SPY PICS: 2016 Buick LaCrosse

This Buick LaCrosse test mule spotted recently by Automedia could be the strongest pointer yet to the form the next generation Commodore might take when the current generation car makes way for its replacement in 2018.

The mid-size (by US standards), front-drive Buick, which is expected to upgrade from the current version's Epsilon 2 platform to light weight, versatile new-generation E2XX global architecture, is the upmarket equivalent of the Chevrolet Impala and is expected to launch in the US late this year as a 2016 model. It is being speculated that the next Commodore will come from either the Buick or the Chevrolet version – if not Opel's larger next-gen Insignia.

Also larger than its current namesake, the 2016 LaCrosse is expected to flaunt a much more luxurious image than its Chevy counterpart. Either version is expected to have the overall proportions appropriate for the Commodore replacement that has already been chosen by Holden. Both Buick and Chevrolet currently offer a choice of four-cylinder (the Buick engine is a mini-hybrid 2.4-litre while the Chev has a conventional 2.5-litre four) or V6 engines in their respective models

Holden's Executive Director of Sales, Peter Keley, said recently that the next Commodore "will either compare very favourably or improve on the current Commodore's dynamic performance, acceleration, fuel economy, running costs and mass."

The next-gen LaCrosse pictured complete with space-saver spare in these Automedia shots is undergoing cold-climate testing in North America and, despite its heavy disguise reveals some of the basic elements that will characterise the new model.

It will present a bolder profile, complete with a curving, high-waisted roofline and a pronounced cab-forward look that carries the A-pillars almost through to the front wheel arches. The next LaCrosse also has a short, tapered, elevated boot with high-set taillights, and what looks like a pronounced, appropriately-Buick grille.

The LaCrosse belongs to a slightly smaller model family than the Australian-styled, rear-drive Buick Avenir flagship concept that was displayed at the Detroit show this year.

If the LaCrosse (or Impala) is in fact the car that will replace the rear-drive Commodore, it is expected it will feature largely Australian styling. And the much-admired work of the Australian design team seen in the Buick Avenir concept could well influence things.