This Space Age Electric Concept Car Is The Most Interesting Thing From Buick In Years

Quick, picture a current Buick in your head. If you’re having difficulty, there’s probably a reason for that. See, while the brand known as the doctor’s car used to make some beautiful stuff, it’s been on a weird trajectory ever since the malaise era kicked off. Don’t get me wrong, it does make some good cars, but it’s been years since we saw a Buick with an instant reaction of want-one, concept or production. Maybe it’s time to go back, yet not too heavily. The Buick Electra Orbit may be a brand-new concept car, but its heart seems set in the space age. The result feels like the most interesting thing we’ve seen from Buick in ages

However, don’t think that this show floor creation is American. Buick is a big deal in China, and this concept actually hails from the GM China Advanced Design Studio. Ideation, creation, iteration, it almost took place in Shanghai, but the outside help came from an unexpected place. While this creation comes from China, GM Korea aided in artistic visualization. The result feels like the most interesting show car we’ve seen from GM in ages.

Let’s start with the silhouette, a long teardropped two-box with serious pinch at either end. The resulting arcs complement the long wheelbase beautifully, with prominent horizontal motifs leaning into the old mantra of “longer, lower, wider”. With the roofline swooping low into a distinctive boat tail, the designers of the Electra Orbit have used a low-profile wing to break up the deck lid, an element that also drives your eye toward the bulging wheel arches. The result is bewitching from some angles and gawky from others, sort of like a Citroën SM except less classically cool. Even other recent teardrops like the Hyundai Ioniq 6 and Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX look nowhere near this dramatic.

Up front, an incredibly low hoodline blends into a fascia sporting six sci-fi slim lighting elements. A pair of air intakes sit below a character line that runs the entire circumference of the car, and the most prominent single piece up front is actually an old-school piece of trim down the center of the hood. It’s certainly a minimalist look, but one that dabs the retro on with an eyedropper instead of smearing it on with a trowel. A piece of trim here, a sloping line there, and boom.

Speaking of details, the Electra Orbit has some delightful ones. Polished 24-inch dinner plate wheels aren’t just bold visual statements; they should be half-decent for aero, and this sedan sports four scissor doors because why not? This is a concept car, and front-and-rear scissor doors were awesome on the Lamborghini Portofino concept, so now’s a good time to bring back an old cue.

Much like the exterior styling, the cabin of the Electra Orbit is also pure concept car fantasy, except it goes even harder. How about a holographic orb floating above the dashboard? The dashboard trim is a screen, the two-spoke steering wheel has the silhouette of an overweight cartoon pig, and is that a crystal ball in the console? Oh, and we haven’t even talked about the wildest element, a rose-tinted piece of transparent material forming an arc between the rear seat passengers like an elaborate metaphor for nostalgia itself.

Add it all up, and the Buick Electra Orbit pays homage to the past, but wow, does it ever have a foot in the future. It’s the nearly I’m-not-ready-for-this future most statement designs expect to make, but without being aggressively leering. Considering Buick has generally struggled to establish a distinct visual identity over the past few decades, this bold risk might be the sort of thing the brand needs. I mean, the Camaro-based Avista concept of 2016 made waves, but can you remember off the top of your head what it looked like? Probably not.

So, can we expect future electric Buicks to look a bit like this? It’s tough to say. On the one hand, Buick is in the midst of a model cycle with its current styling language, and I can’t imagine this look translating well to the form of a crossover utility vehicle. On the other, maybe it’s something worth trying. Buick has been making some neat stuff in China, but nothing this distinctive, this opulent, this dramatic.

Top graphic image: GM

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