Buick () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer

General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...

(GM). Started by automotive pioneer

David Dunbar Buick David Dunbar Buick (September 17, 1854 – March 5, 1929) was a Scottish-born American inventor, widely known for founding the Buick Motor Company. He headed this company and its predecessor from 1899–1906, thereby helping to create one ...

in 1899, it was among the first American automobile brands and was the company that established General Motors in 1908. Before the establishment of General Motors, GM founder William C. Durant had served as Buick's general manager and major investor. With the demise of

Oldsmobile Oldsmobile (formally the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors) was a brand of American automobiles, produced for most of its existence by General Motors. Originally established as "Olds Motor Vehicle Company" by Ransom E. Olds in 1897, it produc ...

in 2004, Buick became the oldest surviving American carmaker. Buick is positioned as a premium automobile brand, selling vehicles positioned below the flagship luxury

Cadillac Cadillac Motor Car Division, or simply Cadillac (), is the luxury vehicle division (business), division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Its major markets are the United States, Canada and China; Cadillac models are ...

division.

History

Early years

Buick is one of the oldest automobile brands in the world and is currently the oldest in the United States still active today. Autocar, founded in 1897, is the oldest motor vehicle manufacturer in the

western hemisphere The Western Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and east of the 180th meridian.- The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Geopolitically, ...

; while originally an automobile maker, Autocar now builds heavy trucks.

, also an early automaker founded in 1897, is now defunct;

Studebaker Studebaker was an American wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana, with a building at 1600 Broadway, Times Square, Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 1852 and incorporated in 1868 as the Studebaker Brothers Man ...

was founded in 1852, but did not begin producing automobiles until 1902;

Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American Technological and industrial history of the United States, industrialist and business magnate. As the founder of the Ford Motor Company, he is credited as a pioneer in making automob ...

produced his first car in 1896 but did not start the

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational corporation, multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. T ...

until 1903, and during the period in between was involved with other automobile manufacturers such as

, founded in 1902. The first two Buick automobiles were made in 1899 and 1900 at the "Buick Auto-Vim and Power Company" by chief engineer

Walter Marr Walter Lorenzo Marr (1865-1941) was an automotive pioneer and engineer who worked with David Dunbar Buick perfecting the first Buick production automobiles. He worked with Buick a number of times around the turn of the century, building Buick's fir ...

, but company owner

was reluctant to begin making automobiles, being satisfied with stationary and marine engine production, so Marr left Buick in 1901 to found his own automobile company under his own name. His replacement was Eugene Richard, who applied for a patent in 1902 for Marr's valve-in-head (

overhead valve An overhead valve engine, abbreviated (OHV) and sometimes called a pushrod engine, is a piston engine whose valves are located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with flathead (or "sidevalve") engines, where the v ...

) engine, which patent, number 771,095, was awarded to Richard in the name of Buick in 1904. In 1903, the third Buick automobile was made, this time by Richard, but in 1904 Buick, whose company was now called "Buick Motor Company", moved from Detroit to Flint, Michigan, and Richard stayed behind. Marr was rehired in Flint as chief engineer, to begin making automobiles in production. That year, 37 Buick automobiles were made, production increasing to 750 in 1905, 1,400 in 1906, 4,641 in 1907, and 8,820 in 1908, taking the number one spot away from close competitors Ford,

Maxwell Maxwell may refer to: People * Maxwell (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name ** James Clerk Maxwell, mathematician and physicist * Justice Maxwell (disambiguation) * Maxwell baronets, in the Baronetage of N ...

and Olds Motor Works. Buick proclaimed themselves the largest car manufacturer in the world this year. David Buick incorporated his company as the Buick Motor Company on May 19, 1903, in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, Michigan. Buick had been financed by a friend and fellow automobile enthusiast, Benjamin Briscoe, who in September 1903 sold control of the business to James H. Whiting, of

Flint Wagon Works Flint Wagon Works of Flint, Michigan, manufactured wagons from the early 1880s. One of the world's most successful horse-drawn vehicle makers they formed with their Flint neighbours a core of the American automobile industry. In 1905 Flint was p ...

, in

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city in Genesee County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. Located along the Flint River (Michigan), Flint River northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the Central Michigan, Mid Michigan region. Flin ...

