GM 2001 Concepts

Buick Bengal - state-of-the-art sports car

The Bengal concept , a sleekly sculpted roadster with a convertible top and featuring a high performance powertrain, state-of-the-art voice- activated controls and a next-generation audio system, is making its debut at 2001 auto shows. The Bengal is a car with “sensual elegance and versatility,” said Dave Lyon, 31, Buick brand character chief designer.  “We think this car will catch the attention of younger customers.” Bengal owes its beautiful proportions to its “wheels forward” architecture, which permits a long dash-to-axle ratio, said Lyon.  The look is enhanced by 20-inch wheels.  “We wanted a design that’s drop-dead gorgeous, and I think we achieved that.” Bengal’s 110-inch wheelbase is only two inches shorter than the Buick LeSabre – but that’s somewhat misleading. Because its wheels are at the corners, the overall length of the Bengal is actually 25 inches less than the 200-inch-long LeSabre.

“When you’re driving with the seats folded, you’re in a hot two-seat roadster,” says Lyon. But looks are deceiving.  A small third door behind the driver’s door and a retractable tonneau cover reveal storage space for custom golf bags or seating for two additional passengers. Inside, Bengal’s leather seating gives driver and passengers the feel of comfortable club chairs; leather inserts placed on the wood steering wheel. Bengal owes some of its handling characteristics and exterior appearance to an innovative powertrain. Its supercharged, 3.4-litre V6 engine, which generates 250 bhp, is transverse-mounted with the six-speed automatic transmission in front of it, rather than behind. This new drivetrain creates a shorter front overhang and a more rearward centre of gravity giving the Bengal better handling on curves. The smooth power of the engine and precisefront-wheel-drive handling give this roadster self-assurance and control in all kinds of driving situations, Lyon said.

As well as being a sportcar concept, the Bengal is also a showcase for some of GM's technology projects.

Quiet Servant, first shown on Buick’s LaCrosse and Cielo concepts, is back -- featuring voice- activated controls from Visteon and a reconfigurable, colour head-up display that shows specific displays on demand.  This enables the driver to control the car and its systems with voice commands or a four-position joystick on the steering wheel. As a result, the dashboard is simple and elegant and the driver operates the car with both hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.

Freed of the usual gauges and knobs, the entire dashboard is in fact one large flat-panel speaker from NXT Audio, anchoring Bengal’s advanced audio system. Altogether, there are five of these unobtrusive speakers which envelop the interior in high quality sound.

Buick General Manager Roger W. Adams said that one of the main benefits of the Quiet Servant package is to reduce the number of distractions to the driver.  “This design eliminates gauges and controls – except when you need them – and allows the driver to concentrate on the road.”

Adams said Bengal’s target customers would be affluent young families that desire a fun vehicle to complement a more practical vehicle in the garage.

“Bengal is a car with beautiful proportions and advanced design and engineering,” said Adams.  “It’s a dramatic vehicle to drive – and to be seen in – and it doesn’t forget the family.”