General Motors has just confirmed that the first Buick EV based on all-electric Ultium propulsion technology will debut later this year in China, the Tri-Shield brand’s largest volume market.
The automaker has confirmed its plans to introduce the first Buick EV powered by Ultium Battery and Ultium Drive motor technology this year in China, as it first said when announcing the onslaught of 12 new Buick vehicles for 2025 in the Asian country. Indeed, Buick will play an important role in GM’s Ultium expansion in the Chinese market.
Although the company has yet to reveal any information about this intriguing vehicle, there is a possibility that the first Ultium-based Buick EV will be a global model that will debut simultaneously in China and the United States – as it happened with the announcement of the brand’s new image and corporate identity on June 2nd.
Buick Electra-X Concept
In any case, we know that the first Buick EV will wear an Electra badge that has already been announced as the base nameplate for the brand’s future all-electric products. The first example of this new naming strategy is the all-new Buick Electra-X Concept, unveiled earlier this year in China as a preview of an upcoming all-electric crossover.
In fact, one of the first Buick EVs to debut in China is expected to be the production version of the Electra-X Concept that is closer to the assembly lines than the first Buick Electra Concept GM showed off at the 2020 Beijing International Motor Show. The Electra-X Concept is a midsize crossover, with a dynamic stance and sleek proportions, that appears to be related to the Cadillac Lyriq and the Chevy Blazer EV.
The first Buick EV based on GM’s Ultium propulsion technology will make its debut in the coming weeks in China, where it will be built to supply the domestic market and is scheduled to go on sale sometime in 2023. It will be the second Ultium-based vehicle available in the country after the Cadillac Lyriq, which recently began arriving at local dealerships.
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Comments
And on October 4, 2022, GM applied to trademark the name “Electra GS.” Another website suggested the “GS” might stand for “gas sedan,” but who knows? I would think that the first production Electra will look similar, if not exact, to the Electra-X Concept – which is also similar to the Buick teased by GM at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2021. The only difference I can see is the parking lights on the vehicle teased are round.
GS = Gran Sport.
“ The Gran Sport name has been used on several high-performance cars built by General Motors for its Buick brand since 1965.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buick_Gran_SportOutside looks good, no so much with the interior. Build in the states, Buick is dying and needs new vehicles now.
Me, getting on top of my soapbox:
Ok, is it just me or is anyone else finding the trends in the car market to be annoying? Look at those pics and the first thing I see is bland and ugly plastic around the bottom and wheel arches. Why? What purpose does it have? Is it supposed to be better looking? More durable? What? No matter, it’s nasty and that fad needs to go and/or be left for the real SUV’s that will (maybe) go off-road. Next, that thing looks like it would be horrible to see out of. Again, a trend in “styling” that creates a less safe vehicle. So then they put more safety nannies in the cars that buzz, vibrate, flash and beep. So we have less visibility and more junk to watch, thus taking our attention away from being a safer driver. Lastly, why does anyone need huge rims/wheels? Try buying a vehicle with 18″ or smaller rims any more and it’s near impossible. Who is asking for this? What purpose (other than massive ego) does it serve? And then drivers are faced with tire replacement cost of $300 on up for one stinking tire!
God I miss the old days where things were more simple and the rest of us drivers didn’t have to live by the few who insist on all this.
Ok, getting off my soapbox now.
all I see is a potential Mach-E Competitor. I am not sure if Buick would be better to use as a nameplate or go the Ford route and apply the Camaro name to it. God I hope not, but GM is known for following the leaders into markets.
Looks like gm copied the design and name of the 10 year old Tesla model X.
The Mach-E is a piece of crap. Recalls on it, just like the lightning.
Well here is the deal. GM gets hit here for being plain and bland. Yet in the posts on the new Honda GM is hit for being too far over the top with the Blazer.
The Plastic is on the bottom of all cars and many designers try to hide the tall thick bodies with this lower band or you would end up with too much body thickness in a number of these vehicles.
As for tall tires the same thing as the bodies on the SUV and CUV models would look like a old Mini Cooper with too small tires for the body. They are just trying to keep them in proportion with the body. That is what the public is drawn to.
As for cost the large tires are really no more than the smaller tires as they are now pretty common and even the smaller tires are not cheap anymore.
Decent 20″ tires can be had for around $180-235. They only get more expensive when you get into the speed rated performance tires.
You may want to blame the MFGs but they are just building what the majority of the vehicle buying public wants. God knows GM tried with Buick offering very good sedans and even a wagon but no body bought them. Other tried too but no one bought them.
The love affair of the car is over and today people just want functional comfortable vehicles that they can do the things in their life with.
Americans like larger vehicles that can carry things and rides decent not so much these small FWD hatchbacks. Make it taller with a taller roof and there is more interior room that is usable.
I love my 08 Malibu but just has no utility. I can carry flat things but nothing taller. Can’t put a bike in the back.
Times have changed and the buying public now happy with vehicles that are boxy and they worry if they can afford them.
This Buick here does nothing for me but if it sells more power to em. like the Tesla models it has no real style.
C8.R: Several words in response.
Styling is my word for your first 3 paragraphs. They don’t have to design these with the black plastic cladding. They choose to do so to save money and attempt to make them look tougher.
Overall costs to keep up. For paragraph’s 4 and 5. All these larger and thus higher performance tires (low profile) are definitely more that a 16″ or 17″ (vs. 20, 21 and 22″)
Advertising is a large part of the demise of sedans. Lack of advertising and lack of promoting the cars they had left them (Buick) with nothing but 3 boxes on wheels that still aren’t selling well.
Mostly agree, accept the last bit. I quite like the hot hatch styling of this concept. I just hate that marketing departments want to call them “crossovers” or “SUVs”.
It is a handsome looking car. Far nicer design than I expected from new “Pure” design language. Agreed regarding viability, too many distractions; thus is a market trend, however, but one industry leader Toyota mostly avoids.
GM must get this Buick into America showrooms. Buick is on life support with sales falling and Hummer not to mention an expanded GMC poised to take its place in the US. This design is worthy of attention and should have debuted in the he US right after Lyriq giving Buick the spotlight ahead of Chevrolet.
I love Buick, miss Pontiac. I do not, though, see Buick surviving the next decade unless radical steps are taken. Starting to think, due to it’s small like up, that Buick like Hummer, should be a GMC sub brand. GMC shines a bright halo in the US & could help.
Dan, I don’t mind that around the wheel arches as much with certain colors. To my eyes, the best is white with either silver or gray. On the Electra-X Concept, I think it looks fine. I like the design of the vehicle and hope they won’t change it for production.
I’m ok with it on real SUV’s and if they want to put it on the cheaper CUV’s, but it just doesn’t look like it belongs on higher end vehicles. Even when I drove Jeeps, I didn’t like it but I could at least understand the purpose of it (supposedly so that when going off road you wouldn’t scratch the paint off the wheel openings). But that (IMO) has no place on Buick’s, Cadillac’s, Volvo’s, BMW’s, MB’s, etc.
As for the design of this car (above), sure it looks great for those who insist on style over function. But sit in a car like that and tell me how comfortable you are driving in traffic. My point in all this is why can’t we get cars that have higher functional value that still have some style? Oh well, I love my Malibu with no cladding, 17″ rims and visibility that is better than most.
I understand what you’re saying. Enjoy your Malibu!
this is a concept, so series means all different… ahhhh it is an EV, so skip whatever it comes
It is well styled overall. Much less cluttered than the Blazer EV, the Buick’s design elements appear to work together in harmony.
Although I do like its front end, why would and EV need such a large grille?
Looks good…..