Buick Centieme

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The Buick Centieme was a concept car produced for the 2003 North American International Auto Show in Detroit by the Buick Division of General Motors. Its styling provided the basis for the later Buick Enclave show and production vehicles.

Borrowing from the French word for '100', the Centieme was so named to commemorate the Buick Motor Division's 100th anniversary. The Centieme was similar is size and shape to the existing Rendezvous crossover, but lower, wider, and marginally longer. Power came from an experimental 400hp 3.6l twin-turbocharged V6 engine mated to the Hydra-Matic 4T65-E 4-speed transmission.

The Centieme was designed at the outset to showcase the possible direction of Buick interior styling. The entire interior - including the six captain's chairs - were swathed in leathers of various grains and colors, including a woven-leather floor. Aluminum accents were used around the gauge cluster while olive ash wood inserts were used for trimming. Ambiant lighting was used to enhance the cabin's luxurious appeal.

The Bertone-designed exterior was painted in canyon mist metallic tricoat and featured tight front and rear overhangs wrapped around large 22-inch aluminum wheels.

Much of the Centieme's exterior design language and interior features later showed up on the Enclave crossover.

[edit] References

2003 Buick Centieme via ConceptCarz.com. GM Press Release. Retrieved on 2007-03-12.