Buick unveils Avenir big sedan as harbinger of flagship

Buick introduced the Avenir sedan at an event ahead of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, hinting at the styling and size of a new flagship sedan.

The Avenir – French for future – has a tapered tail evocative of the old Buick Riviera sporty coupe. Avenir is the product of team of global designers and has interior features that, Buick says "builds on the features that have become hallmarks for today's production models – helping drive a new generation of customers to Buick."

The show car's dimensions are only slightly smaller than a full-size pickup's. The concept features an advanced V-6 tied to a nine-speed automatic and all-wheel drive.

Other highlights, all of which could easily be used on production cars:

Seating for four

Full light-emitting diode (LED) exterior lighting

21-inch-diameter wheels

Driver-selectable suspension damping settings.

Next-generation Buick IntelliLink infotainment with large, 12-inch-diagonal color touch screen

Driver-recognition features that automatically sync infotainment preferences

Mobile device wireless charging

OnStar 4G LTE with Wi-Fi hotspot.