedan Chevrolet Camaro (5th gen) Buick Park Avenue Holden Caprice"

2004 Buick Velite Concept Exterior 009

The Buick Velite concept was designed by Buick and built by Italian coach builder Bertone. The brand described the concept as having “restrained extravagance”. The vehicle introduced historic Buick styling cues into the 21st century in a way that will be seen on all modern Buick models going forward, including the “waterfall” front grill and triple fender portholes.

2004 Buick Velite Concept Exterior 010

“Velite is a new expression of Buick’s longstanding heritage in understated, yet sophisticated design,” said Anne Asensio, Executive Director GM Advanced Design. “While certainly an expression of premium American style, the Velite’s impressive stance and overall presence emphasize a sumptuous driving experience that further pushes Buick on to the center of the world stage of luxurious touring cars.”

2004 Buick Velite Concept Exterior 001

The Velite concept is underpinned by GM’s Zeta platform. The concept served as GM’s first demonstration of the architecture in the United States. Other vehicles used by the platform include:

  • Holden Commodore
  • Pontiac G8
  • Chevrolet SS Sedan
  • Fifth-generation Chevrolet Camaro
  • Buick Park Avenue (Chinese market)
  • Holden Caprice

It was originally speculated that the Velite used GM’s Kappa platform, which was the basis for the Pontiac Solstice and the Saturn Sky roadsters. However, this is not the case.

The engine seen in the Velite Concept is an experimental twin-turbocharged 3.6L V6 rated at 400 horsepower (300 kW) and mated to a 6 speed automatic transmission. The engine was a precursor to GM’s first production twin-turbo 3.6L V-6 engines that debuted ten years later — the LF3 and LF4.

Buick publicly revealed the Velite concept on Tuesday, April 6th, 2004, in conjunction with the start of the 2004 New York International Auto Show.

The Velite concept never saw production, and Buick never received a two-door vehicle outside of the Cascada convertible. Instead, the various styling cues seen in the concept came to light in various Buick production vehicles, including the Lucerne, LaCrosse, Regal, and Enclave.

Buick Velite Concept 003

Twelve years after revealing the Buick Velite concept, Buick revealed another concept with the Velite name that was unrelated to the original concept.

See more on the 2016 Buick Velite concept.

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