2009 Detroit Auto Show: 2010 Buick LaCrosse

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DETROIT — General Motors will introduce the completely redesigned 2010 Buick LaCrosse at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show on January 12. The automaker calls the luxury sedan "the next step in Buick's revitalization."

The LaCrosse's exterior design was first seen on the Buick Invicta concept at the 2008 Beijing Auto Show. It has the signature Buick waterfall grille and portholes and is, in the words of GM Global Design Vice President Ed Welburn, "instantly recognizable as a Buick."

The new LaCrosse comes in three trim levels, starting with the base CX with a new 3.0-liter direct-injection V6 engine that makes 255 horsepower and 211 pound-feet of torque, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. The top CXS model has a 3.6-liter direct-injection V6 that makes 280 hp and 261 lb-ft of torque and gets luxury items such as 18-inch or optional 19-inch chrome-plated wheels, heated and cooled perforated leather seats and a real-time active-dampening suspension.

Inside, the LaCrosse has a two-tone interior with blue ambient lighting and chrome trim with dark wood accents. Electronic features include in-dash navigation, Bluetooth connectivity and an optional rear-seat DVD entertainment system.

Safety technology includes a Side Blind Zone Alert system, an optional rearview camera and StabiliTrak traction control.

The new LaCrosse can fairly be called a global project. It was designed jointly among GM design teams in the United States and China, in partnership with the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center, and chassis and body engineers in Europe.

The new Buick goes into production this summer in Kansas City, Kansas.

Inside Line says: A true global product awaits the verdict at GM's home in Detroit. — Laura Sky Brown, Correspondent