The Buick Centieme is a

concept car A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle, show vehicle or prototype) is a car made to showcase new styling and/or new technology. They are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or ...

that was produced for the 2003 North American International Auto Show in

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by Buick. Its styling provided the basis for the later

Buick Enclave The Buick Enclave is a three-row luxury crossover SUV produced by General Motors since 2007. It was previewed at the 2006 North American International Auto Show, officially as a concept car, making it the first Lambda vehicle to be displayed. ...

show and production vehicles.

Development

Borrowing from the French word for '100th', the Centieme was so named to commemorate the Buick Motor Division's 100th anniversary (compare the Cadillac Cien). The Centieme was similar is size and shape to the existing Rendezvous crossover, but lower, wider, and marginally longer. Power came from an experimental 3.6 L twin-turbocharged V6 engine mated to the Hydra-Matic 4T65-E 4-speed transmission. The Centieme was designed to showcase the possible direction of Buick interior styling. The entire interior - including the six captain's chairs - was upholstered in leathers of various grains and colors, including a woven-leather floor. The gauge cluster used aluminum accents with olive ash wood inserts for the trim. The interior featured ambient lighting. The

Bertone Bertone is an Italian surname meaning "descendant of Roberto". Notable people with the surname include: * Alicia Bertone, American academic, researcher, and veterinary surgeon * Catherine Bertone (born 1972), Turkish-born female Italian marathon ...

-designed exterior featured short front and rear overhangs, rode on 22-inch aluminum wheels, and was painted in Canyon Mist metallic tricoat.

Legacy

Some of the Centieme's exterior design and interior features later showed up on the 2008

crossover. The Buick Centieme was sold by GM at a 2009

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auction in Scottsdale for .

References

* * {{Buick Vehicles Centieme