The red-hot auto market is encouraging automakers to invest in niche models that would be ignored in tougher times. Buick is working on a four-door convertible based on the Cielo concept car.
Car companies are willing to take more risks.
You'd expect as much in the fast-growing truck market, because high profits there could subsidize possible mistakes. But, surprisingly, cars are getting plenty of attention, too. Using sliding-top technology introduced on the Cielo concept car at last winter's major auto shows, the proposed convertible would be based on a midsize Regal, so it could go into production quickly. It would be the first four-door convertible in decades. Like Cielo, roof rails would stay in place on the retractable Regal, and the roof panels would slide up or down between them.