Posted at 11:45am
Buick/GMC
Like many others, electrification gives Buick ideas. Hope too. The American brand is still very successful in China, but is having a little more trouble regaining its former glory in North America. The electric transition represents a golden opportunity for this brand founded in 1899. Determined to seize the opportunity, Buick invites us today to decipher the underlying messages of the Wildcat EV. This study includes visual elements of tomorrow’s Buicks, like this modernized logo where the three shields are now aligned instead of being side-by-side in a circle.
This Buick with no future (it will never get the green light for mass production) is based on an architecture (codenamed BEV3) that is very current. This is powered by the Ultium technology that General Motors (GM) and its partner LG Chem rely on.
PHOTO SUPPLIED BY GMC
GMC HummerEV
A technology that is both malleable and interchangeable since GM offers it to each of its subsidiaries. It’s up to the latter to dress them in their own bodywork. To mark the spirits and show off its mastery, GM is resurrecting the Hummer, now defending GMC’s colors. Two models (pickup and SUV) will make up this range, which does not need to be ashamed of comparison with its ancestors. The newcomers are just as sluggish, have excellent crossing abilities but look more agile. In fact, the Hummer has a four-wheel steering system that can steer everyone in the same direction at low speeds (up to an angle of 10°). As a result, a sideways movement like a crab is possible.
The Edition 1 presented at the auto show has three electric motors: one on the front axle and two on the rear axle. A trio of 1000 hp that will allow you to go from 0 to 100 km/h in 3 seconds without emitting noise or greenhouse gases.
Chevy
Many spotlights will be on the bow tie brand this year. Chevrolet is actually using its visit to the Motor Show to unveil two of the most anticipated vehicles of the year: the Equinox EV and the Blazer EV.
PHOTO SUPPLIED BY CHEVROLET
Chevrolet Equinox EV
Both utilities are targeting the heart of a booming and increasingly crowded market. That doesn’t worry Chevrolet. Long before many of its competitors, the American brand took off with the appearance of the Volt, then the Bolt. Tomorrow it will be the Equinox EV’s turn to “lead that charge for us,” said Mary Barra, President and CEO of General Motors, at the time of its launch.
PHOTO SUPPLIED BY CHEVROLET
Chevrolet Blazer EV
These two utilities were developed on an identical platform (Ultium), but they chase a different clientele. The Equinox EV is aimed at the compact market, while the Blazer EV is aimed at the mid-size market. Another difference is that the Equinox EV will offer two drive modes (traction or all-wheel drive) compared to three on the Blazer EV, as it will have the particularity of offering a rear-wheel drive (drive) configuration. According to initial estimates, both vehicles should offer essentially the same range when fully charged.
Cadillac
Cadillac has no shortage of ambition. The American company, whose noble coat of arms is inherited by Antoine de La Mothe Cadillac, who came from his native Gascony to found the city of Detroit, wants to once again become the benchmark of the world (The Standard of the World).
PHOTO PROVIDED BY CADILLAC
Cadillac Lyriq
The Lyriq is promised a wide distribution. This model incorporates the American brand’s aesthetic codes and Ultium architecture, whose battery suggests a longer life than average.
The first Lyriqs to hit the road were all rear-wheel driven (propulsion). From this year, the catalog will be expanded with another configuration (four-wheel drive). This has two electric motors and, compared to the two-wheeler version, has higher performance and almost perfect weight distribution. However, the latter has greater autonomy.