2005 Chicago: Buick Lucerne and Cadillac DTS video

MotorTrend

Check out the unveiling of the Buick Lucerne and Cadillac DTS from the 2005 Chicago Auto Show...

Transcript

00:00 In Chicago, General Motors unveiled two new models from their luxury car divisions, Buick

00:21 and Cadillac.

00:23 Buick has traditionally appealed to older buyers, but in order to grow the brand, they're

00:26 going to walk a fine line between developing new products which appeal to new clients,

00:32 but still keeping their core clientele's taste firmly in mind.

00:36 Well, for 2006, a new entry-level luxury sedan from Buick is going to replace the LeSabre.

00:42 Buick calls it the LeCerne.

00:46 More sleek and athletic than the conservative Buick sedans of the past, the LeCerne will

00:50 also be the first Buick car in more than a decade to be available with a V8 engine.

00:56 Standard power will be the familiar 195 horsepower 3.8 liter V6, but optional will be a 275 horse

01:04 4.6 liter Northstar V8.

01:07 Both engines will run on regular fuel and four-speed automatics drive the front wheels.

01:12 LeCerne will also be the first Buick to offer GM's magnetic ride control paired with Stabilitrak,

01:18 both of which were originally Cadillac features.

01:22 Inside and out, Buick promises the LeCerne will have fit and finish on par with high-end

01:27 luxury vehicles.

01:28 The profile blends a slightly more formal upper body appearance with a tightly contoured

01:33 lower section.

01:35 The rakish 60-degree windshield flows over the roofline into a faster 70-degree rear

01:41 window.

01:42 Now, long-time Buick fans will be glad to see on the new LeCerne there's one style item

01:46 that hasn't disappeared, and that's the signature Buick portholes.

01:49 V6 models will get three, V8s get four.

01:55 Inside, the LeCerne will offer both five and six passenger seating configurations.

02:00 Passenger room is said to be among the best in this competitive set, which includes the

02:04 Toyota Avalon XLS and Lexus ES 330.

02:08 Upscale touches include wood and chrome finishes and French seams and stitching.

02:13 Six airbags are standard.

02:16 Cadillac has just one front-drive vehicle left in their lineup, and that's the DeVille

02:20 sedan.

02:21 It's been a sales leader for years, but after 2006, the DeVille name will be retired.

02:27 In its place is a re-engineered front-drive sedan called the DTS.

02:33 The DTS is much more angular than the outgoing DeVille, more in keeping with the art and

02:38 science Cadillac signature design theme, now familiar on the CTS and STS sedans.

02:45 The headlamps are now stacked vertically, as are the tail lamps, while modern in appearance,

02:50 both Cadillac design cues dating back to the '60s.

02:54 The interior of the DTS is all new as well.

02:57 Dual firmness seats are reported to be comfortable yet supportive and offer an additional inch

03:02 of seat travel.

03:03 The instrument panel has been lowered and moved forward to give a feeling of more spaciousness.

03:09 If you watched the inauguration for President Bush's second term in office, you likely saw

03:13 that he was the first to receive a 2006 DTS, although the official presidential limousine

03:19 is a little longer, wider, and heavier than the production sedan that the rest of us will

03:23 see in dealerships this fall.

03:25 From the 2005 Chicago Auto Show, this is John Matys for Motor Trend.

03:29 Trap.

03:30 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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