Buick Won't Have an EV in America Until Next Year

Buick’s EV ambitions haven’t been a secret. The automaker trademarked the iconic Electra name from its past and even teased its first EV last month, but we’re now learning that it will be a while before the vehicle lands on American soil.

A Buick Spokesperson told CarBuzz that the Electra E5’s debut next week will be a China-only affair and said that the company is “not showing or revealing any Buick EVs in the U.S. any time soon.” The rep went on to say that the first Buick EV for North America would debut in 2024. The move to release in China first isn’t that surprising, as the country accounts for a significant portion of the company’s sales volume. Buick sells something like five times the number of vehicles in China that it does in the United States, so it’s logical to focus resources on the massive country.

The Electra E5 rides on GM’s Ultium platform, which also underpins the Cadillac Lyriq and the upcoming Chevrolet Equinox EV. Buick will build the vehicle in China at its joint SAIC-GM facility in Wuhan, but it’s unlikely the automaker would produce American-bound EVs there because of tax credit rules.

Though we’ve seen the stunning Buick Wildcat EV Concept, it’s more likely that the company’s first domestically-available electric vehicle will be a much tamer crossover. It’s a safe bet and could lean on the bones of the new Chevy EVs without significant reengineering. 

[Image: Buick]

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from TheTruthAboutCars https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/cars/news-blog/buick-won-t-have-an-ev-in-america-until-next-year-44500288?utm_medium=auto&utm_source=rss&utm_campaign=all_full