While the Buick brand of today may be viewed as a somewhat boring and uninteresting marque — currently offering only three nameplates in its lineup, all of which are of the SUV or crossover variety — the company actually boasts an incredibly long and innovative history. This included pioneering the use of a concept car to preview its future design language — a practice that’s since been adopted by just about every automaker on the planet. In 1953, Buick would preview its forthcoming visual theme with the debut of the Wildcat concept — a V8-powered convertible with a low-slung design. Nearly 70 years later, and history is now repeating itself as Buick is giving the motoring public a glimpse at its future design language with an all-new fully-electric Wildcat concept car.
Marking the fifth Wildcat concept from Buick, this one-of-one vehicle’s most significant feature is its front end, which is expected to set the stage for the aesthetics of the company’s future automotive offerings. Using a forward-leaning design with a low-mounted, trapezoidal grille, the front end of the car also features a micro-LED and thin-beam projector headlight arrangement and Buick’s all-new tri-shield logo, while the aft end of the vehicle boasts a set of blade-style taillights that are embedded into the roof’s sail panels.
Furthering its futuristic appearance is a set of Jet Age-inspired 18-spoke turbine-style wheels and an external “state of charge” indicator that can be viewed through the rear hatchback window. A set of semi-swing doors open to reveal an ultra-plush cabin equipped with cockpit-style seats with cantilevered headrests and built-in massaging capabilities, plus a unique aluminum trim package, a flat-bottom steering wheel, a sweeping touchscreen, and a host of tech including onboard artificial intelligence, biometrics, and aromatherapy systems.
While we don’t expect this new fully-electric iteration of the Buick Wildcat concept to ever see the light of production, it does nonetheless offer some decent insight into what the brand’s future offerings will look like — and suggests that the American marque will likely deviate from its SUV and crossover-only lineup in the coming years.
