Buick may have something called the Envista in the pipeline, but what that is, we don't know yet.

Parent automaker General Motors filed the trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on March 19 for use with "motor land vehicles, namely automobiles."

We always take trademark filings with a grain of salt since they are not absolute indications a new vehicle is coming. However, Buick spokesperson Stuart Fowle confirmed with Motor Authority that it is a trademark for Buick. He added the name doesn't have a home for any particular vehicle right now, though. It appears someone inside Buick or GM just wants to protect it for any future use.

As for what kind of vehicle the Envista could be, a crossover seems most likely. The name fits perfectly within the brand's crossover hierarchy of Encore, Envision, and Enclave. A hypothetical Envista could slot between the Envision and Enclave, or be slightly larger than the Encore. The brand is thought to have two other crossovers in development: a three-row model for China, potentially called the Envoy, and another smaller crossover based on the Cadillac XT4's architecture. The latter is rumored to be named the Enspire, which leaves the Envista name a mystery.

A long shot for the name would be a production version of a well-received Buick concept car from 2016: the Avista. The car was a swoopy coupe with gorgeous design, though it seemingly stood no chance for production. The chances seem even slimmer today as Buick axed the LaCrosse sedan from its portfolio. Ditto for the Cascada convertible. We doubt Buick has eyes on a niche car like a production Avista if a sedan such as the LaCrosse was deemed unfit for today's auto market.