Buick is looking to add a bit more luxury to its lineup. To that end, it's announced the creation of a sub-brand which will serve to deliver a dash of extra style and luxury.

This will essentially serve as the highest trim for a given Buick vehicle. It's going to be called Avenir, which means "future" in French and was pulled from a concept we saw back in 2015. What does this all mean for the Buick brand? Well, it appears that confusion is the order of the day.

The Avenir concept was launched at the 2015 Detroit auto show in a surprise move that foretold a hopeful future for a new flagship and direction for the brand. Not long after, we we're shown the extremely exciting Avista concept, a muscular coupe based on the bones of the Chevrolet Camaro.

Buick Avenir Concept

Buick Avenir Concept

Of course word soon came that Buick wouldn't build the Avenir. Then the automaker said it would also not be building the Avista. Two concepts that received praise and seemed to increase interest in the brand from a younger demographic were shown and then seemingly dismissed.

Now comes word that Buick is looking to push the luxury envelope a bit further, with Avenir. So Buick is pushing forward with a name attached to a wonderful concept sedan, but reducing it to what amounts to a luxurious trim. Buick’s holding back on details for now but says Avenir cars from its lineup will have unique grille, wheel and interior treatments.

Calling a high-level trim a sub-brand is understandable, as one could consider the V lineup as a sub-brand of Cadillac. Lincoln has Black Label, Mercedes has Maybach, and even Ford Motor Company [NYSE:F] has Vignale in some markets. We have to wonder, though, if Buick chasing luxury buyers could hurt Cadillac sales.