Photo: Chevrolet
Launched prior to the Tesla Model 3, the Bolt is the sort of EV that paves the way to an electrified future. It’s relatively affordable, nicely equipped from the get-go, and even though it has a few problems, it’s not a bad car at all. General Motors won’t stop here, though, because other General Motors brands have called dibs on the BEV II platform of the Bolt to suit their own needs.
On one occasion, company head honcho Mary Barra confirmed that the Bolt’s underpinnings would serve General Motors well in the near future. And as fate would have it, Buick is supposed to follow up on the compact-sized EV with a crossover utility vehicle akin in design to the Encore. InsideEVs broke the news, quoting a reliable source “who attended a focus group in California.”
At the focus group in question, attendees were asked “to rate the new Buick EV crossover in relation to other plug-in offerings.” Think Chevrolet Bolt, BMW i3, Tesla Model 3, Nissan Leaf, Kia Niro, and Hyundai Ioniq. Also from InsideEVs, it so happens that the Encore-like Buick EV crossover features a 60-kWh lithium-ion battery, a familiar FWD drivetrain, and premium detailing.
The publication quotes three more inches of rear legroom (approximately 7.62 centimeters) and a slightly lower acceleration time (6.7 seconds to 60 mph, which is 0.4 more than the Bolt), as well as $3,000 price bump over the Bolt. A floating roof, “aggressive LED lights,” and a large center touchscreen are supposedly on the menu, as is stitching on the dashboard, a tall center console, and a P-R-N-D-L button-based selector instead of a gear lever.
Similar to the Bolt, the yet-unnamed Buick EV crossover is expected to go into production at the General Motors plant in Orion, Michigan, The complex is currently adjusting production levels of the Chevrolet Sonic. The Buick Verano, which had been built in Orion, has been discontinued for the 2018 MY.
At the focus group in question, attendees were asked “to rate the new Buick EV crossover in relation to other plug-in offerings.” Think Chevrolet Bolt, BMW i3, Tesla Model 3, Nissan Leaf, Kia Niro, and Hyundai Ioniq. Also from InsideEVs, it so happens that the Encore-like Buick EV crossover features a 60-kWh lithium-ion battery, a familiar FWD drivetrain, and premium detailing.
The publication quotes three more inches of rear legroom (approximately 7.62 centimeters) and a slightly lower acceleration time (6.7 seconds to 60 mph, which is 0.4 more than the Bolt), as well as $3,000 price bump over the Bolt. A floating roof, “aggressive LED lights,” and a large center touchscreen are supposedly on the menu, as is stitching on the dashboard, a tall center console, and a P-R-N-D-L button-based selector instead of a gear lever.
Similar to the Bolt, the yet-unnamed Buick EV crossover is expected to go into production at the General Motors plant in Orion, Michigan, The complex is currently adjusting production levels of the Chevrolet Sonic. The Buick Verano, which had been built in Orion, has been discontinued for the 2018 MY.
Google News