Buick is the latest brand to leave a breadcrumb trail for its future products by filing for a tradermark on May 3 to cover its Riviera moniker. While that doesn’t prove anything on its own, the company isn’t known for flippantly filing for trademarks on the off chance they might one day come true.
Instead, it seems more in line with the General Motors methodology to file when there’s a likely chance something might actually be produced (think “SS Performance”).
That’s why we’re left wondering what might be sitting up the secretive sleeves in the Buick offices. Winding back to 2007, Buick unveiled a Riviera concept at the Shanghai Motor Show, though it wasn’t ever green lit. It made an appearance again in 2008 at the Detroit Auto Show, but has since slipped into the depths of concept car limbo.
Our associates at learned last year that the company was considering a sporty coupe built on the rear-wheel drive Alpha platform, though such a car is unlikely until after 2015. It also possible that the front-drive Lambda platform could spawn something before that, but there isn’t any official word.
One way or another we’ll be keeping an eye out for further news on what could be another GM entrant to the sports coupe market in the next few years.
GALLERY: Buick Riviera concept
[Source: GM Inside News]
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