Buick’s By-China, For-China Envision Concept Debuts in Shanghai « New and Used Car Listings

Buick’s By-China, For-China Envision Concept Debuts in Shanghai

The Chinese automotive market now far outstrips the U.S. as the largest in the world; although we know, generally speaking, where our ceiling is, nobody is sure how many millions of cars the Chinese will scoop up per year. As the market there matures, a growing taste for SUVs has become evident, and Buick—one of the Middle Kingdom’s hotter brands—is preparing to give its (Notorious) big Enclave some smaller company. The Envision concept, which the company unveiled today at the Shanghai auto show, displays Buick’s future styling direction as well as the brand’s intention to sell a smaller-than-the-Enclave crossover in China.

Power for the concept comes from a plug-in hybrid system: A 2.0-liter turbo four is joined by an eight-speed automatic packing a pair of electric motors. Energy is stored in a lithium-ion battery, which can be charged via cord or the roof-mounted solar panel. To keep weight down, the Envision makes use of carbon fiber, aluminum, and magnesium. It all rides atop a magnetorheological suspension that’s said to recycle energy.

The Envision was “designed specifically for the Chinese market” by “merging Buick’s global design language with Chinese aesthetics.” That said, Buick has been toying with the idea of offering a smaller crossover in the U.S. for several years, and we can’t imagine the company would develop two separate five-seaters for each of its two biggest markets. Such a vehicle would almost definitely be built on the platform that underpins the Cadillac SRX. Just don’t expect those ginormous scissor doors to slice up a Buick showroom near you.