First dropping cover in June of the 2022 calendar year, the Buick Wildcat EV concept is a stunning piece of design, spearheading Buick’s efforts to establish a new brand identity by providing the inspiration for just about every fresh Buick product to roll out in the last few years. As well it should, and indeed, GM Authority has already discussed at length how the new Wildcat EV concept (and subsequent design language) came to be. Now, however, GM Authority sources report that the Wildcat EV Concept was more than just a hit with designers – it also had overwhelming support from GM execs, so much so that it almost got put into production.
According to sources familiar with the matter, the Buick Wildcat EV was actually well on its way to receive approval for production. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic put an end to those plans, as it forced GM to reevaluate its priorities and refocus on producing core models at a time in which having more than a handful of people in a single physical space was extremely challenging, if not impossible, depending on the state and local governance.
Without production intent, the Buick Wildcat EV became exclusively a concept vehicle, providing the design inspiration for future Buick models. As of this writing, there are four new U.S.-bound Buicks that will take styling cues from the 2022 Wildcat concept, including the Buick Envista, the refreshed 2024 Buick Encore GX, the refreshed 2024 Buick Envision, and the incoming 2025 Buick Enclave. Outside U.S. borders, the 2024 Buick LaCrosse and 2023 Buick GL8 Century also take their design cues from the 2022 Wildcat concept.
Design features include a forward-leaning front end and trapezoidal grille, as well as sharp body lines, slim upper lighting elements, and sculpted shapes.
The release of the 2022 Buick Wildcat EV concept coincided with the release of Buick’s new Tri-Shield badge. Check out our previous coverage to learn how the new Buick logo was born.
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Comments
At least Buick still offers lame and boring CUVs like everyone else!
Build it with a gas engine
Please put it into production
Currently it’s prominently featured at the top of Buick’s web site.
“Exceptional by design”?? Doesn’t count if it isn’t real. “Hey look at this awesome Buick you’ll never be able to buy because we killed it ourselves!”.
Still amazed this car. How wonderful!
Never say never. Other sources claim that Buick is now GM’s new superstar.
If they build it, I’ll buy one. That’s a cool car.
You’ll spend $120,000 on a Buick EV? Surrrreee
yet people don’t hesitate to spend that amount on trucks and suvs, not to mention the Celest ick
“Almost”? Is that like how ‘close’ counts only in horseshoes and hand grenades? And this business where Buick is supposed to be the new hotness in US sales – sure, a 61% increase sounds great, but if at the same time sales are down ~20% where you sell 4/5 of your production, who’s zooming who? Here’s what you can do, small-case “gm”: build an import version of both (or either) the PRC-market Regal & LaCrosse, load ’em onto the nearest boat and send those over for US dealers (the ones who haven’t cashed out their franchises, that is!) to sell.
No? Well, good luck to you then! – signed, a former owner of two Buicks
No more China-built vehicles. We have 2 too many already (one GM and one Ford).
Build it on the CT5 platform. Most of the engineering is done already. You may need to stretch it some but it would be easier than doing an EV version. Plus you have a factory that could use another product to keep it going. EVs are not taking over like originally thought. There is still a market for ICE vehicles. Plus it gives GM a model in a class they presently don’t compete in.
Alpha platform is pretty narrow. This looks more like the old Sigma II width or even wider, like the now gone from the US, Omega(CT-6). One of the reasons I never went to CT5 from my 2011 is the width of the alpha’s.
This car and the Cadillac escala should’ve made it into production. 2 luxury flagships wouldve did GM justice… wow
This is an absolutely beautiful car. Oh, what coulda been…
To be fair, I’m still salty that the Avista never made it into production either.
Put a gas engine in it and market at a reasonable price and they will come!
GM has had some stunning concepts that went nowhere, except back to the warehouse. Cadillac Sixteen, for example. Would have make Lexus look very dated and Lincoln worse than that. The Buick Avenir was originally stated to NOT be a production concept, more to just introduce the name as a premium interior option. Then the Avista coupe! Would have worked just fine on the Camaro platform, but somebody inside of GM has wanted to kill the Camaro for decades . . . as customers desire otherwise. I wonder if the designers who put their hearts and souls into those concepts knew, at the time, it would all be for little?
It was the financial side of GM that squandered its brands! Marketing has been abysmal, too! Rather than taking the concept of “different brands/orientations at a particular price point”, they focused ONLY on the price points rather than the products. Somebody wanting to spend $XXXXX might desire something sporty as another might desire something different. It’s a given that people of several orientations can desire something different for the same money. NOT to forget that EVERY segment which GM exited had an oriental-brand scoop right into that empty space. Whoops!
