Given an unceremonious unveiling by China’s
Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the crossover will be known as
the Buick Velite 7. The model is virtually identical to the crossover that was
outed over two years ago. However, there are some slight differences including
a modified front bumper and a revised grille with a Buick emblem.
The rest of the model appears
pretty faithful to the original as it features plastic body cladding, vertical
air intakes and a familiar greenhouse. The Velite 7 even has similar wheels and
black accents on the C-pillar for a ‘floating roof’ appearance. Out back,
there’s slender light units which are connected via a small illuminated stripe.
We can also see a tailgate-mounted spoiler and a black bumper.
According to Autohome, the
model measures 4264 mm long and has a wheelbase that spans 2675 mm. If those figures are correct, the Velite 7 is 3.9 inches (99
mm) longer than the Bolt and has a 74 mm longer wheelbase. Little
else is known about the Velite 7 at this point, but the publication says the
model will have an electric motor that develops 174 hp.
While the Velite 7 will likely
be exclusive to China, General Motors has already announced plans to invest US$ 300 (£ 230 / € 270) million into Orion Assembly to build a new electric vehicle
for Chevrolet. At the time, the automaker confirmed the upcoming model would be
“designed and engineered off an advanced version of the current award-winning
Bolt EV architecture.”
That particular crossover is
expected to be called the Bolt EUV (Electric Utility Vehicle) and it should
look largely identical to the Velite 7.
However, we can expect a more powerful electric motor that develops at
least 200 hp and 360 Nm of torque.
