WARREN, Michigan — Buick is going all-electric, and a Wildcat will show the way.
General Motors’ premium brand Wednesday unveiled the gorgeous, low-slung Wildcat 2+2 coupe, an electric-vehicle concept that previews coming attractions from Buick as its lineup goes all-EV by 2030. Buick is the second GM brand to go all-electric following luxury sibling Cadillac.
While phasing out its current lineup of four gas-powered SUVs — the subcompact Encore, compact Encore GX and Envision, and three-row Enclave — Buck will resuscitate its Electra name as an EV badge, beginning with a new model in 2024. Expect a compact SUV like Cadillac’s electric Lyriq targeted at the premium market’s biggest segment.
“Electric vehicles suit the Buick brand. With our QuietTuning philosophy of a quiet cabin, smooth ride, and comfortable seats, we have made a quiet-ride experience,” said Buick marketing boss Rob Peterson at a Wildcat media sneak peek at GM’s Research and Development Center. “The industry is moving to where Buick has been.”
With the federal government forcing auto manufacturers to battery-power beginning with draconian regulations in 2026, GM has made a commitment to go fully-electric by 2035. China, Buick's No. 1 market by sales volume (it is the fourth best-selling brand there), also figures prominently in the company's plans as the Chinese government is also encouraging EVs with a target for battery-vehicle sales of 20% by 2025.
Though EVs have been in the US market for more than a decade, consumer acceptance has been low (just 3% of sales in 2021) with the exception of luxury-maker Tesla, which has become the darling of Wall Street investors.
GM has been eager to replicate Tesla’s success, but the Detroit automaker's first EV, the much-hyped Chevrolet Bolt, has been a sales disappointment. GM hopes its premium brands will be more appealing to Tesla’s upscale demographic.
The Wildcat concept, said Peterson, is critical to Buick’s vision. Following in the footsteps of past Buick concepts like the 1953 Wildcat and 2016 Avista, Wildcat is a comprehensive remake of the brand’s design language, from logo to sheet-metal to interior. Like the Avista coupe concept that inspired recent production models, Wildcat is unlikely to make it to production.
“Buick’s quiet luxury theme is a good, basic fit with electrification. The EV characteristics line up well, and it allows them to recapture the Electra badge,” said veteran iSeeCars.com analyst Karl Brauer, who nonetheless sees big challenges for a Buick lineup defined by its Enclave and Encore utes. “A three-row, road-trip SUV doesn’t translate well into an EV, and the attraction for the Encore was how much value you got in a small SUV. The question with EVs is can you make them affordably?”
Look for Wildcat’s DNA in forthgoing EVs — as well as in current model design updates like the 2022 Enclave. The Enclave’s new, high-mounted front blade running lights are taken right off the Wildcat.
Wildcat remakes Buick’s three-shield logo with the first significant change since 1990. The logo’s outer circle is gone, allowing the shields to float above the Wildcat’s front waterline. Where gas-powered models feature a prominent shield grille, Wildcat’s front end is lower, more sportscar-like. Think the Kia EV6 or Tesla Model 3. Unlike the Model 3, however, the facia still contains a low-mounted, trapezoidal, grille-like element along the lower chin to create the semblance of a face.
Wildcat design manager Therese Pinazzo said buyers still want anthropomorphic features in their cars — even as EVs don’t need prominent grilles for air. “We don’t want to be faceless going into the EV era,” she said pointing out the light blade “eyes” and lower grille “mouth.”
Anthropomorphic features are also important to the Chinese market where buyers value da qi, or the element of “grand elegance.”
“Global design is incredibly important for this brand,” said designer Pinazzo. “Our Chinese design studio were also involved. It’s important to Chinese customers that the car have a face.”
The coupe’s shape is cab forward — the wheels pushed out to the edges of the chassis — taking advantage of GM’s skateboard battery platform to maximize interior space.
The simple, rounded flanks are also a stark contrast to Cadillac’s EV design language. In addition to having a more upright, angular stance, Lyriq’s design is more technical with a complicated lighting signature that dances to life as the driver approaches the car.
“The Cadillac design has a lot going on,” said Pinazzo. “With Buick, we are looking for subtle sophistication ... for timeless beauty.”
Moving against its more organic shape, however, Electra EVs will each be assigned alphanumeric badging while Cadillac moves away from alphanumerics (CT4, XT4) to proper names like Lyriq and Celestiq. After less than two decades in the market, Buick will phase out its E-family of names — Encore, Envision, Enclave — that reintroduced customers to the brand. Almost forgotten as a geriatric sedan brand, Buick reigned its brand awareness with the Encore-Envision-Enclave SUVs and “That’s not a Buick” TV ads.
Buick sales grew 7.6% in 2021, the lineup's best year to date. Meanwhile, the average buyer’s age continued to decrease, by two years. Pushing technology deemed important to younger-generation buyers, Buick's EV brand transformation will include a more seamless connectivity experience, with features like remote key fob, Wi-Fi data and OnStar safety services standard on new cars.
Analyst Brauer said that going electric with low-volume brands like Cadillac and Buick is relatively low-risk, particularly since both brands have senior stigmas that electrification should help remedy. Still, he says, “there doesn’t seem to be enough customers for all the brands that say they are going all-EV this decade. That includes Jaguar, Alfa and Volvo.”
The Electra name was last seen on big Buick sedans from 1959-1990. A favorite of collectors, Electras are a favorite classic cruiser at the annual Woodward Dream Cruise. Wildcat’s interior tech is out of a sci-fi movie by comparison.
Wildcat concept is entered through a big opening — made possible by “semi-swing” doors paired with partial, gullwing roof openings. The idea, say designers, is to introduce a sense of space. The palatial interior embraces that latest, digital screen technology — anchored by a single screen stretching from the instrument display across the console. A smaller display on the doors is to display views from side camera mirrors.
“Getting inside will be a voyage of discovery,” said designer Pinazzo. “We want it to be a calming experience. The vehicle gets to know you like a Fitbit or an Apple watch. Biometrics and AI will recognize your behavioral patterns. ... For example, if you are feeling anxious, sensors in the seats will sense your anxiety and dim the cabin lights, disperse aromatherapy scents, and activate massaging seats.”
Expect future Buicks to have the latest in driver-assist technology like GM’s forthcoming UltraCruise — the next evolution of a SuperCruise system that allows hands-free driving on divided highways, including automatic lane changes.
The Buick team gave no details on drivetrain technology, but expect the Buick to be quick. Production vehicles will sit on GM’s Ultium battery platform that already advertises 500 horsepower and dual-motor drive from the forthcoming Caddy Lyriq.
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