Buick is “rekindling its historic performance roots” at the Detroit Motor Show with a new sports coupe concept named the Avista.

The 2+2 coupe gets its mojo from a new 400-horsepower twin-turbocharged V6 driving the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission, while also featuring start-stop and cylinder deactivation technology, and GM’s Magnetic Ride Control for the suspension.

Buick doesn’t specifically say it, but given that the study has the same exact wheelbase length as the new generation Chevrolet Camaro at 110.7 inches (2,812mm), we’re willing to bet that the two cars share the same Alpha underpinnings, sourced from the Cadillac ATS, which would make a production version all the more plausible.

For the time being, Buick sees the Avista as a concept that “pushes the brand’s contemporary design ethos and rekindles its historic performance roots”.

It’s a more restrained yet elegant take on the sports coupe theme, with a hunkered down stance on the outside, and a high-tech interior with widescreen display that covers two-thirds of the otherwise, minimalist dashboard, and a center console that incorporates touchscreen controls and extends to the rear seating area.

“There is elegant simplicity in the Avista’s surfaces, which speak to the purity of the car’s performance, and a timeless beauty that’s a hallmark of Buick design,” said Bryan Nesbitt, executive director Global Buick Design. “It was designed to capture the spirit of the perfect drive.”

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