Buick announces 6 EVs for China

Rather than wait for the Shanghai Auto Show to open its doors for the visitors, Buick held a special event in China to tell everyone about its plans for the next few years. It looks like the General Motors company is betting big on the Chinese domestic market.

Over the next year, Buick plans to start offering six different EVs under a sub-brand called Electra. They will all be based on the same platform known as the Xiao Yao and will likely never make it to the other markets.

The Xiao Yao architecture was designed to accommodate both all-electric and hybrid powertrains. The latter can be serial and parallel with the drive on the front axle, rear, or both. The power is sourced from a lithium-iron-phosphate battery pack by CATL. It supports charging currents up to 640kW and can replenish 350 km (217 miles) of range in 10 minutes.

In turn, a Qualcomm 8775 chipset in the cabin powers as many as eight digital displays, plus a HUD with Augmented Reality features. Buick worked with local IT firm Momenta to equip the cars with numerous driving assist features summing up to SAE Level 2 autonomy. All of the marque’s future EVs and hybrids will support self-driving to a certain extent.

The lineup will include SUVs, sedans and minivans, the company says. Many will be inspired by the Electra GS Concept, a 5.3-meter (17.4-ft) long sedan with a sloped roof, 23-inch wheels, video cameras instead of mirrors, a LiDAR under the windshield, and a yoke-shaped steering wheel.