Buick’s Luxury Behemoth, the Electra, Is Coming Back as a 583 HP EV

[Sal Collaziano]

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GM's Ultium battery tech will allow the futuristic EV to go 404 miles on a single charge​

Buick knows it has an image problem. When most people think of the brand, their first thought tends to be of the hulking boat-like cars their grandparents drove. But the marque hopes its new concept will go a long way towards changing that.

On Monday, SAIC General Motors, which manufactures and sells Buicks in China, announced the resurrection of one of the brand’s oldest nameplates, the Electra. No, the company isn’t bringing back the full-sized luxury cars of yesteryear; instead, it’s using the name for a sleek, fully electric prototype designed to presage its future. Read more...

 

[94cruiser]

Absolutely love the name.

Not sure what this is.
A lifted sedan with giant wheels? Feels like it's a monster truck but without the purpose.

 

[Wlepse]

Wow...I can't say there is much I like about that. Trying to find something positive, so I will say that that seat design looks like it would be easy to find that french fry that fell down the crack.

 

[2007LucerneCXL]

Interesting, I wonder if they will have a 225 model or maybe it's to hard to pronounce and just call it a Deuce and a Quarter LOL

 

[JoeBlog]

As with most of the concept cars GM has released over the past several years, the only part of this car likely to make it into production will be the lug nuts, and maybe another shade of their color of the month. I just don’t ever expect this to show up at an intersection near me. Not that I’d want it to; it’s a slap in the face to the Electra name.

 

[BenD]

Nope! Build the Avista instead!!

 

[Ghosthawk]

I'm glad to see GM getting into the EV game although I thought the Caddy ELR was was a great effort. I've read good things about the Bolt but this thing is...I don't know what. It ain't pretty that's for sure. Its almost like the designers are afraid to make a car.

 

[Anaduff]

I'm just a little surprised to see this under the 'Current Buick Vehicle Discussion' heading--I mean, it is a concept isn't it?

(Yes, I understand that any electric vehicle would be by default a current vehicle--but I don't think that's the point.)😉

 

[Ghosthawk]

Buick has the distinction of presenting the very first concept car...Harley Earl's "Y-Job"

They have produced some seriously beautiful cars over the years and I agree with a previous post that the Avista concept would be a great style for a new EV Electra. The name itself goes well with the EV direction but one of my faves has always been the Riviera.

This concept was shown in 2013 I believe and was a stunner! But if you think about it, they could give it the "TourX treatment" of lower body cladding, fatter tires and suspension lift to make it more "real-world" and still look great. I understand some people like the higher riding position, higher door access and better ground clearance if you live in harsh climate zones, but the picture in the OP looks like a Hummer love child gone bad.

 

[Ghosthawk]

Rough chop but kinda like this...

For that matter, just make the TourX an EV!! 😎👍

 

[Arthur_Davies]

Well, whatever it is, it's a damned sight more interesting than the bland tinkertoy crossovers which Buick has sadly decided is its future in the US, the type of vehicle that likely makes you wish you's bought something more inspired in that class, like a Hyundai Kona or whatever.

 

[2007LucerneCXL]

Buick has had worse ideas,

 

[Ghosthawk]

WOW and I thought the Rendezvous was ugly!🤣😂

 

[Human]

Yeah, that car is too 'out there' to even have a ghost of a chance at rolling off an assembly line. That said, the Electra name is perfect for a battery EV and I hope they follow up on at least that part of the idea.

 

[2007LucerneCXL]

Well this would be more of a statement then a good selling vehicle, but it would keep all the Buick wagon lovers happy and those who want a big Buick Electra, oh well.

 

[Ghosthawk]

I can handle most of that except the wood. I know it was a thing at one time but I honestly believe its part of the reason people in this country hate wagons so badly. I never cared for wood sides and I hated the way automakers slapped the vinyl on everything with a long boot that came down the pike. Part of the reason I loved the Magnum so much...not a sliver of fake wood in sight! Nice photochop tho! 😎

 

[Human]

I can handle most of that except the wood. I know it was a thing at one time but I honestly believe its part of the reason people in this country hate wagons so badly. I never cared for wood sides and I hated the way automakers slapped the vinyl on everything with a long boot that came down the pike. Part of the reason I loved the Magnum so much...not a sliver of fake wood in sight! Nice photochop tho! 😎

I wholeheartedly agree about the fake wood. It's hideous and makes the car look dated. Newsflash: the '80s have been over for a long time and we don't want them back. When the last iteration of the Olds Custom Cruiser wagon came out in the early '90s, my dad, who had just retired as a district sales manager for Oldsmobile, was appalled that woodgrain wasn't offered on those cars. That said, there were a few early '90s Custom Cruisers with woodgrain around town because the local Olds dealer would order the woodgrain kits for the Buick Roadmaster wagons that shared the CC's body shell to retrofit them as an unsanctioned dealer option. That said, it does point up something I've been thinking about lately. The sweepspear body styling lends itself very nicely to two-tone paint jobs. wonder why Buick hasn't offered them.

 

[2007LucerneCXL]

Wood vinyl stickers can be taken off ugly can't, 2 or 3 tones paint jobs would have to be one offs, robots have problems with putting on masking tape as it sticks to their fingers LOL. Bad news but woody's will never go away as soon as the idea seems to be dead some youngsters in design and marketing will say "let's do a woody as no one is doing them" and the circle of life begins, again.

 

[Ghosthawk]

There have been a few cases where the woody style worked. The Chrysler LeBaron Town & Country with its faux ash trim around vinyl walnut panels was a novel approach. I was actually amazed how few of the PT Cruisers got the woody treatment. We had a 90s Olds Cutlass wagon with way too much chrome trim ans faux wood but it was cheap and served the purpose for a while. I didnt shed any tears when it left our driveway.

 

[liuby33]

Like most other concept cars, this will never come out.