Manufacturer Bertone Designer Buick (General Motors) Layout FR layout | Production 2004 Class Sports car | |
 | ||
Body style 2-door coupe
2-door convertible | ||
The Buick Velite is a roadster concept car designed by Buick and built by Bertone. It was first presented to the public at the 2004 New York International Auto Show.
In 2002, Buick showed a roadster concept car that they called the Bengal. It was widely thought to be an impressive exercise in styling, but it was never considered to be a viable production vehicle. With the Velite, a much more practical design is put forth.
Originally speculated to use the Kappa platform (the basis that underpins the Pontiac Solstice and the Saturn Sky roadsters), in actuality the Velite makes use of the Zeta platform — which is shared with the Holden Commodore/2008 Pontiac G8, as well as the fifth-generation Chevrolet Camaro.
The Velite features styling cues that show its Buick heritage: the "waterfall" front grill, triple fender portholes, clean elegant lines, and subdued sophistication. Its engine is an experimental twin-turbocharged 3.6L V6, rated at 400 hp (300 kW), mated to a 6 speed automatic transmission.