2021 Buick GL6 Mild Hybrid Set To Fortify Brand's MPV Lineup In China

Ever since Buick was introduced in China in 1998, the People's Republic has become the American marque's largest market. In fact, 10 million Buick vehicles have been sold since the mentioned year – a relative sales success for the SAIC-GM collaboration.

To further strengthen its lineup in the country, the company is set to introduce a refreshed version of the Buick GL6 – a midsize minivan that's exclusively produced for the Chinese market and offered since 2018.

Updated for the 2021 model year, the GL6 will get a mild-hybrid powertrain and a number of new appointments in the cabin. The mild-hybrid system consists of an independent 48V electric motor, a 48V battery, a battery management module, and a hybrid control unit. These will allow a number of electrified features such as energy regeneration, start-stop system, electric power assist, and intelligent charging.

More importantly, the electric powertrain works in conjunction with a 1.3L dual-jet turbocharged engine for improved fuel consumption. Buick touts an improvement of 7.6 percent in fuel economy from the outgoing model.

The 2021 Buick GL6 will also have a standard 10.25-inch LED instrument cluster display that's integrated with the center media touchscreen infotainment system with a flat UI design. The latter also comes with the latest Buick eConnect 3.0 connectivity system, which, for the first time, will feature mini-programs for added functionality.

With the introduction of the 2021 GL6, Buick's presence in the Chinese luxury car market is projected to continuously grow. The American brand has a massive lineup in China – from sedans to crossovers, even offering hybrid and pure electric vehicles. This is quite in contrast with Buick's lineup in the U.S., which is limited to crossovers.

The 2021 Buick GL6 will officially go on sale on November 19, 2020.