Buick Delays First Electric Vehicle: What's Next For The Carmaker?

Buick has long been hinting about their first North American electric vehicle, but details are yet unknown. Originally scheduled for this year, the model was first unveiled in 2022. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case.

During GM's second quarter earnings call, CEO Mary Barra just said that they are "deferring Buick’s first EV, which had been planned for 2024." 

It could be inferred that the delay is linked to the slower-than-anticipated uptake of electric vehicles. According to Automotive News, the government's decision to impose four times the tax on electric vehicles manufactured in China might have contributed. As a reminder, the White House said in May that the "tariff rate on electric vehicles... will increase from 25% to 100%."

The Biden administration used the argument that “a 100% tariff rate on EVs will protect American manufacturers from China’s unfair trade practices” to portray the move as beneficial to American workers and automakers.

"Over the next few years, third-party forecasters now see the EV market growing steadily, but more slowly than it did over the last few years," Barra said, continuing her discussion on electric vehicles. Given this, the carmaker has once again postponed the production of electric trucks at Orion Assembly. The new start date is six months later, in the middle of 2026, rather than the beginning of 2025.

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