Buick unveils a vintage-themed sedan EV in China

GM China has officially introduced the Buick Electra Orbit, an all-electric saloon designed by the American company’s design studio in the country. It previews what the marque’s flagship for China could look like, if it were ever to product one.

The Electra trademark is a registered sub-brand of Buick in China. It is run by the GM-SAIC joint enterprise and specializes in developing so-called “new energy vehicles” (battery-based EVs and hybrids) on a platform known as the Xiao Yao. This platform comes equipped with a lithium-iron-phosphate battery pack from CATL that supports charging currents up to 640 kW.

The Electra Orbit is a design study based on this very platform. It is heavily inspired by the Space Era ambitions of the 1950s and looks like a pretty large car. The exact dimensions are unknown, but unofficial reports claim it’s over 5 meters (16.4 ft.) long and around 2 meters (6.56 ft.) wide. The aero package puts us in the mind of the Porsche Panamera, and the smooth front fascia flaunts six LED lights arranged by three at either side of an illuminated Electra emblem.

 The car also features pop-up scissor doors and a four-seat cabin with two rows of two seats in each. The contour lighting is fairly creative, outlining the door frames and the transmission tunnel among other things. The steering wheel is oval-shaped, there are no instruments in the traditional sense, and the physical controls are almost non-existent. The only exception sits on the middle armrest and looks like a rotary orb. Another orb – a holographic one – resides above the dash.

It is unknown what kind of powertrain the Electra Orbit has and whether it may ever make it into production.

China is currently Buick’s biggest market, and sales have been on the rise lately. In June 2025, the American brand sold 49% more vehicles in that country than in the same month of 2024, BestSellingCarBlog reports quoting data from CAAM.