Buick Enspire Concept: The Shape of Things to Come?

Ready to get enspired[sic]?

Buick’s latest concept vehicle, appearing at this week’s Beijing Motor Show, carries on the time-honored tradition of saddling vaporware with awful names, but the vehicle itself is worthy of further consideration. Decked out in a Chinese consumer-friendly red paint job, the coupe-like four-door SUV might not be all that conceptual.

Yes, you’re right, this exact vehicle will not make it to production, nor does General Motors claim it will, but a model not too dissimilar to it could. Just not yet.

The all-electric Enspire and its just-barely-floating roof packs a 410 kW eMotion power source, GM says, allowing for 0-60 sprints of just 4 seconds duration. In normal terms, that’s roughly 550 horsepower, presumably allocated to both axles. Driving range totals 370 miles.

Can the Enspire actually perform this feat? We’d gladly accept visual proof. Regardless, it’s a concept, so there’s really no need to know. GM refers to the Enspire as “an exploration of Buick’s bold design ideas and innovative technologies for future mobility,” and, as far as electric crossovers go, it’s certainly not the most ungainly looking one we’ve seen.

The wide stance/lowered roofline/raised body look is something we’d best get used to, as sporty, crossover-style vehicles seem to be what our collective future holds. Sport, luxury, utility, and green sensibilities combine in these vehicles, covering many bases for an automaker.

Inside the Enspire, gauges and other indicators have been packed into an OLED display screen, while the driver peers through a windshield with the largest head-up display we’ve ever seen.

While there’s no mention of the Enspire concept morphing into a production vehicle, the styling cues and proportions could easily find their way into the future Buick lineup. There’s four GM electric vehicles planned by 2020, and a dedicated EV architecture appears in 2021. The new platform is expected to spawn 11 electric vehicles; some of them will undoubtedly carry the Buick badge.

[Image: General Motors]