. Whiting moved Buick to Flint, to a location across the street from his factory, with the idea of adding Buick's engines to his wagons. David Buick stayed on as a manager and re-hired Walter Marr as chief engineer. The engine Buick and Marr developed for this automobile was a two-cylinder valve-in-head engine of 159 cubic inches, with each cylinder horizontal and opposed to the other by 180 degrees. Whiting built only a few automobiles in 1904, the Model B, before running out of operating capital, causing him to bring in William C. Durant that year as a controlling investor. Durant built a few more model B's in 1904, stepped up production for the model C in 1905, and spent the next four years turning Buick into the biggest-selling automobile brand in the US. During the 19th century, Durant had made his fortune as co-owner, also in Flint, with

Josiah Dallas Dort Josiah Dallas Dort (February 27, 1861 – May 17, 1925) was an American engineer and automobile pioneer of the United States automobile industry. He was born in Inkster, Michigan on February 27, 1861. His father was a well-to-do country squire a ...

, of the

Durant-Dort Carriage Company Durant-Dort Carriage Company was a manufacturer of horse-drawn vehicles in Flint, Michigan. Founded in 1886, by 1900 it was the largest carriage manufacturer in the country. This very successful business made the partners rich men and it became t ...

, which by 1904 was the largest carriage-making company in the country and one of the largest in the world. Durant moved most Buick production to the former Durant-Dort Imperial Wheel plant in

Jackson, Michigan Jackson is a city in Jackson County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The population was 31,309 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along Interstate 94 in Michigan, Interstate 94 and U.S. Route 127 in Michigan, U.S ...

in 1905. Buick continued car production in Jackson through 1907, when Factory #1 was completed in Flint. The Jackson plant continued production with Buick trucks through 1912. David Buick sold his stock upon departure in 1906, making him a wealthy man, but he died in modest circumstances 25 years later. In 1907, Durant agreed to supply motors to R. S. McLaughlin in Canada, an automaker, and in 1908 he founded

. Between 1899 and 1902, two prototype vehicles were built in Detroit, Michigan by Walter Lorenzo Marr. Some documentation exists of the 1901 or 1902 prototype with

tiller A tiller or till is a lever used to steer a vehicle. The mechanism is primarily used in watercraft, where it is attached to an outboard motor, rudder post, rudder post or stock to provide leverage in the form of torque for the helmsman to turn ...

steering similar to the

Oldsmobile Curved Dash The gasoline-powered Oldsmobile Model R, also known as the Curved Dash Oldsmobile, is credited as being the first mass-produced automobile, meaning that it was built on an assembly line using interchangeable parts. It was introduced by the Olds ...

. In mid-1904, another prototype was constructed for an endurance run, which convinced Whiting to authorize the production of the first models offered to the public. The architecture of this prototype was the basis for the Model B. The first Buick made for sale, the 1904 horizontally opposed 2-cylinder engine Model B, was built in Flint, Michigan at a re-purposed factory that was known as the

. There were 37 Buicks made that year, none of which survive. There are, however, two replicas in existence: the 1904 endurance car, at the Buick Gallery & Research Center in Flint, and a Model B assembled by an enthusiast in California for the division's 100th anniversary. Both of these vehicles use various parts from Buicks of that early era, as well as fabricated parts. These vehicles were each constructed with the two known surviving 1904 engines. Buick Automobile Company Building

The early success of Buick is attributed mainly to what it called the valve-in-head engine, now known as the

(OHV), engine patented by Eugene Richard and developed by Richard, Buick, and Marr. The Model F had a two-cylinder engine, an 87-inch wheelbase, and weighed 1,800 lbs. The creation of

is attributed mainly to the success of Buick, so it can be said Marr and Richard's designs directly led to GM. The power train and chassis architecture introduced on the Model B was continued through the 1909 Model F. The Model F was similar to the Model G, a lower-priced two-seat roadster, produced from 1906 until 1909. Both the F and G were powered by a two-cylinder 159 engine producing along with a 2-speed transmission as well as mechanical brakes on the rear wheels. The

flat-twin A flat-twin engine is a two-cylinder internal combustion engine with the cylinders on opposite sides of the crankshaft. The most common type of flat-twin engine is the boxer-twin engine, where both pistons move inwards and outwards at the same ti ...

engine is inherently balanced, with

torque In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational analogue of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). The symbol for torque is typically \boldsymbol\tau, the lowercase Greek letter ''tau''. Wh ...

presented to the chassis in a longitudinal manner. The engine was mounted amidships. Billy Durant was a promoter, and Buick soon became the largest carmaker in America. Durant embarked on a series of corporate acquisitions, calling the new firm

. At first, the manufacturers comprising General Motors competed against each other, but Durant ended that. He wanted each General Motors division to target one class of buyers. Buick was positioned below the

brand. To save on resources, Buick vehicles shared a common platform, called the GM A platform, that was shared with

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ) is an American automobile division of the manufacturer General Motors (GM). In North America, Chevrolet produces and sells a wide range of vehicles, from subcompact automobiles to medium-duty commercial trucks. Due to the promi ...

Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...

, and Cadillac. At first, Buick followed the likes of Napier in

automobile racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...

, winning the first-ever race held at

Indianapolis Motor Speedway The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a motor racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400, and and formerly the home of the U ...

. The first full-size Buick to join the smaller Model B was in 1907, when the Buick Model D was introduced with a four-cylinder T-head engine, installed in the front with rear-wheel drive. This was one of the only cars with side valves that Buick ever made.

1910s–1920s

In 1910, Buick introduced the Model 10 with an OHV four-cylinder engine followed in 1911, with their first closed-body car, the Buick Six, that followed the same bodystyle that first appeared at Cadillac, and four years ahead of Ford. The car was built at the all-new factory in Flint which later became known as Buick City. Buick during the 1920s made various sized vehicles, with series designations for different years, sometimes using numbers, while later years using lettered designations. One of the larger vehicles, with a straight-six, was the Buick Master Six. The Model 10 was phased out during a restructuring initiated by GM's new leadership that assumed position on November 15, 1910. In the 1910s and 1920s, Buick was a prestige brand in the Republic of China with the brand driven by or for high-level politicians and the

Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

. The latter imported two Buick cars in 1924, making it the first automobile to enter China. By 1930, Buick claimed one-sixth of the total number of cars in the country. Buick now sells 80% of its production in the People's Republic of China and is a minor player in Taiwan. In 1929, as part of General Motors' companion make program, Buick Motor Division launched the Marquette sister brand, designed to bridge the price gap between Buick and

. Its styling featured a high peaked hood and radiator shell while its suspension used four, parallel, semi-elliptical springs with Delco-Lovejoy shock absorbers. Marquette was discontinued in 1930. All Buick, Marquette,

Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

, and Oldsmobile products shared the newly introduced

GM B platform The B platform (also known as the B body) is a full-size, rear-wheel drive, body-on-frame car platform, that was produced by General Motors (GM) from 1926 to 1996. Originally made for Oldsmobile and Buick, all of General Motors's five main passe ...

starting in 1926.

1930s

Buick debuted two major achievements for the 1931 model year, the OHV Buick Straight-8 engine and a synchromesh transmission in all models but the Series 50. The Eight was offered in three displacements, the 220 cubic inch (bore 2 7/8 in. stroke 4.25 in.), was available in the Series 50 with 77 brake HP. The Series 60 engine was a 272 cu. in. unit (bore 3 1/16 in., stroke 5 in.) giving 90 brake HP. Cadillac had previously introduced the Cadillac Type 51 with a flathead V8 engine in 1915 which made usage of an eight-cylinder engine a luxury feature. The Series 80 and Series 90 used a 344 cu. in. version (bore 3 5/16 in., stroke 5 in.) for 104 brake HP. Automatic vacuum-operated spark advance was another feature replacing the steering column-mounted spark lever although an emergency lever was now dash mounted. Buick scored another first in 1939 when it became the first company to introduce

turn signal Automotive lighting is functional exterior lighting in vehicles. A motor vehicle has lighting and signaling devices mounted to or integrated into its front, rear, sides, and, in some cases, top. Various devices have the dual function of illumin ...

s, which did not appear on other car brands until almost a decade later. All 1939 models also had a steering column-mounted shift lever. In the mid-1930s McLaughlin-Buicks were purchased by British monarch

Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India, from 20 January ...

. He had a preference for the Canadian built McLaughlin-Buick. Buicks were used for royal transport within Canada, including for King

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952 ...

and Queen

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Empress Elisabeth (disambiguation), lists various empresses named ''Elisabeth'' or ''Elizabeth'' * Princess Elizabeth ...

during the

1939 royal tour of Canada King George VI and Queen Elizabeth made their visit to Canada from 17 May to 15 June 1939. Taking place in the months leading up to the Second World War, the tour was undertaken to strengthen trans-Atlantic support for the United Kingdom in an ...

. In the 1920s and 1930s Cadillac and Buick vehicles were popular with long-distance passenger service operators e.g. the

Nairn Transport Company The Nairn Transport Company was a pioneering motor transport company that operated a trans-desert route from Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 millio ...

in the Middle East (Baghdad-Damascus). File:1904Buick.jpg, 1904

Buick Model B The Buick Model B was Buick's first model as an independent company, later becoming part of General Motors in 1908. It was built in Jackson, Michigan. A model B was exhibited in 1905 at the New York Auto Show as a promotion of the model C which ...

