Following a couple of previews in recent months that focused on design, the Buick Electra E5 has been fully revealed in China where the electric crossover is now on sale. The company's first EV to utilize General Motors' Ultium platform is available locally with two- and all-wheel drive courtesy of single- and dual-motor setups. Buyers get to pick from 68- and 80-kWh batteries and splurge on a range-topping Avenir trim pictured here.
The Buick Electra E5 comes in five flavors, kicking off with the Standard Range model offering 241 horsepower (180 kilowatts) and 243 pound-feet (330 Newton-meters) of torque for a 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 7.6 seconds. It has the smaller of the two batteries, good for 339 miles (545 kilometers) in the CLTC cycle.
2023 Buick Electra E5 Avenir
Oddly enough, the Long Range model has a less potent electric motor rated at 201 hp (150 kW) that draws its necessary juice from the bigger battery pack. It takes 8.6 seconds to complete the sprint and can cover 385 miles (620 kilometers) on a single charge.
Both the Standard Range and Long Range are available in a better-equipped Enjoy trim level with the same output and range.
Sitting at the top of the food chain is the fancy Electra E5 Avenir with a dual-motor configuration delivering a combined 283 hp (211 kW) and 343 lb-ft (465 Nm). It reaches 62 mph (100 km/h) from a standstill in 6.7 seconds and uses the bigger battery to cover 375 miles (603 kilometers) before having to plug it in. It takes about 28 minutes to replenish the battery from 30 to 80 percent.
We'll remind you the Electra E5 is 192.6 inches (4892 millimeters) long and has a generous wheelbase stretching at 116.3 in (2954 mm). It’s 75 in (1905 mm) wide and 66.3 in (1684 mm) tall. These dimensions make the electric crossover bigger than the Envision but smaller than the Enclave. It’s worth nothing that Buick also sells in China an Envision Plus that’s almost as long as the new Electra E5.
Pricing kicks off at 208,900 yuan ($30,500) for the Standard Range and rises to 278,900 yuan ($40,700) for the Avenir. Buick says it will launch a second Ultium-based EV in China by the middle of the year, presumably the Electra E4 we spotted testing in the United States at the end of 2022.
