The 2023 Buick Envista will finally be available here
With GM vehicles well established in China, it is now common to see the manufacturer unveiling products in the People’s Republic of China and then importing them to us. Very popular on Chinese soil, Buick unveiled an SUV during the summer of 2022 called Envista. Mark Reuss, president of the automaker, confirmed the intention to Buick to import this crossover to North America.
Bigger than the Encore GX, but traction only
The Envista is an SUV that ranks slightly above the Encore GX in terms of size. Being longer and wider than its little brother, the Envista offers a more spacious interior for all occupants. Built in China, Buick’s coupe SUV would be, according to President Mark Reuss, a nice addition to the lineup.
Equipped with the 1.5-liter turbocharged Ecotec engine producing 181 horsepower, the Buick would do the 0 to 100 km/h in 7.9 seconds. Equipped with a CVT, the Envista has an average fuel consumption of around 6.5 liters per 100 kilometers. In China, it is only sold in a front-wheel drive version and does not allow the addition of a 4WD system. If the vehicle lands well on our continent, it would not be surprising to see the option of a 4-wheel drive system appear in the catalog.
A design reminiscent of the Electra E5
Buick introduced an electric SUV called the Electra E5 in 2022. According to information released in China, the Electra E5 is built on the manufacturer’s Ultium architecture. Another interesting fact, the vehicle was spotted in Michigan carrying out certain tests which suggested that it could be marketed in North America. Although the range is not yet revealed, the Buick electric SUV is equipped with an electric motor producing 241 horsepower. Impossible to know if a version with 2 motors and all-wheel drive will be offered, but we bet that this option will be offered in North America.
The visual resemblance between the Envista and the Electra E5 is undeniable. The two SUVs share a near-identical grille, slightly different lights, and a jaw-dropping front hood dip. For the moment, the shared visual elements do not seem to transpose to the engines. Would it be possible to accommodate an Envista sharing electric motors from the Electra E5? It will be necessary to wait for the official announcement from Buick to confirm it, but nothing is impossible.
The Envista should land in our market within the next year. We will have to wait for the technical characteristics unveiled by Buick to decide on the vehicle.
