Buick’s First Electric Vehicle in Canada Will Have to Wait, Again
General Motors is just one among a growing number of automakers revising their electric vehicle plans due to slower than anticipated demand, particularly in North America. CEO Mary Barra shared more bad news this week.
Production of electric pickups in Orion, Michigan—home of the Chevrolet Bolt EV until late last year—has been pushed back another six months. It’s now expected to begin in mid-2026, that is if no further changes are made between now and then.
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The same plant is supposed to assemble Buick’s first EV for the North American market, which has yet to be unveiled, as you know. In other words, patience will be required for even longer than we thought.
The production model could—and we do mean could—draw inspiration from the sensational Wildcat EV concept (pictured above) that was initially introduced in June 2022 and later displayed in a Canadian premiere at the Montreal Auto Show in January 2023. One thing’s for sure, it will ride on GM’s Ultium platform and battery, similar to many others including the Chevrolet Blazer EV and Equinox EV as well as the Cadillac Lyriq and Optiq.
Oh, and forget about the Buick Electra E5 (which you can find in the photo gallery at the top), Electra E4 and Velite 6 that are already on sale in China. None of them will be coming here, not with the U.S. slapping 102.5 percent tariffs on Chinese-made EVs.