1948 Buick Roadmaster Convertible 2 Dr 58k Original Miles Power Options Restored on 2040-cars

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China-market Buick Electra E5 meets the world

We now know the Buick Envista crossover is on the way to the U.S. market after its recent debut in China. The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has previewed another Buick crossover that will eventually get here, the release spotted by Car News China. The battery-electric Electra E5 was outed as part of the ministry process of opening up a public comment for new market entries. This is the Buick-branded Ultium-based EV that inaugurates a new electric era for GM brands over there, the E5 landing in the middle of the consecutive E1 to E9 trademarks Buick reserved a few years ago. The five-seat crossover's dimensions have been given as 192.6 inches long, 75 inches wide, and 66.2 inches tall, on a wheelbase 116.3 inches long. That size puts it on the same wheelbase as the coming 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV, with a length about two inches longer. The base wheels measure 18 inches, the options list offers 20-inch units. The battery pack is sourced from a joint venture between CATL and SAIC, the latter being GM's joint venture partner in China. The automaker said it's "tailored for China" but we don't know what that means, nor do we know the capacity. Thanks to the MIIT information, we do know the E5 weighs 5,666 pounds and in this initial form will be powered by one 241-horsepower motor that can achieve a top speed to 112 miles per hour.  Spy photographers caught an Electra SUV clad in camo doing the rounds in Michigan earlier this month with all the same design cues seen on the Chinese model — narrow headlights and taillights, three-piece high brake light on the hatch spoiler, and the same wheels. Although we could be wrong, we'd bet a fair bit of money our Electra will come with more than 241 horsepower, though. Even our compact Buick Envision gets 228 hp, and it weighs almost 2,000 pounds less than the China-market Electra E5.   The same over there as here, the E5 represents Buick's first proper move toward the all-electric lineup scheduled to be completed by 2030. In China, it will mean the sunset of current EV offerings like the Buick Velite 6 MAV wagon-like vehicle, and the Chevy-Bolt-based Velite 7. Car News China said neither sell well, calling the Velite 6 "a bit of an oddball," and the 7 a little small for the Chinese market. Younger, tech-happy buyers will be lured with the first strokes of SAIC's Smart Cockpit and GM's Super Cruise. Deliveries should commence at the beginning of next year in China, the E5's arrival in the U.S.

Why Buick's future lies in China

Back in the last half of 2008 and into 2009, when General Motors was looking at too much capacity for too few customers, when it was running out of money and needing to go to the governments of the US and Canada and to the UAW for financial support, its management team was pretty much instructed by the feds to focus resources on what would create the best likelihood for a return on the investments and guarantees that it was getting. Things needed to be cut, and not just the corporate air fleet. This led to the elimination of Saturn, Hummer and Pontiac and the sale of Saab to Spyker. What remained of GM's North American brand portfolio was Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, and GMC. (Oldsmobile had been shuttered in 2004.) There were a variety of opinions regarding which brands GM should keep/lose during the midst of the Great Recession. Some thought GMC should be axed, but then it was pointed out that GMC essentially produced high-content Chevys, which resulted in fantastic transaction costs. Lots of money in the back of those pickups. Others thought Buick should be eliminated. The rationale was: Chevy was the mass-market brand, Cadillac was the luxury brand, and GMC helped leverage the company's investment in trucks. (Yes, even back then the F-Series was winning the pickup sales race, so it was always a matter of adding Silverado and Sierra sales to show that GM was solidly in the game.) So what was Buick? Better than Chevy but not as good as a Cadillac? Somehow that doesn't seem to be a particularly aspirational position to hold. But Buick's identity didn't need to be worked out in 2008-09 because there was a single compelling reason to keep it: China. According to official GM history, Pu Yi, the last emperor of China, Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the first provisional president of China, and Zhou Enlai, a Chinese premier, "Either owned, drove or were driven in Buick automobiles." What's more: "According to statistics from the Shanghai government, in 1930 one out of every six cars on the city's roads was a Buick." Which is to say that Buick got to China early and has a major presence in that market. When the Regal Sportback and Regal TourX were being unveiled at the GM Design Dome the first week of April, Duncan Aldred, vice president of Global Buick, gave a briefing of Buick's place on the automotive landscape.

2024 Buick Envista Cupholder Mega Test: Will the Nalgene bottle fit?

Buick has launched its newest, most-affordable vehicle. The 2024 Buick Envista slots below the Encore GX, starts below $25,000 and is a comfortable and quiet thing. It looks pretty good, too, I think. You can read all about it in my first drive review, and if you have, you've probably been wondering, "Well, what about the cupholders? Will my goofily large water bottle fit?" Despite water being provided on the drive, as you can see from the disposable bottles in the background of these photos, I went through a liter of diet cola from my Nalgene water bottle on the cross-town trek to the event, so it came along for the drive with me. Up front, we've got a pair of cupholders in a fore/aft orientation. They look fairly typical in every way, including size, which doesn't bode well for the 'gene. I could feel the dull disappointment as I lowered the bottle toward the cupholder. Indeed, it doesn't fit.  At first glance, the front door pocket looks like it could work. That little divider is worrisome, though. Adsheartlikins! So close. As you can see in the video further below, after staunchly rejecting the Nalgene, a second attempt shows it'll slip in just a little bit, but not enough to properly hold the thing. The front occupants, it appears, are out of options. But what about the people in the back? There are no cupholders on the back of the center console, nor is there a center armrest to fold down from the seat. Straight to the door pocket it is. The rear door pocket looks like a shortened version of the ones up front. Inauspicious, but we still have to cross our fingers and check it. No surprises here. Just more disappointment. So while the rear passengers can enjoy a healthy amount of legroom, they can't enjoy a more-than-healthy amount of water from their Nalgene unless they hold it or let it roll around on the floor. I still liked the Envista, though. It's worth a look if you want a budget car that doesn't feel cheap. Disclaimer: Autoblog accepts vehicle loans from auto manufacturers with a tank of gas and sometimes insurance for the purpose of evaluation and editorial content. Like most of the auto news industry, we also sometimes accept travel, lodging and event access for vehicle drive and news coverage opportunities. Our opinions and criticism remain our own — we do not accept sponsored editorial.