After no little dithering, Buick has confirmed what many in Detroit suspected: Park Avenue is headed for history's scrapheap. Buick wants to forge a fresh image while pushing upscale in price and luxury, so it's retiring old names and stale designs. The first such moves come for 2005 with the midsize LaCrosse, a heavily updated Century/Regal replacing both those lines, and a renamed, redesigned successor to the full-size LeSabre.

Park Avenue, both name and car, bow out for 2006. Taking over as Buick's flagship sedan will be a new rear-wheel-drive design based on GM's global Zeta platform devised by the company's Holden subsidiary in Australia. No word yet on the replacement's name or other particulars, but V8 power is almost certain, though a V6 could be the base engine.

An expanded lineup is also part of GM's plan to rejuvenate Buick. That's already underway with the addition of the Rainier SUV and the 2005 Terraza "crossover sport" minivan. Sources say Buick will next add a sporty crossover wagon on GM's long-delayed Lambda platform. Sister brands Pontiac and Saturn will get their own versions. All should offer V6 power and choice of front drive and all-wheel drive. One report says the Buick will start production in the first quarter of 2007 as a replacement for the minivan-based Rendezvous. It may also keep that name, and could bear hallmarks of the recent Centieme concept. It will certainly be priced so as not to steal sales from Cadillac's similar but technically different SRX crossover.