As of late, we’ve been told that visualization is of the utmost importance in achieving our goals. We’re told to focus on what we want, imagine it in our mind’s eye, and then seek – passionately – to achieve or acquire it. We’ve glommed on to this way of thinking as well, as books like The Secret and The Power of Positive thinking are still flying off the shelf as we accept that our thoughts and our mental images may truly be in control of what we’re reaping, in terms of rewards. Is visualization as powerful of a tool as we’re being told it is?
The good people behind the Buick brand are certainly hoping that it is with the release of the first ever Buick Envision. The word envision is defined as imagining something as a future possibility, or visualizing. What a perfect moniker for this vehicle that is achieving many firsts for the automaker. It is the first member of the Buick line to be built in China; actually, it’s the first for GM in general. It’s also Buick’s first compact crossover since they overhauled their brand, intended to fall between Buick’s mini crossover, the Encore and the much larger Enclave.
The Envision is not part of a future possibility for a handful of people, as its production has been surrounded by controversy given its Asian construction. The auto workers union had just completed their signed contract and final negotiations with GM and they expected that the newest offering would be built on U.S. soil. They, largely, considered it quite a slap in the face that GM was going to import the Envision from China, given that they had worked tirelessly in support of the brand during the darkest days of their history. An official statement from GM defended the decision and claimed that they didn’t want to interrupt the vehicle building process that had already been started in China, and that moving the build to the United States wouldn’t have been cost effective.
In our society, however, controversy can only help to make a product move. GM’s confidence in the Buick Envision was one of the points that they made defending their decision and that’s likely for a good reason. Any time a new item releases to potential backlash, it usually does pretty well in terms of sales, and the Envision sold fourteen thousand units in its first six months on the market.
Starting with Buick’s signature waterfall grille design, the Envision is decked out with chrome accents in all the right places. If her design was meant to defy expectations, then Buick has outdone themselves. The Envision’s appearance goes far beyond what people have come to expect from your typical luxury crossovers. She’s athletic and dominating without being clunky and cumbersome. The Envision is sophisticated and a little bit mysterious thanks to Buick’s careful attention to the little details that go into designing a vehicle. It’s also clear by the rear spoiler and overall design of the car that attention was paid to aerodynamics when it was built.
The Envision, in true Buick fashion, is dressed to the nines on the inside as well. Modern and spacious, the interior design focuses on welcoming the driver (and the passengers) with finely crafted and well-placed accouterments. The Envision has all of your storage needs covered with a revolutionary take on the center console. By using a design that features winged-doors, both driver and front seat passenger have access to space without the potential disturbance to the other person. Picture this: the passenger can dig out money for the upcoming toll without the driver being inconvenienced by their rifling through the center console. It may seem like a big deal, but when considered optimum road safety, the fewer distractions, the better.
For a small crossover vehicle, Buick certainly pulled out all the stops and has really made an effort to focus on the luxury aspect of their branding. Like all of their other vehicles in their newly revamped line, this one is dripping with subtly luxurious accents. Don’t expect to be greeted with over the top appointments, because that isn’t what Buick does. They prefer to keep things simple and elegant.
If you want to see everything that the world and this car have to offer, all you have to do is Envision it.
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