Buick is adding another crossover, the compact Envista, customized for the Chinese market, aiming to enrich its product mix in one of the most popular segments.
The Envista, with a starting price of 150,000 yuan ($21,770), is tailor made for younger generations of buyers and families in urban areas, GM’s China unit said. It was introduced at an auto show in the southwest city of Chengdu and heralds a new design direction for the brand.
The Envista is 182.5 inches long and 71 inches wide, or about the size of Buick’s Envision in the U.S.
The Envista is fitted with a 1.5-liter four-cylinder direct injection turbocharged Ecotec engine and a chain drive transmission, with maximum power of 183 hp and fuel consumption as low as 6.52 liters per 100 kilometers under WLTC conditions.
The sporty Envista GS features a black mesh grille and 18-inch black-painted wheels paired with red brake calipers.
The Envista is Buick’s fifth crossover produced in China, following the gasoline-powered Enclave, Envision, Encore and full electric Velite 7.
China is the largest market worldwide for Buick.
In the first half of the year, Buick’s sales in China slipped 35 percent to some 291,000, due to a two-month pandemic-triggered lockdown in Shanghai from April to May. SAIC-GM is based in Shanghai and also operates a major assembly plant in the city.
In 2021, Buck’s China deliveries dropped 7.3 percent to around 820,000 amid the global semiconductor chip shortage.
In 1998, GM started producing Buick models at its passenger vehicle partnership with SAIC Motor Corp. Buick has to date sold more than 10 million vehicles in China, according to GM.