With the Buick Avista reveal yesterday, the last of the big three American luxury car brands got what it needed - an injection of excitement. But after decades of Park Avenues, Town Cars and Cimarrons, are we really ready to trust that US car companies are capable of making emotionally stirring luxury vehicles? We think so, and here's why.

Better Shared Platforms

For ages American car companies have been the masters of badge engineering, with Mercury and Oldsmobile reaching the pinnacle of this egregious crime shortly before their mercy killings. I get the reason - using the same factory tooling and parts saves the company money and allows them to offer less expensive cars to consumers, but when you're ending up with a 1997 Oldsmobile Cutlass that so closely resembles a Malibu that Chevy itself panned in a 2008 ad, something has to change. And it has!

The new GM Alpha platform on which the ATS and CTS are based is stiffer, but also more lightweight, allowing better performance, even in the base model cars. All modern Lincolns are based on modern Fords, and while that used to be to its detriment, the Fusion, Taurus, Escape and Explorer are some of the best American-made cars out there right now. Finally, as we learned yesterday, the new Buick Avista is based on the revised Camaro platform, sharing seemingly everything but the body cladding and interior, and say what you want about older muscle cars, but the new ones are flat out great fun to drive.

More Daring Design

Yes, the upcoming Lincoln Continental bears more than a passing resemblance to the Bentley Flying Spur and you don't have to look too closely on some of the Lincoln cars to spy their Ford underpinnings, but compare these models with damn near everything we saw during the 1980s and 90s and tell me we haven't made progress.

Each brand has developed their own identity, mixing some nostalgic references to their rich history while advancing the ball with respect to aerodynamics, technology and aesthetics. Although Lincoln bid farewell to its "waterfall" grille in the early 2010s, you still see the long stripes of chrome that hearken back to their heritage, though they now run horizontally. Perhaps we're witnessing the birth of the "hurricane" grille.

Cadillac's "Art and Science" design language is unmistakable for another brand, with its sharp, crisp lines marking the tapering edges of its elegantly designed vehicles really standing out in an era when you can't tell which Audi vehicle you're looking at if you see it from the front.

Buick? Well, they're still working on it. The Regal GS is a good starting point though, and the Avista, Cascada and Envision all look attractive from the concept or preview looks we've been given.

WE HAVE THE POWER

Lincoln Continental Concept looking mean.

If you got your news solely from Jeremy Clarkson & co., you'd be forgiven for getting the impression that the only thing American car companies have ever done well was with regards to excessive power output. Fortunately, that spirit lives on in many of the cars we see coming from Lincoln, Buick and especially Cadillac. The new Continental is tipped to arrive with a twin turbo V6, delivering 400+ hp. Granted, there's a lot of car to haul with the new Conti, it should get you to your destination rapidly while you appreciate just how incredibly blue the outrageous interior is.

Also getting a twin-turbo V6 is the Camaro-based Buick Avista, which we've heard from Jalopnik sounds positively intoxicating and hauls some serious ass.

Finally, Cadillac. Those mad purveyors of luxury sedans that damn near break the speed of sound. Those who stuck a Corvette motor inside a four door just because they could. Well, they're at it again with both the ATS-V and CTS-V, developing 464hp and a mind-bending 640hp, respectively. If you want your kids to grow up gearheads, or at least strike terror in their hearts whenever you hit the gas, these are the cars to get.

While we're not sure about reliability or enduring quality, American luxury car makers are hitting the right notes right now, and we're excited about where this journey could take us. Let's all keep our fingers crossed for another GNX.