The Buick Electra nameplate will return to production for the first time in over 30 years. There's still some mystery as to exactly how it will look, but a new batch of spy shots confirms an electric crossover is definitely in the works.
Suspicions were raised about an Electra reboot back in 2020 with the debut of an Electra-badged concept vehicle. That was followed by GM trademarking the Electra name for North America, and then a second Electra concept called the Electra-X arrived in the summer of 2022. A series of GM trademarks for Electra E1 through E9 showed up in November, suggesting that an entire Electra sub-brand might be coming.
Gallery: Buick Electra E4 Spy Photos
That leads us to the images above, showing a heavily camouflaged prototype resembling the Electra-X concept. The low roof with a beltline arcing upward at the back looks just like the concept. Placeholder headlights are visible at the front, but they appear to occupy space for slim headlights as seen on the concept. Furthermore, heavy camo clings to the outline of the lower fascia at the front, revealing an Electra-X shape. At the back there are obvious placeholders for the taillights, but like the front, the lenses appear to share space with a shape matching the concept.
There's no visible exhaust system because this is an electric vehicle. It will utilize the GM Ultium platform running batteries developed through a partnership with LG Chem. A single-motor RWD layout is believed to be standard, with a dual-motor AWD system optional. Our sources believe this will be called the Electra E4, destined for markets in North America and China.
The Electra moniker is already confirmed in China, but it's not the E4 featured here. Images of the Electra E5 were recently posted by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, showing an EV with proportions and design similar to the new Encore GX. Presumably, an Electra E4 might serve as a coupe-like crossover version of the E5.
There's no timeframe on when an official Electra E4 debut will happen. Our best guess would be sometime in the second half of 2023.
