GM Inside News Forum banner

OpEd 2017 Buick Electra Coupe

24K views 49 replies 26 participants last post by  MonaroSS 
#1 · (Edited)
Green Recycling the ELR
February 10th, 2016
by MonaroSS




Buick could get a modern GNX









Will Buick get the Avista? My money says no. Even when I used to discuss with Bob Lutz why GM did not do more coupes his answer was that if you are lucky you could sell 30,000 units of a new coupe - trouble is you need all 30,000 in the dealers on day one.

But an opportunity does exist for a Buick Coupe and the dollars make a lot of sense. That is because Cadillac is pulling the plug on ELR and writing it off as a loss. Why did ELR fail? Here is my take...

$70,000 was just too much for a bespoke 2-door version of Volt. People who are into fuel sipping and long range electric tend to be "practical" and thus think 4-doors hatch aka Prius. Flash swoopy coupes are not so important to them. And yet people who do like hot coupes tend to want a lot more power and don't really fuss about fuel economy and electric range. So ELR had no real target audience. Add to that to me it always looked like it's wheels were too small. They were of course 20 inch and were not small - but when we see exotic shaped cars like ELR they are usually badged Ferrari or Lamborghini or MacLaren and have huge wheels. So by comparison the ELR didn't quite pass the exotic test.

Take 2.

In hindsight Cadillac stuffed up marketing ELR and really can't have a second bite of the cherry as dropping the price to $50K fights against Cadillac's marketing strategy. But not against Buick's. Buick can start fresh with it's pricing and marketing.

However, the cost of the car is already written off. So the following is a very cheap way to bring a very different car to market.

Do an MCE on the ELR with new front/rear taken off of Buick Avista. Add bigger 22 inch wheels with flared fenders that further enhance the appearance of wheel size and thus add to it's exotic-ness, which ELR had - but not quite.

Add power by using the 1.4 turbo engine. Add rear suspension from the AWD Orlando and add 2x150hp electric motors driving each rear wheel. Re-write the algorithms for much more performance and add an Elon Musk style "Insane" button to access the full 450hp of the 3x150hp motors (600hp with overclocking). But equally retain an "e-Mode" button that runs it like the old ELR energy saving for rare times when fuel prices might rise to crazy levels or the owners just wants to cut their commuter costs.

But the final change in re-birthing the ELR as a Buick Electra Coupe would be to not market it as "green" - market it as "hot".

Electric hybrid drive just happens to be how it makes it's power - but should not be what defines it. It should be defined as a hot looking, fast and luxurious 2+2 coupe for the modern times. And when sold in places like Europe, where city centers are restricted, it will have access as it can switch to zero emissions with the press of a button.

Also with the emphasis taken off frugal a half battery pack version for less weight and thus an all electric range of say only 20 miles could be offered at a cheaper price point.

But it can also, with the push of an overclocking button, leave even modified older GNX's in it's tire smoke.

What do you think, tell us and come back to comment on what others thought as well...





;)
 
See less See more
1
#7 · (Edited)
It would be impracticable to makes those major changes to the body you suggest. This as shown is basically a nose and tail job on a car already running down a production line that can be swapped over for very little cost. DLO changes are big bucks for GM that hates to change anything from an Opel to become a Buick. We are talking tight wads.... :D

The electric motors can be very small actually. Most of the room in electric cars is taken up with the electrical control systems which in ELR are up front. You can see below in the cutaway there is a lot of room where a differential would normally sit and most diffs in most cars intrude not at all into the trunk space.



;)
 
#6 ·
As a Volt & Vette owner I like the premise. I might consider it if the price was rational.
 
#18 ·
Once you started getting into the powertrain changes, you blew your budget for the number of possible sales, IMO. Too narrow a market.

I like the style, although there's a little too much ELR left to avoid comparisons.

I'd love to see a luxury version of the Volt 2.0 powertrain as either a Buick or Cadillac "4-door coupe", of about the dimensions of the BMW 4-series Gran Coupe. With the same kind of tweaking they did on the 2016 ELR for faster acceleration, they should be able to get to a sub-6-second 0-60, which is all it needs, especially with the rush of torque sensation you can get in the 0-30 range. Still a relatively small investment and a way to spread out a new state-of-the-art powertrain. GM is really missing the market for tech-savvy high end shoppers, and this would be the perfect solution. But what do I know. I'm just representative of the exact kind of person who's dying to buy such a car.
 
#20 ·
Although it looks nice. I say no.

If the US market is kept in mind stick with cool SUVs and CUVs. Don't waste the batteries in this for domestic or export.....or (import) as the case may be.

Electric and Hybrid SUVs and CUVs would just be a better idea all the way around.
 
#25 · (Edited)
Two GM Vice Presidents contacted me about it so I know at least some inside GM like the idea - including apparently the Buick Design Team. Whether that means it ever happens so the Chinese can express their view will be interesting to await. I suspect if the Buick Design Team - who are on a bit of a roll at the moment - take such a makeover on it will be even more exotic than my version and make a real statement.

The Chinese don't typically go for coupes unless they are exotic. It would be interesting to see if this would be exotic enough to pass muster... And the power delivery would have to be exotic as well, which it certainly could be.



