Buick is about to launch the Electra E5, the brand’s first big five-seat SUV based on GM’s Ultium platform.
(Image credit: Buick)
GM’s Buick brand is starting to warm up for its first Ultium platform-based model, which appeared on a regulatory list a month ago.
Buick is about to launch the Electra E5, the brand’s first big five-seat SUV based on GM’s Ultium platform, it announced today on Weibo.
The Buick Electra E5 measures 4,892 mm in length, 1,905 mm in width and 1,655 mm in height, and has a wheelbase of 2,954 mm, SAIC-GM, GM’s joint venture in China, said in a separate WeChat post.
The model features Buick’s new Pure Design concept that incorporates electrified design elements, the post said.
Equipped with Buick’s next-generation Virtual Cockpit System (VCS), as well as the next-generation Super Cruise assisted driving system, the Electra E5 will become a new value benchmark for smart all-electric SUVs, the article said.
SAIC-GM did not mention when the Electra E5 will be officially launched in China, but it could be at the upcoming Guangzhou auto show.
The Guangzhou auto show was originally scheduled for November 18-27, but was then postponed due to Covid concerns. Last week, the event’s organizers announced that the show would resume between December 30 to January 8, 2023.
On November 16, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released the latest batch of models to be allowed to be sold in China for public comment, and the Buick Electra was included.
The model’s filing shows a length, width and height of 4,892 mm, 1,905 mm and 1,681/1,684 mm, respectively, and a wheelbase of 2,954 mm.
The Electra E5 that entered the catalog has a single motor with a peak power of 180 kW and a top speed of 180 kilometers per hour.
Its power battery is a ternary lithium battery, supplied by a joint venture between Chinese power cell giant CATL and SAIC.
The model features a closed front and hidden door handles, a common design for mainstream electric vehicles currently sold in China.
It is worth noting that, unlike the current practice of a large number of local Chinese automakers to commonly equip their SUVs with LiDARs, Buick’s model does not offer this component as an option.
