NEW YORK AUTO SHOW: Buick to add rwd sedan, dump 2 nameplates

Click on the photo to view the Velite gallery 2004 New York auto show indexNEW YORK - To shed its stodgy image, Buick will drop two venerable names - Park Avenue and LeSabre.A premium rear-wheel-drive sedan will replace the Park Avenue in 2006, say two General Motors sources. GM plans to develop the rwd sedan off the company's new Zeta global vehicle architecture.Meanwhile, GM will find a new name for the LeSabre's replacement when it arrives next year.Robert Lutz, GM's vice chairman for product development, said he eventually wants to position Buick against Lexus. But GM can't charge higher prices until Buick's brand equity improves, he said at the New York auto show. "We have to earn the brand equity back by offering a luxury car bargain," Lutz said.The LeSabre was introduced in 1959. The Park Avenue became a distinct nameplate in 1991. It previously was a trim line on the Buick Electra.Buick may add other products such as an rwd convertible based on the Velite concept that was unveiled at the show. The four-passenger convertible, which could be on sale a year or so after the rwd sedan in 2006, may have a limited life span, a GM source said.Meanwhile, the 2005 model year will be the last for the Park Avenue. Production began last month. In 2003, the Park Avenue accounted for 8.0 percent of Buick sales, and the LeSabre accounted for 34.0 percent.

NEW YORK AUTO SHOW: Buick to add rwd sedan, dump 2 nameplates

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