If you watched the Super Bowl, you probably saw Dr. Evil pledge to save the world with electric vehicles from General Motors. As part of a Twitter thread promoting the commercial, Buick provides a glimpse of a forthcoming EV and promises to debut it this summer.
Unfortunately, Buick isn't saying anything else about this vehicle. The teaser image shows a swoopy LED running light with a vertical section on the outer side of the body. It's not possible to see much else, but the hood appears to have some curvy sculpting. However, the disclaimer at the bottom says "concept vehicle shown," so the production version could be completely different.
We’re fans of all @GM EVs, but this summer we will show you our dreams of a groovy electric future. ⚡️ We’re sure a mastermind who makes his own quasi-futuristic clothes will be impressed. 🤯 https://t.co/7r3Czy8CXV pic.twitter.com/e1XzwFEVsJ
— Buick (@Buick) February 13, 2022
On December 20, 2021, General Motors filed for a trademark for the term Buick Electra. As of this writing, the United States Patent and Trademark Office lists the paperwork as "awaiting examination."
The automaker abandoned its previous trademark for Electra on July 28, 2014, so this recent application wasn't simply a renewal to maintain its protection of the name.
While the filing is not proof that Buick intends to call this vehicle Electra – after all the automaker doesn't even possess the trademark yet – it's not hard to see that reviving the old name makes sense for an EV. Hearing "electra" immediately evokes electricity.
Another trademark filing offers an alternative name possibility. On January 26, 2022, General Motors applied to reserve the term Velite for vehicles in the US.
The Buick Velite family of plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles is already available in China. The Velite 5 is a PHEV sedan. The Velite 6 is a crossover EV with up to 255 miles (410 kilometers) of NEDC range, and a plug-in hybrid variant is also available. The Velite 7 is also a crossover EV but has an NEDC range of 311 miles (500 kilometers).
