Buick LaCrosse GL concept debuts ahead of L.A. auto show

Summoning the colors of coffee, saddles and wine, Buick has crafted an upscale concept car to illustrate its potential for interior design. The LaCrosse GL debuted on Wednesday afternoon at a Detroit concert house, ahead of a showing next week at the Los Angeles auto show.

The Buick LaCrosse GL features brown and caramel-colored cocochino leather inside, ice-blue stitching and an expensive-feeling suede headliner as Buick tries to lure new customers by promoting top-shelf interiors. The car also has ambient lighting and an upscale suede steering wheel.

“This vehicle truly has to be experienced from the inside,” said Magdalena Kokoszynska, creative designer on the LaCrosse GL. “We want to bring that emotional appeal and emotional sophistication to our customer.”

Buick
The interior of the LaCrosse GL has brown and caramel-colored cocochino leather.

The outside is marked by satin-finish 20-inch wheels, a sharp shade of red called Cabernet and brushed and tinted chrome trim.

Buick designers say the looks inside and out hint at future styling direction and upscale packaging.

“We really intend to amplify that over the next six months to a year,” said Dave Lyon, Buick's executive director of design.

Look for further direction at the Detroit auto show.

By Greg Migliore