Buick Enspire concept headed for Beijing
Electric crossover aimed straight at China
Buick will use the an event before the Beijing motor show to reveal an all-electric crossover concept, dubbed the Enspire.
It's just a teaser at the moment, but the Enspire looks to be a slinky, smooth-edged continuation of the formula laid out by the Avenir (2015) and Avista (2016).
Where those cars were designed by General Motors global teams – with a strong Australian influence – for American tastes, the Enspire is aimed squarely at the burgeoning Chinese market.
Buick has shifted more than nine million cars in China since being introduced as part of a SAIC-GM joint venture in 1998. The classic American brand is charging in the east, growing 4.0 per cent to 92,007 sales in Q1 this year.
Although it battles a beige image in North America, the brand actually outsells Honda, Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz in China – up to 80 per cent of its sales come from that market.
We'll be keeping a close eye on the Enspire, which is set for an April 17 unveil. Stay tuned.