Now GM has confirmed that the company will build a high-performance version of the Buick Regal sports sedan. The production version will resemble the concept version and will most likely will feature the same 255HP, turbocharged 2-liter engine.

"That is the kind of excitement Buick needs to get a new cadre of buyers into their store," said autos analyst Joe Phillippi of AutoTrends Consulting in Short Hills, N.J. "Maybe Buick won’t be a four-letter word anymore."

With the new Regal GS, Buick intends to attract to younger customers, pushing the average age even lower and reversing perceptions that Buick is the brand of choice for senior citizens: "Buick kind of lost its way. We built big, floaty, quiet cars — what our customers wanted at the time. The GS would be the next step, more performance-based," Buick spokeswoman Dayna Hart said.

The Buick Regal GS will join the future compact car and small crossover the brand plans to build within the next few years. All of these new models build upon the new, younger image Buick is attempting to create.