However, this does not mean that the brand is abandoning its heritage of high-quality performance vehicles. To that end, CarBuzz has discovered that General Motors has filed trademark applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for the name "Electra GS," which suggests that a high-performance electric vehicle is in the works.
The Electra nameplate would be resurrected, something we knew for some time. First, an electric crossover with 580 horsepower was shown off in 2020 as the Electra Concept. After that, CarBuzz found a trademark filing for the Electra nameplate in December 2021 with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office. It set the stage for a production version of the idea. When Buick announced in June 2022 that the Electra would be the company's first electric vehicle, the news was confirmed. The automaker also unveiled the Electra-X in China around the same time, a second electric concept that served as a preview of the brand's upcoming design language. The Wildcat concept was simultaneously presented by Buick in the United States as an electric halo bearing the brand's new logo.
However, it appears that the Electra will be used on a wide range of electric vehicles, contrary to previous rumors that it would be limited to a single model. The "use of the Electra naming series" was mentioned in a comment made by Duncan Aldred, the global vice president of Buick and GMC. This referred to multiple automobiles bearing the name.
We anticipate that the Electra-X concept will result in a production crossover for China that may eventually make its way to the United States. On the other hand, the Electra GS nameplate will be reserved for something sportier and, we hope, less crossover-like. In either case, Buick will use the Electra nameplate as an electric sub-brand during its transition, similar to how Mercedes uses the EQ brand for the same purpose. The 582-hp powertrain of the original concept would be a good starting point for the Electra GS, but with the help of GM's Ultium technology, there could theoretically be a tri-motor electric vehicle with up to 1,000 hp. However, we wouldn't bet on it, and 600 horsepower seems like a more reasonable estimate. The initial idea had a range of 410 miles and a 0-60 mph sprint time of less than 4.5 seconds.
Since its debut on the Skylark Gran Sport in 1965, the "Gran Sport" badge has held a special place in the hearts of Buick fans. With a 7.0-liter V8 that produced 325 horsepower and 445 pound-feet of torque, it gave the Skylark the largest engine that GM would allow in a roadgoing vehicle at the time. The Gran Sport 400 and the enduring GSX are two examples of subsequent applications that have seen even greater popularity. The Century GS, Wildcat GS, and Riviera GS all had additional uses.
The Buick Regal GS is the most recent model to feature the GS badge, which is currently not available on any of the Buick models in the lineup. Because it was based on the European Opel Insignia and Opel was sold back to Groupe PSA, which is now part of Stellantis, the Regal GS was discontinued at the end of the 2020 model year.
The Regal GS had a 3.6-liter V6 that produced 310 horsepower, but its most impressive feature was the all-wheel-drive system. This system used a twin-clutch differential on the rear axle to distribute torque to either of the wheels. It was the same system as the Ford Focus RS, despite not having a dedicated drift mode.
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