2024 Buick Electra Overview: Better Late Than Never
General Motors has grand ambitions to overtake Tesla in electric vehicle sales by 2025, but to do so, every brand within the GM stable will have to deliver competitive EVs. That includes Buick, one of the last brands under the GM umbrella that will go electric. Buick sales have been slow of late, and it has a rather staid lineup, but the Electra, its first EV, could set it on a much more positive trajectory.
Details surrounding the Electra are scarce at this stage but, based on the Electra Concept, it will be a dramatic crossover entirely unlike the Electra full-size sedan that was produced until 1990. The Electra name, interestingly, will be applied to a series of future models as a sort of EV sub-brand, but we'd be surprised if the brand's first EV were anything but a crossover since consumers can't seem to get enough of them.
When Is The Buick Electra Coming Out?
The Buick Electra is expected to be revealed sometime in 2023, with a release date following thereafter when it will arrive as either a 2024 or 2025 model.
What’s The Price Of The 2024 Electra?
We expect Buick's first EV to be similar in size to the Cadillac Lyriq, which could help us narrow down how much it will cost. The price of the 2024 Buick Electra will probably be somewhere in the region of $60,000 MSRP, but it's possible that other variants will cost more.
In China, Buick revealed a new concept for that region known as the Electra-X. Looking much more production-ready than the original Electra concept, it remains to be seen if the production Electra-X/Electra will be the same vehicle but with different names for the China/USA markets, or if the differences run deeper than that.
Another intriguing prospect is a recent trademark we uncovered for an Electra GS, most likely a high-performance version of the 2024 Electra. Again, we have to rely on speculation, so this could either be a sporty version of the Electra with a unique body style or it could have a crossover body and more powerful motors, making it comparable to a potential Cadillac Lyriq V.
Besides the Lyriq, rivals for the Buick Electra - assuming it occupies the compact or midsize crossover segment - could encompass everything from the Chevrolet Blazer EV to the Audi e-tron and BMW iX. It will all come down to where Buick decides to position the Electra in the market.
New Buick Electra Exterior And Colors
We haven't seen the exterior of the Buick Electra but we have several concepts to get an idea of what to expect. Besides the Electra Concept itself that was shown in 2020, Buick more recently showed us the stunning Wildcat EV Concept that it said previews the brand's future design language, while the Electra-X Concept (pictured in white below) from China is another clue. If we could get an AI program to perfectly combine these three concepts into one, perhaps we will have a clearer picture of what the production Electra will look like.
All these concepts have clean lines that rely more on dramatic proportions than fussy details to grab your attention. The Electra and Electra-X concepts both have especially large wheels, ultra-slim headlights, and a shallow glasshouse. We don't expect the Electra Concept's insane butterfly wing doors or absence of traditional door handles to make it to production, but the "forward-leaning" front-end and low-mounted, trapezoidal grille of the Wildcat might.
We also like the Wildcat Concept's turbine wheels and blade-style taillights, but these elements, along with the available colors for the new Buick Electra crossover, remain unconfirmed. Whatever the case, the era of neat but rather bland Buicks looks to be nearing its end.
Buick Electra Dimensions
Sharing its Ultium platform with the Cadillac Lyriq, the dimensions of the new Buick Electra will probably be similar to the Caddy if it is a midsize SUV too. For reference, the Lyriq measures 196.7 inches in length, 63.9 inches in height, and 86.9 inches in width.
Midsized EVs are typically heavy, and if the new Electra matches the Lyriq in this regard, it will have a curb weight of over 5,600 pounds.
Buick Electra Engine And Performance
Nothing has been confirmed about what will power the Buick Electra, but again, we can draw a few calculated conclusions. When the Electra Concept was revealed in 2020, Buick said it had dual electric motors producing 583 horsepower and was capable of 0-62 mph in just 4.3 seconds. That's even more powerful than the dual-motor, all-wheel-drive Lyriq which makes 500 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque.
Perhaps a powertrain with this level of gusto could fill the role of an Electra GS, whereas a single-motor version would motivate the regular Electra and have a simpler rear-wheel-drive configuration. The base Lyriq RWD makes 340 hp and 325 lb-ft, so it's hardly underpowered.
Like many other GM EVs, the Electra is expected to be based on the flexible Ultium platform, and as we'll see below, that could mean an impressive range on a full charge.
Range, Charging, And Battery Life
When the Electra Concept was revealed, Buick said that the advanced Ultium battery would provide a range of over 660 km (410 miles) on a single charge based on WLTP standards. The Lyriq's EPA figures aren't quite as great as that. It returns 97/82/89 MPGe and has a 312-mile range in RWD form, based on its 102-kWh battery. However, GM's Ultium battery cells were designed to be continuously improved, so by the time the Electra arrives, it may well surpass the efficiency and range of the Lyriq.
If the Electra matches the Lyriq's charging speeds, it will reach a 190-kW peak rate and should be able to add around 76 miles of range in 10 minutes. Certain Korean EVs have better charging speeds than this, but again, the newer Electra could introduce improvements over existing Ultium-based EVs.
Buick Electra Interior And Cargo
Current Buicks have extremely comfortable interiors, even if the execution inside falls just short of competitors from Germany. With the Buick Electra, we expect a totally new approach to interior design for the brand.
The Electra Concept showcased a four-seat interior with novel technologies wherever you look. It had a retractable steering wheel, suspended seats, and a spaceship-like cradle while eschewing a conventional instrument panel. Together, these features created what Buick referred to as a zero-gravity environment, almost as if all the primary elements of the Buick Electra's interior are floating in air.
We don't expect the seats in the production Buick Electra to be limited to four, and nor do we anticipate that retractable steering wheel since Level 4 and 5 self-driving cars remain some way off. However, the concept's augmented reality head-up display and the eConnect system with remote over-the-air updates are more likely. The curved display may also be downsized, although the more recent Electra-X Concept still came with a massive 30-inch display with 6K resolution.
The latter's more conventional A-pillars should be used, but a large glass roof is still likely. We do love the Electra Concept's flat floor that frees up space in both the first and second row, though.
We'll have to wait until more information is released before we can share the cargo space specs of the Buick Electra.