DETROIT – General Motors on Monday revealed the last new gas-powered Buick vehicle ahead of the brand’s transition to an all-electric domestic lineup by 2030.
The final new traditional nameplate for the brand will be the 2024 Buick Envista, a small crossover that has the look of a sedan but the ride height and storage of a comparable SUV. It features a smooth, long exterior with styling inspired by the brand’s well-received Wildcat concept car last year.
The Envista will replace the Buick Encore as the brand’s entry-level model, starting at $24,495 for a base model and $29,695 for a top-end Avenir model. GM discontinued production of the Encore last year in exchange for a larger “Encore GX” vehicle that starts between about $26,000 and $35,000.
“There just seems to be an enormous opportunity at the price point,” Sam Russell, Buick marketing director, said during a media briefing. “The Envista we honestly think is just a great opportunity for conquesting. … That’s kind of our objective is to be the conquest champion within GM.”
The Envista comes amid affordability concerns about new vehicles, as many automakers have discontinued lower-priced cars in exchange for pricier crossovers. Average transaction prices have increased to record levels amid low vehicle availability during the past three years.
Production of the Envista at a GM plant in South Korea – home of other Buick and Chevy small crossovers – is scheduled to start next month. The vehicles are expected to arrive in Buick showrooms this summer.
The Envista will be offered exclusively in front-wheel-drive and powered by a 1.2-lter turbocharged engine that’s expected to include 136 horsepower and 162 foot-pounds torque. It includes a standard safety package with six active safety features such as automatic emergency braking and lane keep assist. Its interior features 19 inches of information and control screens.
The Envista is the second of five new models or vehicles for Buick over an 18-month span that ends next year. The first vehicle was the redesigned 2024 Encore GX. The last model is expected to be the brand’s first all-electric vehicle, which will debut in the first half of next year.
“Once we transition to EVs, it’s just all the EVs after that,” Russell said.
Buick’s target to exclusively offer EVs by the end of this decade comes as GM spends $35 billion in electric and autonomous vehicles between 2020 and 2025. The automaker has a goal for all of its brands to exclusively offer consumer EVs by 2035.