The Buick Electra E5, the brand's first BEV based on General Motors' Ultium platform, has gotten off on the right foot in China.
The electric mid-size SUV went on sale in China on April 13 and by April 25, the SAIC-GM joint venture announced that Buick already received more than 8,000 orders for the Electra E5.
The model starts at $30,200 (208,900 yuan) in China and offers customers a choice of three trim levels – Smart, Enjoy, and Avenir – and three different Ultium Battery pack and powertrain configurations, named Standard Range, Long Range, and AWD.
The base variant features a 68-kilowatt-hour ternary battery pack with NMC (nickel manganese cobalt) chemistry. Built by a joint venture between CATL and SAIC, the pack enables a driving range of 338 miles (545 kilometers) on China's CLTC test cycle.
There's also an 80-kWh NMC ternary battery that's said to give the Electra E5 up to 385 miles (620 km) of CLTC range. This pack is only offered on Long Range and AWD models.
The Buick Electra E5 Standard Range features a single motor, front-wheel drivetrain offering 241 horsepower (180 kilowatts) and 243 pound-feet (329 Newton-meters) of torque, enough for 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) sprint in 7.6 seconds.
Gallery: 2023 Buick Electra E5 Avenir
The Electra E5 Long Range features a similar setup but the front-mounted motor has an output of 201 hp (150 kW). The range-topping Electra E5 Avenir AWD adds a rear-mounted motor for a total output of 283 hp (211 kW) and 343 lb-ft (464 Nm) of torque. This variant accelerates from zero to 62 mph in 6.7 seconds.
The Electra E5 is bigger than the Envision but smaller than the Enclave, measuring 192.6 inches (4,892 millimeters) in length, 75 in (1,905 mm) in width, and 66.3 in (1,684 mm) in height. Its wheelbase is generous, stretching at 116.3 in (2,954 mm).
Available technologies on the Buick Electra E5 include a 30-inch Eyemax 6K curved display powered by the latest Buick eConnect operating system, enhanced Super Cruise, the latest ADAS features, and more.
The electric SUV is available in China through the new direct sales channel that currently includes 12 urban EV showrooms, dedicated EV zones at select Buick stores, and the refreshed iBuick app exclusively for China.
Buick says it will have 60 urban EV showrooms in 20 cities nationwide as well as more than 600 EV zones at dealerships across China by the end of 2023.
The GM brand will launch a second Ultium-based model in China in mid-2023 – likely the Electra E4 – and it plans to have a total of five Ultium products in its lineup by the end of 2025, including MPVs, SUVs and sedans.
