Suprise: Buick Getting Saturn Vue Crossover

If only Buick had a more catchy name and a younger image.....it would do so much better.

OH NOEZ! badge engineering anyone?
Buick shoulda had a G8.

delan you are precisely right. It's the name of Buick and the "old folks" image it still carries with it. Their cars are now top-notch, great quaility, reliability, and most of them very good looking cars. Personally I just couldn't see myself making that leap into a car that my grandfather would drive lol.
I can see only 3 choices for buick to be able to market and APPEAL to the masses.
1 - A name change along with a new upto-date universal logo, something more basic like you see on infinity, lexus, audi, etc
In addition to the name change, off slightly sportier versions of already existing car platforms. Cater to young executive types that would go for upper line European or Japanese sport sedans, but also have an entry-level compact sedan that offers many of the luxuries of the mid-sized sedans, but on a cost-concious level for those just starting out such as post grad students, people just starting their professional career, who will later end up being your prime customer for the mid-sized sedan or LUV, once their careers are in full swing!

2 - Start a spin-off brand, such as Honda did with Acura, or Nissan with Infinity. Although in the case of Buick, it would be in reverse. Keep the buick name for the old folks, retired, grandparents, with cars that are big and really cushie.
Then have the newer brand focus on a younger mass-appeal, but keep the newer brands attention on fine engineering, finely tuned performance vehicles that offer intuitive features allowing the average driver expirience dynamics of a car that makes you feel one with the road but without the harshness of the most extreme of sport sedans.
Have the spin off brand have a full range of offerings, beginning with an entry level compact sedan that focuses on price point, but that borrows much of its features and technology from it's older brother mid-sized sedan, thus saving on develpment costs, and allowing the entry level buyer to still get a taste of what the new spin-off brand can offer in it's higher-priced vehicles.
Next up would be the mid-sized sedan, which would be the best selling of the entire range, and aimed squarely and the largest segment of buyers that are looking for a "cutting edge, better than average" brand that offers a dynamic driving expirience, coupled with a high level of refinement and fantastic visual satisfaction, both with interior design as well as the exterior of the car. The exterior of the car should be unique, trend setting, cutting edge, and offer competative eye-appeal when compared to any and all of the other brands of luxury-sport mid sized sedans of the world.

3rd catagory would be the LUV's as well as Cross-overs aimed at families with upper segment income. Most of the goals set forth for the mid-sized sedans would apply to this catagory as well.

4th catagory would be High End large sedans. This is where platform sharing would come in to play, since the platform used for these large sedans could be shared with the Bui

4th catagory would be High End large sedans. This is where platform sharing would come in to play, since the platform used for these large sedans could be shared with the Buick parent company, which is what Buick would be marketing towards its current client, retired people, senior citizens, grandparents, etc.
The difference ofcourse would be how the spin off brand would equip it's version of the large sedan, as well as final appearance.
Spin off brands version would focus on the ultimate of driving expirience, with large displacement engines V8 or V10 offerings, world class top notch chassis tuning, bold and refined exterior styling that turns heads and announces to the world... "step aside, president or diplomat, or extremely affluent person on board"
This catagory would be marketed to business executives, high-end buyers, the very affluent customer that wants the best of the best, with minimal concern about price.
This segment would represent the smallest percentage of sales per unit for the spin off brand, however the actual dollar sales would make up for the fewer quantities of this model that are sold.

5th catagory - with the technology and parts that would be available due to the 4 other catagories of cars that are offered, it would be a no brainer to offer a high-end roadster!
There would be several versions, with 1 of them being a convertable, and with all versions using the best parts available borrowed from the other 3 catagories.
The car itself would be based off the compact chassis, of the compact sedan but with even more attention focused on rigidity and chassis tuning. Roadster would use over-sized break rotors from the luxury sedans and come with engine choices of a turbo-v6, v8, or the performance super charged v8.
This model would be the designing teams baby, and there mainly as an iconic vehicle for the brand itself.
This vehicle would be geared towards the same buyers as the last 2 catagories.
Many would purchase this vehicle as a "weekend car" for the windey roads.
Buick is perhaps unique amoungst American brands, in that it now has the quailty and reliability to accomplish this type of move. But it would take a revolutionary thinker and visionary to make it happen. Unfortunately I doubt anyone there will make it happen.