Did Buick get the idea to make the 18' Regal Sportback a hatch from a 17 year old concept car?

Kinja'd!!! "LJ909" (lj909)
07/10/2017 at 17:53 • Filed to: None

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How could I forget that the Lacrosse was originally a V8 powered concept car at turn of the century? Incorporating design elements that are still in use like the Ventiports and waterfall grill, it was a looker. But was it the inspiration for the 18' Sportback?

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The concept had a rear that looked as if it was one piece. Starting out as seen above, it went from that to:

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A roof open mode to:

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A rear hatch mode to:

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A full on tailgate mode.

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Did they just recycle an old idea? And if so, why the fuck didn’t we get something like this years ago?


DISCUSSION (20)


Kinja'd!!! If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > LJ909
07/10/2017 at 17:57

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I think it was more a case of:

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Kinja'd!!! Nauraushaun > LJ909
07/10/2017 at 18:06

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I love that roof.

I don’t love the Ventiports. Or more accurately, fake Ventiports. Wish they’d die. Thanks Maserati, for taking a tired American trope and making it modern


Kinja'd!!! Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > LJ909
07/10/2017 at 18:06

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So Buick is going to give us a wagon and a sportback? I may have to buy American someday (Do you mean European?) WHAT?!?!


Kinja'd!!! LJ909 > Nauraushaun
07/10/2017 at 18:07

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I never cared for them because they weren’t functional. It was pretty much a design theme to pay homage.


Kinja'd!!! Wagonlife740 > LJ909
07/10/2017 at 18:09

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Concept cars are inspiration for all sorts of future production cars. That idea could have been bouncing around long before the concept car even.

Think of the 1951 LeSabre, and all the awesome features/gadgets/ideas that slowly trickled into GM’s production cars over the next 15 years.


Kinja'd!!! LJ909 > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/10/2017 at 18:13

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Yea but will people bite though thats the thing. I would. Its different (as far as the Sportback is concerned) for the market.


Kinja'd!!! Nauraushaun > LJ909
07/10/2017 at 18:20

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I can’t STAND non-functional


Kinja'd!!! Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) > LJ909
07/10/2017 at 18:26

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The lift back has been a thing in Europe for a long time now, the current Fusion/Mondeo and Škoda Superb have lift back versions in Europe.


Kinja'd!!! LJ909 > Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now)
07/10/2017 at 18:30

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We haven’t had a lift back sedan like that here in the States since the first gen Mazda6. And that was back in like 05'


Kinja'd!!! xyzabc > LJ909
07/10/2017 at 18:35

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Have you ordered one yet?


Kinja'd!!! LJ909 > xyzabc
07/10/2017 at 18:42

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Nah. This isn’t even on my list of potentials. I like it and the wagon both. But not enough to buy them. The Sportback is handsome but is powered by the 2.0 turbo 4. Thats the only engine so I’ll pass. And the TourX looks to be them trying to push that its a crossover. The lower body cladding and the fact that they are pushing it towards “active lifestyles” makes it seem to me that they want this to be a Subaru competitor or a poor mans Allroad. Just give me a normal wagon.


Kinja'd!!! xyzabc > LJ909
07/10/2017 at 18:56

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Then that’s the reason “...why the fuck didn’t we get something like this years ago?”


Kinja'd!!! LJ909 > xyzabc
07/10/2017 at 18:59

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If we had gotten it before it wouldve been better. Now, the fact that the sedan is hatch and the wagon has crossover pretensions seem like an afterthought that’s trying to hard to break into the market.


Kinja'd!!! ranwhenparked > LJ909
07/10/2017 at 19:29

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They’ve really never been functional, even when they were actual holes that went all the way through, any improved cooling was negligible. The oldest version had little lightbulbs inside that were synched to the spark plugs and would flash when the corresponding cylinder ignited.


Kinja'd!!! duurtlang > LJ909
07/11/2017 at 08:02

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Still though, it was very clearly inspired by all these hatches. This is the 6th generation of large hatchback GM/Opel has produced continuously since 1981. The same is true for many competitors, it’s just that the US never got them due to their obsession with either small trunk openings or mall rated ride height.

mk1 Insignia (2008-2017)

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mk3 Vectra (2002-2008)

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mk2 Vectra (1995-2002)

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mk1 Vectra (1988-1995)

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mk3 Ascona (1981-1988) And yes, this is a J-platform GM car, like many US market shitboxes.

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Kinja'd!!! TheRealBicycleBuck > LJ909
07/11/2017 at 08:25

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I hate to be that guy , but I just can’t help it sometimes.

A single quote behind a number indicates feet. This makes your headline look like “Did Buick get the idea to make the 18 [foot] Regal Sportback a hatch from a 17 year old concept car?”

If you don’t want to write 2018, then the quote should replace the missing part of the number. This is the same rule that is used for contractions. Can not is can’t, is not is isn’t, etc.

Under this rule, the number 2018 gets shortened to ‘18.

I have to deal with these kinds of issues regularly as many people can’t seem to keep the single quote (foot) and double quote (inches) straight. It screws up information in reports and the errors tend to propagate into the geospatial data that I have to work with.


Kinja'd!!! Mercedes Streeter > LJ909
07/13/2017 at 18:15

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Depends on your definition of liftback. Here are all the “sedan” type cars you can get in America with a liftback with a couple extra non-sedans tossed in:

- Toyota Prius.
- Audi A7.
- Porsche Panamera.
- Chevy Volt.
- Tesla Model S.

Some non-sedans I forgot have a liftback:
- Corvette
- Audi TT
- Nissan 370Z
- Scion tC (yeah I know, not a sedan).

Man, you have to be pretty well off to get a liftback in America. :(


Kinja'd!!! LJ909 > Mercedes Streeter
07/13/2017 at 18:21

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You forgot one:

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The Kia Stinger is right up there with he other pricey lift backs (at least in TT V6 GT trim)


Kinja'd!!! Mercedes Streeter > LJ909
07/13/2017 at 18:29

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God, I love that thing.

Oops, I forgot to edit out the “not a sedan” bit from the tC. lol


Kinja'd!!! xyzabc > LJ909
07/14/2017 at 16:05

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A7 and Allroad?