Buick, like many, is going luxury EV. But that doesn't mean the brand is giving up on its heritage of some fine performance models. To that end, CarBuzz has discovered trademark filings by General Motors for "Electra GS" with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, which suggests a high-performance EV is in the works.

We've known for some time that the Electra nameplate would be revived. First, the Electra Concept was revealed in 2020 as a 580-horsepower electric crossover. CarBuzz then discovered a trademark filing with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office in December 2021 for the Electra nameplate, fueling the fire that a production version of the concept would follow.

Buick confirmed the news in June 2022 when the brand announced that the Electra would be its first electric vehicle. At around the same time, the automaker also revealed the Electra-X in China, a second electric concept that previewed the automaker's future design language. Buick simultaneously revealed the Wildcat concept in America as an electric halo sporting the brand's new logo.

But while the previous speculation suggested the Electra would be a single model, it appears it will be applied to a slew of EVs. A comment from Duncan Aldred, global vice president of Buick and GMC spoke of the "use of the Electra naming series," indicating more than one car wearing the name.

We believe the Electra-X concept will spawn a production crossover for China which may arrive stateside in due course, while the Electra GS nameplate will be reserved for something sportier and hopefully something less-crossovery. Either way, the Electra nameplate will act as an electric sub-brand for Buick as it transitions, in much the same way Mercedes is using the EQ brand for the same purpose.

As for what could power the Electra GS, the 582-hp powertrain of the original concept wouldn't be a bad start, but with GM's Ultium technology to leverage, there could, in theory, be a tri-motor EV with up to 1,000 hp. We wouldn't hold our breath, however, and 600 hp feels like a better ballpark figure. The original concept boasted a sub-4.5-second 0-60 mph sprint and a 410-mile range.

The 'Gran Sport' badge has held a special place in the hearts of Buick fans since it was first introduced in 1965 on the Skylark Gran Sport. Back then, it gave the Skylark the biggest engine GM would permit in a roadgoing car with a 7.0-liter V8 that generated 325 hp and 445 lb-ft of torque.

Subsequent uses have been even more popular, including the Gran Sport 400 and the iconic GSX. Other uses included the Riviera GS, Wildcat GS, and Century GS.

At present, no Buick model in the lineup wears the GS badge, with the most recent to do so being the Buick Regal GS. The Regal GS was axed at the end of the 2020 model year, as it was based on the European Opel Insignia and Opel was sold back to Groupe PSA, which now forms part of Stellantis.

The Regal GS had a 310-hp 3.6-liter V6, but its real party trick was the all-wheel-drive system, which utilized a twin-clutch differential on the rear axle to apportion torque to either wheel. While it may not have had a dedicated drift mode, it was the same system as found in the Ford Focus RS.