2014 Buick LaCrosse

Buick on Monday revealed its refreshed 2014 LaCrosse sedan featuring new front and rear fascia, a larger and more striking grille, new LED wraparound tail lights and a new interior with more comfortable seats.

General Motors Co. Tuesday in New York City will show the full-size sedan, which has a more modern look and comes with more technology than today's LaCrosse. That's just ahead of press days at the New York International Auto Show.

2014 Buick Lacrosse

2014 Buick Lacrosse

2014 Buick Lacrosse

2014 Buick Lacrosse

2014 Buick Lacrosse

"We evolved the interior and exterior design, increased luxury amenities and materials and enhanced the safety and personal technologies to give customers more reasons than ever to rediscover Buick," Tony DiSalle, U.S. vice president of Buick marketing, said in a statement.

It's the first exterior and interior refresh for the LaCrosse, which was all-new in 2009.

Inside the cabin, consumers will find more luxurious materials, the next generation IntelliLink infotainment system with natural voice recognition and swiping capability, 10 fewer center stack radio controls and more storage.

New for the 2014 LaCrosse, Buick is offering an Ultra Luxury Interior Package that features sangria-colored seats with ebony accents, suede headliner and pillars, real wood trim and high-end leather.

"The warm color combinations, premium interior materials and advanced technology in the 2014 LaCrosse provide the interior environment our discerning luxury customers are seeking," Ven Lai, creative designer for color and trim at Buick, said in a statement.

The large sedan will hit dealer showrooms this summer. The new version will be sold in China later this year.

U.S. LaCrosse sales have been on the slide, dropping 2.4 percent last year from 2011 and are down 21.9 percent through February compared to the first two months of 2012.

"The large car segment that the Lacrosse is in is a tough one," said Michelle Krebs, a senior analyst for the car shopping website Edmunds.com. "We don't see a lot of growth in that segment."

In February, the large car segment captured just 3.9 percent of the U.S. new car sales market. That compares with an 18 percent market share for the midsize segment last month, according to Edmunds.com.

Globally, GM has sold more than half a million LaCrosse vehicles since its 2009 debut.

There are no powertrain changes for the 2014 LaCrosse. Customers can buy a LaCrosse with a standard, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine featuring eAssist technology or a 3.6-liter V-6. Buick says about 25 percent of LaCrosse sales feature eAssist, which uses a small electric motor and lithium-ion battery to boost fuel economy.

The new LaCrosse is available with loads of technology, such as a lane change alert technology, which detects fast-moving vehicles in the next lane that are up to 230 feet behind the vehicle. The LaCrosse is the first GM vehicle to offer that technology, said Buick spokesman Nick Richards.

Buick also is offering several LaCrosse first safety features such as forward collision alert, adaptive cruise control and collision mitigation braking that can apply emergency brakes for the driver.

Pricing for the 2014 LaCrosse has not been released. A 2013 front-wheel drive LaCrosse starts at $32,555 and a 2013 all-wheel drive at $36,930.

Articles Source : detroitnews