;)
 
#23 ·
I'd rather see a PAIR-or-TRIO of 4-d-coupes

turbo-hybrid = Riviera
plug-in = LeSabre
pure BEV = Electra

...all with Virtual-Awd Std of course
 
#24 ·
MonaroSS, your Electra looks sharp and modern, but that crease from the rear into the door is too much leftover ELR. I know that GM might want to do it "on the cheap," simply putting a new nose and rear end on the basic ELR body, but it looks too much like that's just what was done with it. That wouldn't win any friends for Buick or Cadillac.

I would love it if the Electra name came back for an electric Buick, though.
 
#33 ·
I personally love it, but I think the similarities between it and the ELR are too much to overcome. In the media, it would get lumped in with the same discussion as the "Vue-ick" I think.
 
#35 ·
Using a powertrain based on the Gen 1 Volt is a big negative in my book. I think you need the performance to backup the great styling and a Gen 1 Voltec, even if it has been pushed to 225 HP simply doesnt cut it. If you plan to play in the Tesla Model S territory you will need to match it in performance as well as looks. GM needs to come up with an electrified powertrain that stresses performances over economy, something like 500 HP in hybrid operation but still capable of going at least 50 miles all electric, or at least all electric up to 82 mph.
 
#38 · (Edited)
With regard to the ELR; it was not a high performance luxury sedan like the Tesla S which sell around the same range $70K-$100K.

Buick Avista will like come to the marketplace in the U.S. by one of the German or British luxury brands! It will be gas powered since 98% of the marketplace is gasoline power vehicles in the U.S. Diesel is for now dead in the U.S. marketplace. And people will say it looks exactly like the Avista! LOL!
 
#44 ·
if GM was smart....GM would of already gave Cadillac an all-new design theme from the Elmeraj and not keep the same A&S till it runs out of life...GM would of made the CT6 design out of the Elmeraj....not make it a big CTS..... and than build the Avenir and make it a EV and call it Electura....the sad thing is that the Avenir wont be built because it would out sell the CT6 and defeat Cadillacs current design theme.
 
#45 · (Edited)
Green Recycling the ELR
February 10th, 2016
by MonaroSS



Buick could get a modern GNX






Do an MCE on the ELR with new front/rear taken off of Buick Avista. Add bigger 22 inch wheels with flared fenders that further enhance the appearance of wheel size and thus add to it's exotic-ness, which ELR had - but not quite.

Add power by using the 1.4 turbo engine. Add rear suspension from the AWD Orlando and add 2x150hp electric motors driving each rear wheel. Re-write the algorithms for much more performance and add an Elon Musk style "Insane" button to access the full 450hp of the 3x150hp motors (600hp with overclocking). But equally retain an "e-Mode" button that runs it like the old ELR energy saving for rare times when fuel prices might rise to crazy levels or the owners just wants to cut their commuter costs.

But the final change in re-birthing the ELR as a Buick Electra Coupe would be to not market it as "green" - market it as "hot".

Electric hybrid drive just happens to be how it makes it's power - but should not be what defines it. It should be defined as a hot looking, fast and luxurious 2+2 coupe for the modern times. And when sold in places like Europe, where city centers are restricted, it will have access as it can switch to zero emissions with the press of a button.

Also with the emphasis taken off frugal a half battery pack version for less weight and thus an all electric range of say only 20 miles could be offered at a cheaper price point.

But it can also, with the push of an overclocking button, leave even modified older GNX's in it's tire smoke.

What do you think, tell us and come back to comment on what others thought as well...

;)
Interesting idea.

Like the styling.

GM needs a way to recoup some of the cost of the ELR and this may just be it.

I always thought that GM should have offered a conventionally powered version of the ELR as the "base" model and the full Gas/Electric as an option, much like there is a gas version of the Spark and an Electric one.

Buick could use this same approach using the Cruze's 1.4T as the base power, or up the power to the new 1.4T in the Encore for "Gas" versions of the Electra.

Mid-level versions would offer AWD via electric motors at the rear wheels but still be "conventionally" powered

Higher level Electra models would use your Gas/Electric powertrain.
 
#46 ·
Interesting idea.

Like the styling.

GM needs a way to recoup some of the cost of the ELR and this may just be it.

I always thought that GM should have offered a conventionally powered version of the ELR as the "base" model and the full Gas/Electric as an option, much like there is a gas version of the Spark and an Electric one.

Buick could use this same approach using the new Volt's 1.4T as the base power, or up the power to the new 1.4T in the Encore for "Gas" versions of the Electra.

Mid-level versions would offer AWD via electric motors at the rear wheels but still be "conventionally" powered

Higher level Electra models would use your Gas/Electric powertrain.
The Buick Design Team agree 100% that the ELR deserves to be recycled. I'll pass on your suggestions if the real powers-that-be at GM agree and something comes of this...




;)
 
#50 · (Edited)
One thing that could derail ideas of moving ELR to Buick is if Cadillac got ideas of recycling it in-house.

I put it to Johan that you could do similar body enhancements including stretching the Wheelbase and rear of the car. Then strip out the 1.4 but leave the 150hp electric motor driving the front wheels. Meantime you take the transverse TTV6 and drivetrain from the XTS and fit it in the rear. Tune the TTV6 to 450hp plus the 150hp electric motor driving the front wheels as an over-the-road hybrid and you get 600hp.

When Johan said the packaging could be difficult I pointed out that Renault didn't let that stop them when they turned their FWD I4 Clio into the RWD rear/mid engined Clio V6 Renault-sport and did a run of 6,000 cars.

In fact Renault went to an outside firm to help them engineer it called TWR which today is called Walkinshaw Performance and is half owner of Holden's HSV, and are looking for new work.












;)
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top