The new Chevrolet Volt will be available in China as a Buick, according to local publications Autohome and Car News China.
The websites stumbled upon images of a Buick-badged Chevrolet Volt from the directory of the China’s Ministry of Cars, the authority which approves vehicles before they hit the local market.
The images reveal that the model will be dubbed the Buick Velite, the same name used by a company concept from 2004. It is then asserted that the model will be produced locally courtesy of the Shanghai-GM joint venture, rather than being imported from the U.S. and simply rebadged as Buick’s in China.
Beyond the name, the Velite is expected to remain identical to the U.S.-spec Volt. That means it will come standard with a 1.5-liter petrol engine delivering 99 hp and sipping just 0.9 liters of fuel per 100 km.
A local debut at December’s Guangzhou Auto Show has been pencilled in before the model hits the local market in early 2017.
This isn’t the first time the Volt has been sold in China. In fact, it was imported between 2011 and 2014 but was soon pulled from the market for being too expensive, costing the equivalent of almost $79,000.
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