The Buick Velite 5 will be the first extended-range electric vehicle the company has debuted. Designed specifically for the Chinese market, where Buick is flourishing, the Volt-based vehicle was recently unveiled at the 2017 Shanghai Auto Show.
With underpinnings taken directly out of the current-generation Chevrolet Volt introduced in 2015, the Velite 5 has an electronically controlled variable transmission (EVT) housing a high-performance electric drive motor. The Velite 5 utilizes a 1.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine as a range extender, and a lithium-ion battery pack for energy storage.
Buick says that the Velite 5's Chinese market expectations are a 477-mile (768-km) total range with up to 72 miles (116 km) of that being all-electric. Fuel consumption is rated at 0.9 l/100km (261 mpg), making it the first hybrid vehicle in China to be manufactured with a rating below 1.0 l/100km (235 mpg).
The Buick Velite 5 is the latest of a planned line of new-energy and green vehicles to be produced under the Buick Blue strategy for China. It joins the LaCrosse Hybrid, which launched in April.
There are two trim levels, the GL and GS. The 1.5GL is priced at RMB 265,800 (about US$38,600) and the 1.5GS at 295,800 ($42,995). Both models are eligible for a Chinese market low-emissions vehicle subsidy of RMB 36,000 ($5,200).
Source: Buick
