On the same day it unveiled the Wildcat EV concept for North America, Buick also unveiled a new electric SUV concept for China.
Like the Wildcat EV, the Buick Electra-X concept previews the brand’s future design direction, with a new badge being significantly changed for the first time since 1990.
The Electra-X Wildcat shares some styling elements with the EV, including a tilted front edge, a trapezoidal grille, and a Buick called a “check mark” taillight. But the four-seater crossover coupe body style is a little more relevant to the Buick’s current product range than the 2 + 2 coupe Wildcat EV.
Buick Electra-X concept
The Buick said the Electra-X is also capable of projecting information to the side or rear of a vehicle to alert pedestrians. The concept has an aerodynamic design of 21-inch wheels aimed at maximizing range, Buick claims.
The interior has been snatched from all switchgears, including the center console and the touchpad on the armrest, which apparently controls the function. To further reduce the environmental impact of the vehicle, the seats are furnished with fabrics made from recycled plastic bottles.
A 30-inch screen covers about half the dashboard, and according to Buick, features 6K resolution and 5G connectivity. It runs Automaker’s new virtual cockpit system, which uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chip, and features over-the-air (OTA) updating capabilities.
Buick Electra-X concept
The Electra-X Concept features GM’s Super Cruise hands-free driver-assist system and iKey. Buick’s name for the smartphone-a-key technology already offered in manufacturing cars from automakers such as Hyundai, Lincoln and Tesla.
Buick did not discuss the specification, but noted that the Electra-X is based on GM’s ultium battery and motor architecture. While it is not clear if the Electra-X will reach production, some of its styling elements based on the same Ultium component set will appear in future Chinese-market EVs. Buick plans to launch five new EVs in China by 2025.
In North America, the Buick aims to become all-electric by the end of the decade. Its first North American EV will appear in 2024 For this market EVs will use Electra name and an alphabetical suffix to denote size and body style.