Buick’s wild Beijing concept previews a dramatically different design future. Rotating seats, privacy partitions, and a folding crystal table make it feel like sci-fi. If even half these features reach production, Buick would look very different. Buick might not sell the car Kendrick Lamar wants anymore, but it’s huge in China. Today, at the Beijing Auto Show, it debuted a new concept that evidently showcases the future design language of the brand. If that ends up ringing true, we can expect a whale-shaped Buick with swiveling seats, active aero wheels, and a partition to put up between you and that family member that you just can’t stand. Officially called the Buick Electra Zenith Mobile Space Smart Body, or at least that’s what Google Translate tells me it’s called, this translucent, blob-shaped concept is a part of Buick’s sub-brand Electra. As one might expect from the shape, it’s not headed to showrooms anytime soon. That’s probably good because while the features within it are very ambitious, some are also very very weird. Read: GM’s China Sales Are Down 75%, And The Clock Running Out Isn’t One It Controls The front end uses what Buick calls a “floating wing shield” design inspired by traditional Eastern embroidery, while the body itself is a giant teardrop-shaped transparent shell with laser-etched feather-like patterns throughout. AI Projection Lighting Display There’s also an AI interactive projection screen built into the front fascia that lights up when someone approaches, because clearly… normal headlights are too boring folks. For a concept like this one, we kind of agree. The rear gets matching lighting signatures, active aerodynamic wheels, and a U-shaped active rear spoiler that looks more decorative than functional. The active aero wheel setup is especially curious, because if a wheel is already optimized for airflow, changing its shape raises some fair questions about whether it’s actually improving efficiency or just creating a cool animation for the reveal video. Inside is where things go fully off the rails. Social Space Or Separation? Inspired by traditional Chinese folding fans and room dividers, the center console unfolds into what appears to be a crystal fan-shaped table that can rotate, fold flat, or stand upright as a partition between passengers. Yes, Buick has essentially invented a luxury car feature designed specifically for people who want to be passive-aggressively rude to their friends or family. The four seats also appear to swivel nearly 360 degrees. That allows all four passengers to face one another and to use the fold-out fan/table, to hold especially important in-car board meetings. Whether you want to build relationships with those in the car or put literal partitions between you and them, Buick has you covered. Even funnier, perhaps, is the reclining seat situation. The front seats recline so far back that rear passengers can rest their feet on the front headrests. Buick doesn’t imply this, it explicitly shows it. That’s hilarious because obviously, when shopping for luxury transportation, everyone dreams of sitting in a seat that recently served as someone else’s footrest. Also… there are multiple shots of a humpback whale in the ad as well, and the meaning is for sure lost in translation. It’s a beautiful animal, though that particular adjective probably doesn’t fit the Zenith Mobile Space Smart Body as well. From a practical standpoint, the automaker says it also previews high-level autonomous driving, solid-state batteries, steer-by-wire chassis systems, and four-motor torque vectoring. If anything we see here makes it to production, it’ll probably be those things before it’s the swivelling foot/headrest seats and fan table/partition situation.
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Feels like Buick is saving its boldest ideas for China while playing it safe back home.
That ‘whale-shaped’ concept is wild — not sure if it’s the future or just a design flex
Buick in the US: safe SUVs. Buick in China: straight-up sci-fi experiments… what a contrast.