File:1905 Buick Model C.jpg, alt=Buick Model C, Jackson, Michigan, 1905 Buick Model C File:Woman on Buick.jpg, 1910 Buick Model 10 Runabout File:1914 BUICK B-35 PHAETEN, AM-91-91 pic1.JPG, 1914 Buick Six Model B-35 phaeton File:Buick Roadster 1917.jpg, 1917 Buick D-35 roadster File:Buick E-Six 45 (1918) 1Y7A6067.jpg, 1918 Buick E-45 File:Buick Roadster 1922.jpg, 1922 Buick Model 22-54 Sport roadster File:Buick Standard Model 25 Touring 1925 2.jpg, 1925 Buick Master Six Series 25 touring File:16 21 2362 museum.jpg, 1925 Buick Master Six File:SLNSW 22578 192930 Buick coupe.jpg, 1929 Buick Series 46 Business Coupe File:Buick Coupe Series 26 (1930) (20634081715).jpg, 1930 Buick Series 46 Business Coupe File:Buick 4-Dorrars Sedan 1932.jpg, 1932 Buick Series 60 Model 67 sedan File:Buick 46C Convertible Coupe 1935.jpg, 1935 Buick Series 40 Model 46C convertible coupe File:1938 Buick Roadmaster 4d sdn - fvr.jpg, 1938 Buick Series 80 touring sedan File:1939 Buick 4d sdn - brown - 13.jpg, 1939 Buick Series 40 Model 41 touring sedan File:1941 Buick Limited (34646246692).jpg, 1941 Buick Series 90 Touring Sedan Model 90

Post World War II years

File:Buick Super 4-Door Sedan 1947.jpg, 1947 Buick Super File:1948 Buick Roadmaster - blue - fvr.jpg, 1948

Buick Roadmaster The Buick Roadmaster is an automobile built by Buick from 1936 until 1942, from 1946 until 1958, and then again from 1991 until 1996. Roadmasters produced between 1936 and 1958 were built on Buick's longest non-limousine wheelbase and shared the ...

Sedanet File:Buick Convertible 1949.jpg, 1949

File:Buick Riviera 1950.jpg, 1950 Buick Super

Riviera () is an Italian word which means , ultimately derived from Latin , through Ligurian . It came to be applied as a proper name to the coast of Liguria (the Genoa region in northwestern Italy) in the form , then shortened in English. Riviera may a ...

File:1953 Buick Skylark - blue - fvl.jpg, 1953 Buick Roadmaster Skylark File:1953 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon - Green - fvr.jpg, 1953

Estate File:Buick Special sedan ca 1955.jpg, 1955 Buick Special File:1956 Buick Century fvl2.jpg, 1956

Buick Century Buick Century is the model name that was used by Buick for a line of upscale full-size cars from 1936 to 1942 and 1954 to 1958, as well as from 1973 to 2005 for mid-size cars. The first Buick Century debuted as the Series 60 then renamed in 193 ...

File:Buick Super 1957.jpg, 1957 Buick Super

File:Mint green Buick.JPG, 1958 Buick Special

File:1959 Buick Electra two-door hardtop.jpg, 1959

Buick Electra The Buick Electra is a full-size luxury car manufactured and marketed by Buick from 1959 to 1990, over six generations. Introduced as the replacement for the Roadmaster lines, the Electra served as the flagship Buick sedan line through its en ...

1940s

1940 saw the first use of the " Estate" designation for Buick on the

Super Super may refer to: Computing * SUPER (computer program), or Simplified Universal Player Encoder & Renderer, a video converter/player * Super (computer science), a keyword in object-oriented programming languages * Super key (keyboard butto ...

station wagon. World War II stopped automobile production in 1942. Starting that year, Buick produced the

M18 Hellcat The M18 Hellcat (officially designated the 76 mm Gun Motor Carriage M18 or M18 GMC) is a tank destroyer used by the United States Army in World War II and the Korean War. Despite being equipped with the same main gun as some variants of th ...

tank destroyer and supplied radial engines for the

B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models desi ...

Douglas C-47 Skytrain The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota ( RAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II. During the war the C-47 was used for tro ...

, and

Douglas C-54 Skymaster The Douglas C-54 Skymaster is a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces in World War II and the Korean War. Like the Douglas C-47 Skytrain derived from the DC-3, the C-54 Skymaster was derived from a civilia ...

