Buick signals global look

0 Comments | USA TODAY, April, 2008 | by James R. Healey

Buick is using the Beijing auto show to unveil a concept version of the car expected to replace the LaCrosse midsize sedan in the USA.

The "show" car at Auto China 2008, called the Invicta, is, in fact, a slightly modified version of the car as it will be sold, according to veteran industry analyst Jim Hall, managing director of 2953 Analytics in Birmingham, Mich. "They actually used the production prototype car for the show car."

The sleek sedan is expected in showrooms in late 2008 or early 2009, he says. LaCrosse sales were off 31% last month vs. March 2007 but up 8% for the first quarter in a new-vehicle market that's down 8%, according to sales tracker Autodata.

The car is Buick's version of a sedan that General Motors also sells as the...