Sedans over SUVs? In our expanding societies, more “trips to Home Depot” than ever before. most SUVs and such do that better than a pure sedan, even if the back seat folds down. SUVs also disguise their shortness, too, not to forget their narrowness. Take a typical SUV and put a trunk lid on it, THEN you’ll see how small they really are.
IOW nobody defeats GM like themselves.
absolutley true. They keep punching themselves in the face. With few exceptions they now make outdated and ugly cars.
Our city lost it’s last Buick franchise last month when the local dealer was bought by someone out of state. There’s been a Buick franchise here since 1916, but no more. Now I have to drive 18 miles to have our ’17 Lacrosse serviced. That’s one dealer servicing a half million people. What is GM thinking anyway?
You should be able to get service at any gm dealer. I have my chevy serviced at my caddy dealer. The LaCrosse was mates to the Impala and caddy had one I can’t remember the name anymore.
Buick would be as dead as Olds and Pontiac if not for the Chinese market. Buicks are now built to serve Chinese tastes, and we get the design leftovers. As the home grown Chinese producers become more pervasive, Buick will eventually be gone, or sold to Chinese interests.
The current political US-China tension may hasten this process.
What makes you think Chinese and American tastes are so different? Yes, the Chinese are generally quite a bit more conservative and family-centric than Americans, but one thing is for sure, the Chinese GM workers are awesome builders of Buicks.
The realities of auto manufacturing make most cars similar but the Chinese are currently on a nationalistic binge in that anything from outside cultures needs to be reduced or rooted out. My daughter taught US-bound Chinese students until suddenly the whole program was shut down, foreign teachers sent home, and outside education cancelled. Buick, as well as MB, Audi, VW, etc. will eventually fall victim to this trend. Japanese brands never had a chance. The Chinese will never forgive them for the rape of Nanking.
We wish Cadillac would offer a sporty 2 door like this with a V8 ICE. My wife is looking for sporty coupe and will have settle for a Chevy Corvette and not a Cadillac…🥲 Cadillac should be building a sporty coupe to draw the younger market and driving enthusiasts back. After they ceased producing the Cadillac CTS coupe CTS-V coupe and CTS wagon and CTS-V wagon in 2015 it’s been all boring 4 doors, SUVs and EVs…???
This is an absolute bonehead management move not to produce this car. Leave it to out of touch old white men to screw up the chance to have a huge hit…
Strange how the most beautiful cars never make it to production.
The Celestiq can take styling cues from this beauty, and put a gas engine in it!
Could someone please explain how you would ever the get the doors open far enough to get in or out of it?
I went to the NY AUTO SHOW yesterday (04-06-24) and Buick only had one (1) crossover SUV. I asked the Buick representative where is the Wildcat? He informed me it’s not coming to market. What a shame we can’t get our act together. I was raised on GM cars. How is it Hyundai can bring to market the Genesis G80 & G90 as well the GV70 and GV80 but we can’t? Go get Luc Donckerwolke from Hyundai! I drive an Audi A8, because I feel GM is losing their way. I would by a Wildcat in a “heartbeat…” Keep getting better Buick!
If GM would fashion that into an SUV, it would be the best looking SUV on the market. Instead, GM is producing ugly, boring box-shaped SUVs. See: 2024 redesigned Traverse.
lol, either this is perfect sarcasm, or you missed the Enclave photos.
Thank God!!
That thing is butt ugly.
Someone’s desperate for a reaction.
That is 1 sexy Buick.
Makes sense they don’t make it, it looks good.
They keep making these ugly ugly Buicks?
They want to make sales, make a Buick people like!
This Wildcat done in a GAS engine would be a HOT BUICK!
I’d buy it..and drive it proud.
Drop a slightly de-tuned Corvette engine in it and bring it to market! Most Buick owners already have knee socks and New Balance shoes…
GM is only interested in selling to Joe and Betty Six-Pack. Why they even spent the money on this is questionable. They will pass it on to the GM consumer for sure.
The Avista almost made it too, a more beautiful 2 door Buick. So did the Coupe 60 (second gen new GTO), a Bronco competitor, a 7th Gen Camaro, a turbo inline 6…should we keep going? What did make it is more crappy generic low effort crossovers, 1.3l 3 cylinders and more fwd garbage. Let’s look at the new Acadia! Another snooze fest that isn’t the Grand Cherokee competitor it should have been (thankfully the new GC is something different than it used to be, something no one wants).
I’ve given up on GM. All they do is greenlight garbage and talk about how good they used to be or could have been.
Will I don’t do electronic. And I think it will become a flop for most….