EV retooling to cost Buick dealers US$300,000 a pop as new Electra E5 SUV is unveiled

Buick recently made a surprise climb in the ranking for most reliable vehicles in the US, riding on the wings of the Buick Encore GX and some others. General Motors' first brand back in 1908, the year when Ford released its Model T and ushered in car production automation, is betting on the rapid shift to vehicle electrification to become a major player yet again.

The brand is enjoying somewhat of a cult status in China, as so many legacy American names, and it is not surprising that Buick chose to present its first battery-powered Electra E5 SUV built on GM's Ultium platform there. It sports Buick's signature PURE design elements indicating this is a vehicle in its electric car portfolio which, according to Cesar Toledo, the Buick Sales and Marketing director, will usher in a new era for the company there:

The Electra E5 is the first of an all-new portfolio of Buick EVs in China that will set the benchmark across mainstream EV segments. It fully embodies the brand’s ongoing transformation through its innovative spirit and adoption of the latest industry innovations, including the Ultium platform, all-new Virtual Cockpit System and enhanced Super Cruise driver assist technology, which customers will appreciate.

The Electra E5 will be Buick's first EV that will ship with the new tri-shield logo, as the automaker has vowed to launch it in the US in 2024.

In order to start selling electric vehicles, however, Buick dealerships which did not accept GM's buyout offer, will have to invest up to US$400,000 to retrofit their places with chargers and servicing tools, as well as for retraining staff.

It remains to be heard how many of the nearly 2,000 Buick dealers across the US choose to remain independent just like a third of Cadillac's dealerships which were dealt a similar offer earlier, and promised to invest about US$200,000 each to usher in the luxury car brand's own EV era.

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