General Motors’ Buick brand launched the updated Electra E5, a pure electric SUV for the Chinese market, introducing new variants and highlighting enhanced battery safety as a key differentiator.
The Electra E5 is now available in three variants priced at RMB 169,900 ($23,640), RMB 179,900, and RMB 189,900, with promotional discounts reducing the starting price to as low as RMB 149,900. Built on GM’s Ultium 2.0 platform, the mid-size SUV features a single front-mounted motor generating 180 kW of power and 330 Nm of torque, enabling acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.5 seconds and a top speed of 180 km/h.
Buick is positioning safety at the center of its sales pitch. The company pledged to replace the vehicle with a new one if it catches fire due to a quality issue within one year of delivery, making it the first brand in China to offer such a commitment. According to Buick, the Electra E5’s battery system exceeds the new Chinese national standards for EV battery safety that will take effect in July 2026. The automaker said the vehicle’s battery can endure a thermal runaway in a single cell without leading to fire or explosion for up to two weeks—far beyond the future standard’s two-hour requirement.
The Electra E5 offers three battery options: a 65-kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) pack, a 68.4-kWh ternary lithium pack, and a 76.8-kWh LFP pack. These configurations offer China Light-Duty Vehicle Test Cycle (CLTC) ranges of 515 km, 545 km, and 620 km respectively. The vehicle supports DC fast charging from 30 to 80 percent in as little as 19 minutes.
First introduced in April 2023, the Electra E5 marked Buick’s debut in China’s growing electric vehicle market under GM’s Ultium platform. The updated model aims to reinforce Buick’s presence in the competitive mid-size electric SUV segment by offering affordability, safety, and fast-charging capability.