Roewe 950: China Builds a Better (Looking) Buick [Beijing Auto Show]

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Roewe 950: China Builds a Better (Looking) Buick [Beijing Auto Show]

Among the 2012 Beijing auto show's debutantes is a large new sedan called the 950, offered up by China's homegrown Roewe brand. It has lovely proportions, a big back seat, a strong front end with bold headlamps that sort of look like—hey, wait a minute—that's a Buick LaCrosse! After a little digging in the concrete soil of the Chinese corporate PR world, we found that the "new" 950 does appear to be basically a LaCrosse that has been repackaged by Roewe, a brand that has been repackaging Rover models for years and that's also a subsidiary of GM's Chinese partner, SAIC. So the 950 is no mere Chinese copycat but is actually another version of the eminently popular Buick LaCrosse—a brand which, incidentally, is one of the most esteemed of any in China.

We will have to get back to you regarding what LaCrosse parts—powertrain, chassis, or otherwise—reside beneath that sheetmetal, but we have to admit, it certainly is nice sheetmetal. With a C-pillar recalling the Maserati Quattroporte and surfacing that would make Audi (or at least a Passat) proud, the Roewe is a looker. We know that the LaCrosse's interior was actually designed in GM's China studio facilities, and now we wonder if the manufacturer ought to do a little copycatting of its own for the LaCrosse.