Astra based. Looks pretty good to me.

http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2010/04...n-scooped.html

 

It seems like Buick is becoming the US/Chinese channel for Opel products? More power to 'em if thats the case. Maybe it would make a nice case for Mercury to do the same (with say some OZ ford products).

 

Do not bring that car here. It looks CHEAP on the inside. If Buick is really trying to go after Lexus, that'd be a shotgun to the foot.

Gorram what a lousy interior. The Cruze looks better than that. The center console is cheap plastic with no styling and just some random cupholders. The black parking brake boot just kinda sitting there as an afterthought next to the afterthought cup holders. The seats look like they're Korean, the dash doesn't get any nice touches or treatment (atleast the cruze gets matching fabric). CHEAP.

Outside is okay, but no more.

Do not bring that junk here.

 

Can't see the pics at work, so I'll reserve judgment on the car itself until later.

Having said that, Excelle is pronounced the same as Excel (a late '80s, early '90s Hyundai), but feels French when you read it. Neither of those are desirable traits for a Buick, IMO.

What's wrong with Buick Astra?

 

I dunno, I don't think it looks THAT bad on the inside. Kind of hard to tell by one shot, through the passenger window, with a large glare.

The exterior is what is kind of...weird. Wassup with the extra "A"-and-a-half pillar that holds the mirrors on?

 

Saturn Astra is what is wrong with it. Not that I like Excelle.

 

Absolutely right. Making the decision of the interior based on one badly taken photo makes little sense.

The extra A pillar window thing is a bit odd. But it is on the Astra.

 

I worry about the Buick design language carrying over on a vehicle of this size.

In pics, I really like the way the LaCrosse looks. However, I saw one close-up, in person, yesterday. Now, maybe it is just me, but the front look is rather overdone and busy. The short pug nosed grille, full of chrome, the chrome port holes on the hood, along with the shapes and shortness of the hood, give it a very overdone look.

It looks fine on the Enclave. I think the Enclave can get away with it easier, as it has more height to work with, so you don't get that squashed, pug nosed look.......... or at least not nearly as much so, with the bigger vehicle.

I don't know, maybe it's just me. I have not gotten to see one in person, here in small town USA, so I was surprised at how much I didn't like it........... vs the pictures.

 

My first thought was Neon when I saw it.

 

I, for one, would have bought (and still might buy, if the right opportunity arises) a Saturn Astra.

I'm looking forward to seeing the pics of this Buick version. I hope I like it.

 

I just looked at pictures of both the Saturn and Opel versions, I don't see it?

EDIT: I guess you're referring to the new 2010 Opel Astra. Looks weird on that too.

 

"From what we gather, we'll probably see the Chinese version of the car named the Buick Excelle making its world premiere at this month's Beijing Auto Show, with the North American version to follow sometime in 2011."

I read that as only indicating that "Excelle" is the name for the China market version. The article also seems to leave open the possibility that the North American version can have different interior appointments and maybe even exterior styling tweaks.

 

Google led me here, and I can see the pictures on this site:
http://www.egmcartech.com/2009/11/25...hinese-market/

Are these the same pics as in the original article?

If so, I like it, both inside and out. Just need to change the name...

Note to GM (and every other manufacturer, automotive or otherwise): Please stop misspelling real words and using them as product names.

 

JakeRobb, those aren't the same pictures. The first link showed a red one outdoors with a more bland-colored interior that doesn't show it off nearly as well as the one in your link. More importatly, your link shows a wagon and the original link is a sedan. The sedan has some changes to the bottom of the front bumper too that to me are a downgrade from the wagon pictures.

 

This looks to be a 5-door hatch version, the original link in this thread looks more like a traditional sedan.