Despite SUVs being a craze, Chinese customers still love minivans.
Despite the shift to SUVs and crossovers to meet changing customer preferences, there are still many good old sedans and minivans in China. There are also a few luxury-oriented minivans that can be bought in China, as well as long-wheelbase saloons. One of these is the Lexus LM. It’s basically a fancy Toyota Alphard / Vellfire and was created in response to the Buick GL8.
The GL8 Avenir was once the top-of-the-line version of this people mover. But that’s changing as the Century is taking its place. You will most likely think of the trim level’s name as Toyota’s Japan-only fullsize luxury sedan. It is used here on a minivan with an extravagant headliner, a la Rolls-Royce. The screen doubles as a partition between the first and second rows.
The touch panel on the console mounts the control panel for the folding screen. Although its exact size is unknown, it must be comparable in size to the 31.3-inch Theater Screen on the new BMW 7 Series / i7. It also folds when it is not in use.
We mentioned the rear seats. They now have the largest headrests we’ve ever witnessed and include Bose speakers. The individual rear seats are large and luxurious, with long footrests. You also have Maybach-level legroom. You will feel like you are in a limousine with the warm ambient lighting, sunblins and luxurious leather.
The Buick Gl8 Century measures 5,230 millimeters (206 in) in length, 1,980 mm (78in) wide and 1,867mm (73.5 in tall). The Buick GL8 Century gets a two-tone finish in the same vein of the most luxurious sedans and is given a bold new look for 2022. It’s still a minivan, despite all the luxury amenities. The sliding rear doors are on a tall, wide body that maximizes interior space.
The GL8 Century receives the redesigned Buick logo that we saw on the Wildcat and ElectraX concepts.