2016 Buick Cascada Convertible

Buick’s new Cascada convertible is due to reach U.S. dealerships in the coming weeks, with a mission to increase interest in the Buick brand overall and drive showroom traffic. The Cascada is one of three new Buick products being launched in 2016, setting the brand up for a significant year. It will be followed by the LaCrosse sedan and Envision SUV. I attended a recent media launch for the new convertible, hosted by Buick in Miami, a market that should be expected to lap this car up as fast as the cats prowling Miami’s boardwalk might go for milk.

What is most interesting about the Cascada is its place in the evolution of Buick into General Motors’ most truly international brand. Cascada offers Buick a more youthful, outgoing flavor than the brand is traditionally known for—to cement that view, it will need to be followed with another entry that has a similar youthful outlook, whether that is another convertible or (some may hope) a production version of the Avista concept show at the recent North American International Auto Show in Detroit. What that product might be or when it will come, I will not forecast here. Details