This beauty is a first-generation China-only Buick LaCrosse sedan, seen in the Chinese capital Beijing in the summer of 2023. The Buick was in fantastic shape, the dark green paint as new, with darkened windows and the original 9-spoke alloy wheels.
The Chinese Buick LaCrosse was designed by Shanghai GM’s Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC). It is based on the same platform as the North American Buick LaCrosse, but the design is completely different. The Chinese LaCrosse was developed as a luxury vehicle, whereas the American LaCrosse was more of a mid-market semi-sports sedan.
The first generation Buick LaCrosse was produced in China by Shanghai-GM from 2006 until 2009. It is in many ways a typical Chinese luxury car of the time, with a traditional 3-box body and a lot of chrome, including a large Buick logo on the grille and a factory-standard hood ornament.
The interior of these large old-school Chinese Buick sedans was super luxurious, with loads of beige leather and wood trim. Look at that steering wheel! There is more wood on the doors and the dashboard. The owner added some funky mats on the seats to protect the leather. The mats really match, almost as if they were a factory option.
An extra wide mat on the bench!
The China-spec LaCrosse was a big car: 4998/1851/1461, 2807. Initially, the LaCrosse was available with a 3.0 V6 and a 2.4 four (pictured). However, the V6 was dropped after only two years, and since then the only engine option was the 2.4. Both variants had front-wheel drive.
The 2.4-liter four had an output of 168 hp and 225 Nm. The motor was mated to a 4-speed AMT, which was later replaced by a 6-speed AMT. The top speed was 200 km/h and 0-100 took 9.4 seconds, which was pretty impressive for the time.
The beautiful LaCrosse badge, in a classy font. Check those pretty SSses!
Character time! At the top is 上海通用, Shànghǎi Tōngyòng, Shanghai General Motors, later renamed to SAIC General Motors (上汽通用).
At the bottom is a dealer name, added by the dealer itself, not by Buick. The characters read 达世行, Dáshìxíng, which is the name of a very large Beijing-based dealer group. This company operates dealers for many brands, including Buick.
The Buick LaCrosse was a big success for General Motors in China. For a long time, it was the best-selling luxury sedan in the country. That glory has long gone, as Chinese brands have taken over with high-tech electric luxury sedans. But, the LaCrosse is still available in China, now in its 3rd/4th generation.
An insect is creeping over the hood towards the ornament. Let’s hope it won’t do any harm. The first generation China-spec Buick LaCrosse was a beautiful Chinese-American sedan, and it was quite a strong car, as many of them are still around today.