Terraza Joins Saturn Relay and New Vans from Chevy and Pontiac
WARREN, Mich.--After years of offering vans with noncompetitive interiors, General Motors says it is getting serious about improving its position in the mid-size van market with two new entries, the 2005 Buick Terraza and Saturn Relay.
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| Bob Lutz, Product Development and Chairman, GM North America, sits back as Buick General Manager Roger Adams talks about the attributes of the 2005 Terraza mid-size van on the left. The Terraza is Buick's first minivan and its third entry into the light truck market. (Photo: Joe Cabadas, Canadian Auto Press) |
The introduction of the two vehicles, the first vans for either brand, was held December 4 at the Stage Three Productions facility on the grounds of the former Warren (Mich.) Tank Plant, where military vehicles had been produced since World War II to the early 1990s. The debut of the vans was also broadcast live on the Internet for journalists around the globe.
The Terraza and the Relay are vehicles that GM calls "mid vans" or "crossover sports vans" (CVS), a new approach to a segment currently occupied by the aging Chevy Venture and Pontiac Montana, as well as the outgoing Oldsmobile Silhouette. The Venture and Montana will also be phased out and replaced with vehicles built off the same platform as the Buick and Saturn vans.
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| GM's consummate "car guy," Bob Lutz, tells journalists that the goal of new Buick Terraza minivan, which he is standing next to, and the related 2005 Saturn Relay is to achieve higher sales volumes and better margins than the outgoing Chevrolet Venture and Pontiac Montana vans. (Photo: Joe Cabadas, Canadian Auto Press) |
"These vehicles represent a substantial upgrade from the vehicles that they are replacing," said Robert A. Lutz, Product Development and Chairman, GM North America. "I can honestly say this is one of the best mid van interiors in the business. They look very European and very carefully crafted.
"I think we've gone from the current GM T200 interiors... that was without question the weakest part of the (Venture and Montana) and noncompetitive. Now we have gone to a better than competitive interior."