Price and Benefits
SAIC-GM Buick announced that the Buick ELECTRA E5 is officially launched, offering two standard-range versions, two long-range versions and one Aviar model, with a price range of RMB 208,900 – RMB 278,900.
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Standard Range (68 kWh, 545 km range): Enjoy Standard Range at RMB 208,900; Premium Standard Range at RMB 225,900.
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Long Range (80 kWh, 620 km range): Enjoy Long Range at RMB 222,900; Premium Long Range at RMB 239,900.
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AWD Version (80 kWh, 603 km range): Aviar AWD at RMB 278,900.
The benefits are as follows:
Buick ELECTRA E5 will adopt the online and offline closed-loop service model. Online, the Buick brand APP iBuick allows users to view, select, place an order, make payment, and bind the vehicle after picking up the car, with car status inquiry, vehicle control, iKey mobile key, and other worry-free car connectivity services included.
Offline, the Buick Pure Electric Space provides users with a one-stop service for viewing, selecting, and ordering cars. In addition, Buick has also set up a Buick Pure Electric Zone within its existing dealer stores, further improving the convenience of users viewing and purchasing cars.
Currently, the first batch of Buick Pure Electric Spaces and Zones have been officially put into operation. By the end of 2023, Buick Pure Electric Space is expected to reach about 60 and Pure Electric Zone is expected to exceed 600. At the same time, Buick is also constantly improving its energy replenishment system, and plans to build nearly a thousand self-built Autonener Super Charging Terminals by the end of this year, and to cooperate with mainstream charging operators with** more than 400,000 third-party charging terminals**.
Exterior and Interior
Exterior
The Electra E5 adopts the new generation Buick pure electric product design language, with dimensions of 4,892 × 1,905 × 1,655 mm in length, width, and height, with a wheelbase of 2,954 mm. The new car will be equipped with the all-new VCS intelligent cockpit and Super Cruise advanced driver-assistance system.
The Electra E5 incorporates Buick’s brand new PURE Design philosophy with elements of electrification design. Thanks to the Ultium ultra-energy platform, the space utilization of the new car is further increased, and the wheelbase reaches 2,954 mm. The long front, long wheelbase, and short front and rear overhangs create a spacious and stretching body ratio and a poised and dynamic posture.
The exterior of the car adopts Buick’s “potential type surface” design language. It uses the contrast of light and shadow formed by the concave and convex surfaces and intersections to embellish the creases on the rear fenders and lower sides, giving an overall simple and concise feel. In addition, the car features black electroplating decoration for the first time, adding some luxurious atmosphere to the new car.
The E5 also features the brand new three-color shield logo design of Buick. With the “flying eaves and spreading wings” design, it inherites and upgrades Buick’s family design language, while the LED headlights on both sides of the front of the car can provide rhythmic lighting effects. The array grille with the body-colored lower part of the front face brings a horizontal and extended visual experience, highlighting the identity of the electric car.
At the rear, the E5’s through-type flying wing taillights are more slender and flat, widening the visual width of the rear of the car, echoing the headlights in the front. The crystal shield high-mount brake light at the rear corresponds to the brand new Buick logo.
Interior
The interior of the Buick ELECTRA E5 adopts a layered and suspended design, with highlights including a 30-inch integrated curved surface 6K screen, a 12.6-inch HUD front view system, and an electronic gear shift. The center console adopts the Décor Light-Dance Crystal Lattice decoration board, which uses a laser carving process based on the optical principle of multi-layer diffraction to achieve partial light transmission effect. The 121-color music rhythm atmosphere light can pulsate with the music being played. The Avenir four-wheel drive version of the car has “Polar Night Chasing Star” exclusive interior color with Avenir headrest embossing and Avenir seat metal nameplate decoration strip.
Thanks to the Ultium OTN electric vehicle platform and the ultra-long wheelbase, the Buick ELECTRA E5 has 140mm of knee room and 1,030m of legroom for the second row.
The Buick ELECTRA E5 has a maximum width of 520mm for the front seats. At the same time, the front seats have three levels of heating and ventilation, as well as four-way lumbar adjustment; the panoramic sunroof equipped on all models has a lighting area of 1.32 square meters, and the maximum opening distance for the front glass is 580mm.
In addition, the Buick ELECTRA E5 has a 4.5L multifunctional storage compartment below the suspension center console, and the trunk size is 502L-1,658L, which can be divided into upper and lower layers.
In terms of NVH, the Buick ELECTRA E5 is equipped with “Buick Library Soundproofing Technology”, which uses high-performance motor acoustic wrapping technology and 5mm double-layer acoustic glass, etc.
Conclusion
In my impression, Buick ELECTRA E5 should be the first joint-venture electric vehicle to have a “reasonable” price in the release stage, rather than like some familiar Chinese-made joint-venture automakers who set a high price and then keep lowering it.
The pricing of the Buick E5 will become an important turning point in the pricing strategy of joint venture electric vehicle models. After this, joint venture automakers can no longer ignore the domestic competitive environment as a “turtle with a shrunk head.”
In terms of cost-effectiveness, the Buick ELECTRA E5 is undoubtedly very sufficient. The Encore GX within Buick’s own system starts at 225,900 yuan, and the E5 can not only achieve “oil-electricity at the same price,” but also costs less. The similarly-sized ID.6, except for the Pure version, has a starting price of 280,000 yuan. One bold point of Buick is that, except for the advanced Super Cruise and Bose sound system, almost all other features are standard equipment for both low-end and high-end models.
Through the pricing of E5, you can see that Buick, as a joint venture car manufacturer, is really feeling the pressure of the crisis.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.