The Buick Rendezvous was manufactured from early 2001 (for the 2002 model year) through 2007, representing Buick's historic first entry into the rapidly expanding crossover SUV market. Developed on the front-wheel-drive GM U-body platform with an independent rear suspension, it shared mechanical underpinnings with the Pontiac Aztek but featured a far more conservative, premium design tailored to traditional Buick clientele. Offered strictly as a five-door mid-size crossover SUV, it offered flexible cabin seating for five, six, or seven passengers with fold-flat rear seats. At debut, power was supplied by a 3.4-liter 3400 LA1 pushrod V6 generating 185 horsepower, mated to a four-speed Hydra-Matic 4T65-E automatic transmission with either front-wheel drive or the on-demand Versatrak all-wheel-drive system. In 2004, Buick added an advanced 3.6-liter High Feature DOHC V6 (LY7) producing 242 horsepower, followed by a revised 3.5-liter LX9 V6 (196 hp) in 2006. Sold primarily across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the Rendezvous was produced at GM's Ramos Arizpe assembly plant in Mexico until it was succeeded by the larger, Lambda-based Buick Enclave in 2007.