The Buick Riviera of the Future

General Motor’s latest version of what the Buick Riviera of the future might look like was unveiled at the recent Shanghai Auto Show in China, where GM executives told the press in attendance that the innovative new concept car “offers a preview of Buick’s future design language.”

The Riviera Concept definitely looks futuristic on the outside with its dramatic “waterfall” grille and gull-wing doors. The entire exterior is sleek and visually very striking, but the powertrain inside the Riviera Concept is also on the cutting-edge of technology too. The power comes from GM’s all-new, dual-mode, W-PHEV wireless, plug-in hybrid electric vehicle propulsion system and can run in both full-electric and hybrid modes. This means that the new Riviera is a plug-in hybrid that can be charged like a typical electric car and driven without using any gas, and although it doesn’t need to be plugged in, it can be, if desired. However, if the concept drivetrain makes it into production, most owners would probably opt to charge it using the unique “sensory recharge panel” hidden out of sight on the bottom of the car. The car actually charges itself wirelessly through a special “garage floor mat” that charges the car’s batteries wirelessly whenever the vehicle is parked on top of the mat in the garage. Lacking the usual wires, plugs and adapters, owners won’t even have to think about recharging the car every night because the system works entirely automatically.

Buicks are among China’s top-selling cars, and this latest Riviera Concept was unveiled in Shanghai because it was designed in China at the Shanghai /General Motors joint venture Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center. GM’s press release describing the Riviera acknowledges that the car was “designed with Chinese consumers’ tastes in mind” and also notes that the car’s shape “has the vibrant nature of a moving river.” Although it is uncertain whether or not the new technology will actually make it into any production cars right away, the Riviera Concept does offer a tantalizing glimpse of what the future may hold for Buick fans.