GM unveils Buick Electra electric crossover concept, claims over 400 miles of range with Ultium battery

GM has unveiled a new Buick Electra electric vehicle concept and claims a range of over 400 miles with GM’s Ultium battery.

The Buick Electra was a flagship luxury vehicle for the Buick brand for decades and now GM might bring it back as an electric car.

In Shanghai this week, SAIC-GM, GM’s joint-venture in China, unveiled the ‘Buick Electra concept vehicle’, a sleek new electric crossover concept.

While the concept was unveiled by GM’s joint-venture in China under the Buick brand, the automaker referred to it as a “global concept” and said that it is “a sneak peek at Buick’s vision for a new intelligent electric future.”

Sam Basile, executive vice president of SAIC-GM, commented on the concept unveiling:

“Today, Buick’s innovative thinking and imagination of future intelligent mobility have reached the next level with the Electra. I am confident that the aesthetics and technology innovations reflected on the Electra will ultimately help reset consumers’ expectations, just as all previous Buick concepts have done.”

Here are a few pictures of the concept that Buick released this week:

While this looks very much like a concept and not a vehicle ready for production, GM said that the vehicle would be equipped with a GM Ultium battery system.

Molly Peck, executive director of Buick Sales and Marketing at SAIC-GM, commented:

“Building on Buick’s proven leadership in electrification, the Electra represents the brand’s ambition to bring together beautiful styling and intelligent connectivity in the new era of zero emissions. The advanced Ultium battery unlocks the exciting new possibilities for what future EVs will look like. The Electra fully leverages state-of-the-art technology to set a new standard for future EV design and personal mobility.”

GM claims that the Ultium battery would enable a range of 660 km (410 miles) and the powertrain would have a 435 kW output:

“The Electra’s Ultium drive unit has high-performance motors in both the front and the rear to ensure optimized power output. It has maximum power of 435 kW, enabling 0-100 kilometer per hour acceleration of just 4.3 seconds.”

They didn’t offer a timeline on bringing a production version of the vehicle to market, but GM has previously announced plans to bring two electric Buick vehicles to market, an SUV and a CUV.