Automakers in China have had to make changes in order to create more EV and hybrid models to meet the upcoming regulations that require a certain percentage of the vehicles that are offered from that brand to have zero emissions. While Buick is certainly one of the most popular brands on the market in China, this brand has also had to make some changes in order to offer the drive and the right way to handle the active ride on the road with EV models so the Chinese regulations can be met without any trouble at all.
What Buick has created is a new model that’s specifically built for the Chinese market and it’s called the Buick Velite 6. This new model is going to be offered in both a plug-in hybrid and a pure EV powertrain to give those looking for an active and impressive small Buick SUV to have the drive they want. The plug-in hybrid will be powered by a 1.5-liter engine, two AC permanent magnet synchronous electric motors and a liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery pack. This new plug-in model is expected to be able to drive for up to 434 miles between fill-ups.
Why Do We Care About a Buick in China?
While the Velite 6 may never make its way to the US market, and right now we know less about the EV model of this car than we do the plug-in hybrid, what this vehicle will do is offer the potential for an EV and hybrid powertrain to be used in the US and other markets around the world. We already have one of the Buick SUV models, the Envision, which is offered in the North American market but is built in China making it one of the first models from a domestic brand to be imported.
Both versions of the Velite 6 will feature a cloud-based Buick eConcept system that will enable over the air updates to be added to the vehicle which can be unlocked with a smartphone app. With this system, multiple accounts can be created to offer a personalized profile with the settings desired for each driver that will get behind the wheel of the Velite 6. These personalized settings include music and destinations along with several other items of information that can make it easy to get in, plug in, and drive wherever you need to go.
Looking to the new models offered for this new Buick in China, we expect to see the technology of the battery power and the connectivity both make their way to the market in North America in some capacity. This is exciting for Buick in China as they showed off the Velite 6 at the recent Auto China 2018 show in Beijing, but it’s also exciting for us to think about the fact this vehicle and the technology offered will eventually be used in more places than just in China. Hopefully, we’ll have the Velite 6 in some form in the next few years.
Looking for something slightly different? Opt for the Buick Enclave!
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