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Buick Lucerne
The Buick Lucerne is a full-size automobile sold by the Buick division of General Motors that replaces the Park Avenue and the LeSabre in 2006. Although the rear-wheel drive GM Zeta platform was considered, the production Lucerne introduced at the Chicago Auto Show on February 9, 2005, is a front-wheel drive derivative of the G-body Buick LeSabre. Initial sales of the Lucerne have been strong, with the car claiming 24% of the full-size sedan market in the United States.
Like the similar 2005 Pontiac Bonneville, the Lucerne uses a Cadillac Northstar V8 engine in addition to the standard Buick 3800 V6. The Lucerne also became the first V8-powered Buick car since the demise of the Roadmaster in 1996. The Lucerne is also available with the Corvette's Magnetic Ride Control, an active suspension technology.
The Lucerne's base price is lower than that of the LeSabre, its predecessor, though the V8 option causes the price to reach Park Avenue levels. Thus, the V6 options are considered LeSabre replacements, while the V8 option is meant to replace the Park Avenue.
In keeping with Buick tradition, the Lucerne features "Ventiports" on the front fenders corresponding to the number of cylinders in the engine — three on each side for the V6 or four on each side for the V8 Northstar.
Buick intends the new vehicle to compete with the Toyota Avalon and Mercury Grand Marquis in the near-luxury segment, while it is also expected to compete with the Hyundai Azera.
Some similarities exist between the Lucerne and GM's last representative in the near-luxury segment, the Oldsmobile Aurora: In 2001, the Aurora was upsized, and replaced both the Eighty Eight and Ninety Eight/Regency as the flagship Oldsmobile. It was also available with 3.5 L V6 and 4.0 L V8 engines. However, unlike the Lucerne, the Aurora could only be had with five-passenger seating. The Lucerne can be ordered in either five or six-passenger configurations.
In the December 2005 conclusion of The Apprentice: Martha Stewart, winner Dawna Stone was admitted into Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia to work with the company's Body + Soul magazine. At the celebration, Stewart refused to give Stone champagne, instead giving her the keys to a Buick Lucerne for hers to keep. Promotion of the vehicle had been a task for teams earlier in the competition.
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