Buick

Buick, formally the Buick Motor Division, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). For much of its existence in the North American market, Buick has been marketed as an entry-level premium automobile brand, selling luxury vehicles positioned above its mainstream GM stablemates Chevrolet, Pontiac, and Oldsmobile, while below the flagship Cadillac division. Buick holds the distinction of being the oldest active American marque of automobile, and the original Buick Motor Company was a cornerstone of the establishment of General Motors in 1908. Before the establishment of General Motors, GM founder William C. Durant served as Buick's general manager, while his friend Louis Chevrolet worked as a racing driver for Buick and later learned automotive design working there.

Since the discontinuation of Saturn in 2009, GM has positioned Buick to be an analogue to its German Opel brand, sharing models and development. Buick-branded vehicles are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China and Taiwan. Buick sold 1,231,941 vehicles worldwide in calendar year 2015, a record for the brand.

Buick Regal

The Buick Regal is an upscale mid-size car introduced by Buick for the 1973 model year. North American production ended in 2004 and began again in 2011. For the 2011 model year, Buick re-introduced the Regal to the North American market, positioned as an upscale sport sedan. Production and sales in China have continued since 1999.

For certain model years between 1973 and 2004, the Regal shared bodies and powertrains with the similar Buick Century. The current model (2011–present) is a badge-engineered version of the Opel Insignia, known as the Vauxhall Insignia in the UK.

First generation (1973–1977)

Buick had been the first GM division to bring a personal luxury car to market with its full-size 1963 Riviera, but was otherwise slow to react to the developing lower-priced mid-size personal luxury market, which Pontiac created with the 1969 Grand Prix and Chevrolet with the Monte Carlo the following year, 1970. At the same time, Oldsmobile added a formal notchback coupé to its intermediate line, the Cutlass Supreme, in 1970 and that model soon became Olds' best selling intermediate. Buick did not get its own personal luxury coupe until the GM intermediates were redesigned in 1973, the so-called "Colonnade" cars that eliminated hardtop models completely. In a curious name swap, the Skylark name was dropped from Buick's intermediate line and instead the Century nameplate, last used in the 1950s, was revived for them.

South Main

South Main, or SoMa, is an area of Vancouver that centers on Main Street, and is part of the larger Mount Pleasant neighbourhood.

While no official boundary exists for South Main, its centre is roughly at the intersection of Broadway and Main Street. Its boundaries roughly extend from East 2nd Avenue to East 33rd Avenue along Main Street. Recent developments along the nearby Kingsway corridor are extending the boundaries eastwards. The name is something of a marketing misnomer, as fully 80% of Main Street lies south of the area defined as "South Main".

South Main is developing quickly and becoming one of the trendier new areas in East Vancouver for living and dining. SoMa is a shortened version of the name South Main and was coined only in recent years by the area's promoters, and is meant to evoke the SoHo (short for "South of Houston" Street) in Manhattan, which in turn is an allusion to the London shopping district of the same name. Another SoMa exists in San Francisco, which refers to the area "South of Market" Street. Soma is also the name of an intoxicating beverage used in a Vedic ritual. These multiple connotations reflect the intent of entrepreneurs and developers to carry out a "relaxed kind of gentrification" in the area to create a cosmopolitan and prosperous commercial district. To most Vancouverites, however, South Main is part of Mount Pleasant and the trendier term is not widely used in conversation.

Buick LaCrosse

The Buick LaCrosse is a mid-sizeluxury/executive car manufactured and marketed by Buick since 2004, and now in its third generation, in which it is slotted above the Buick Regal.

The first generation LaCrosse replaced the Century and Regal in North America beginning in the 2005 model year. The second generation LaCrosse replaced the Buick Lucerne.

First generation (2005–2009)

North America

The LaCrosse debuted in late 2004 as a 2005 model, replacing the Century and Regal. Riding on a revised version of the W-body known as MS2000, the LaCrosse was initially available with two powerplant choices in three trim levels: a 3.8 L 3800 Series III V6 available in base CX and mid-level CXL forms, and a 3.6 L HFV6 V6 in the top line CXS model. Power is routed to the front wheels via a 4T65-E automatic transmission (4T65-E HD on Supers).

The name was borrowed from a Buick concept car shown in 2000 referencing the sport of lacrosse.

The LaCrosse was originally sold as Buick Allure in Canada, as "crosse" is a vulgar word that can mean either "rip off" or "masturbation", depending on the context in Quebec French slang.