It’s no secret that Buick is big in China, which is why it makes sense that General Motors is attempting to bolster the tri-shield brand’s electric vehicle portfolio in that country. (Which, it should be pointing out, is rapidly pivoting toward championing EVs and other emissions-reducing vehicles.) And Buick, it turns out, has an EV in the works. Thanks to images obtained by the Chinese publication Autohome from China’s Ministry of Industry and Transportation Technology, we now know what the electric Buick will look like.
Dubbed the Velite 7, the compact electric crossover appears to be little more than a Chevrolet Bolt with Buick-specific body panels. But closer inspection reveals that this is more likely a Buick-badged variant of the upcoming Bolt EUV electric crossover SUV.
Look past the Velite 7’s attractive face and redesigned body panels, and it becomes clear that very few—if any—exterior pieces come from the current Bolt. For instance, the Velite 7 ditches the electric Chevy‘s small front quarter windows ahead of the front driver and passenger door windows. Additionally, the Buick’s windshield wipers are oriented completely differently from those of the Chevrolet. The Velite 7, then, is more than simply a current Chevrolet Bolt with Buick design cues. It also looks taller than a Bolt, more crossover-ish.
Assuming the Velite 7 previews the Bolt EUV, then it’s safe to say the upcoming bow-tie-badged electric crossover will look far more handsome than its run-of-the-mill, somewhat homely Bolt sibling. (It’s easy to imagine some of the Velite 7’s details, such as its barbed headlights and taillights, being traded for squarer, more Chevrolet-styled pieces.) While Autohome reports the Buick will use an approximately 175-hp electric motor for motivation, we expect the Bolt EUV to rely on an electric motor that makes at least as much power as the 200-hp unit in the Bolt. Likewise, it wouldn’t surprise us if the EUV shares its battery pack with the standard Bolt. The 66-kilowatt-hour pack provides the 2020 Bolt with an estimated driving range of 259 miles per charge, according to the EPA’s test cycle.
Only time will tell if the Buick Velite 7 ultimately previews the upcoming Bolt EUV. Regardless, we anticipate Chevrolet’s Bolt to sprout a crossover sibling in the near future, and while it could look like anything, we do hope it looks more like the Velite 7 than the current Bolt.