. By the fall of 1945, automobile production resumed. In 1948, the

Dynaflow Dynaflow was the trademarked name for a type of automatic transmission developed and built by General Motors Buick Motor Division from late 1947 to mid-1963. The Dynaflow, which was introduced for the 1948 model year only as an option on Roadm ...

automatic transmission was first offered by Buick. 1949 saw the debut of Buick's VentiPorts.

1950s

1953 marked Buick's 50th anniversary as well as the introductions of the

Buick V8 engine The Buick V8 is a family of V8 engines produced by the Buick division of General Motors Corporation, General Motors (GM) between 1953 and 1981. All were V8 engine#V-angle, 90° water-cooled V8 Overhead valve, OHV pushrod engines, and all were natu ...

and the Roadmaster Skylark. In 1955, Buick had its best model year sales to date with 738,814 vehicles sold; a record that would hold until 1977. In 1957, Buick's new 364 cu. in. engine block and

ball joint A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but sometimes ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used for si ...

front suspension debuted and Roadmasters now had

aluminum Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...

finned brake drums. 1959 saw the introduction of three new models:

Electra Electra, also spelt Elektra (; ; ), is one of the most popular Greek mythology, mythological characters in tragedies.Evans (1970), p. 79 She is the main character in two Greek tragedies, ''Electra (Sophocles play), Electra'' by Sophocles and ''Ele ...

, Invicta and LeSabre as well as a new 401 cu. in. V8 engine in the Electra and Invicta. An Electra also paced the

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly shortened to Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indian ...

race that year. File:1962 Buick Special DeLuxe.jpg, 1962 Buick Special DeLuxe File:1963 Buick Wildcat -- 06-18-2011 1.jpg, 1963

Buick Wildcat The Buick Wildcat is a full-size car that was produced by Buick from the 1963 to 1970 model years. Taking its name from a series of 1950s Buick concept cars, the Wildcat replaced the Invicta within the "junior" B-body Buick sedan range. Servi ...

File:1963 Buick Riviera (12917772414).jpg, 1963

Buick Riviera The Buick Riviera is a personal luxury car that was marketed by Buick from 1963 to 1999, with the exception of the 1994 model year. As General Motors' first entry into the personal luxury car market segment, the Riviera was highly praised by au ...

File:1965 Buick LeSabre convertible in blue, front right.jpg, 1965

Buick LeSabre The Buick LeSabre is a full-size car made by the division Buick of General Motors from 1959 until 2005. Prior to 1959, this position had been retained by the full-size Buick Special model (1936–58). The "LeSabre", which is French for "the sab ...

File:1966 Buick Riviera -Side View.jpg, 1966

GS File:1968 Buick Skylark black 2-door hardtop in NY, front.jpg, 1968

Buick Skylark The Buick Skylark is a passenger car formerly produced by Buick. The model was made in six production runs, during 46 years, over which the car's design varied dramatically due to changing technology, tastes, and new standards implemented over t ...

File:1970 Buick GSX 455 Coupe (33285990451).jpg, alt=, 1970 Buick GSX File:1971 Buick Estate wagon front.jpg, 1971

Buick Estate Buick Estate is a nameplate that was used by the Buick division of General Motors, denoting its Luxury car, luxury full-size station wagon from 1940 to 1964 and from 1970 to 1996. The Estate nameplate was derived from the term Estate (land), cou ...

File:1972 Buick Riviera in Finland.jpg, 1972

File:1973BuickCenturyGSlarge.JPG, 1973

GS File:1975 Buick Skyhawk.jpg, 1975

Buick Skyhawk The Buick Skyhawk is an automobile produced by Buick in two generations for the 1975 through 1989 model years. The first generation (1975–1980) were two-door hatchbacks using the subcompact, rear-wheel drive GM H platform (RWD), H-body platfo ...

File:1978 Buick Electra Limited (29173635664) (cropped).jpg, 1978

Limited File:1979 Buick Regal Sport Coupe, front left, 05-12-2023.jpg, 1979

Buick Regal The Buick Regal is a line of mid-size cars marketed by Buick since 1973. Serving as the premium mid-size/intermediate car of the Buick product range for nearly its entire production, the Regal initially served as the divisional counterpart of t ...

1960s

An Electra 225 paced the

Daytona 500 The Daytona 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is the first of two Cup races held every year at Daytona, the second being the Coke Zero Sugar 400, and one of three ...

race in both 1960 and 1963. In 1961, a new Fireball V6 engine was introduced and the

Skylark ''Alauda'' is a genus of larks found across much of Europe, Asia and in the mountains of north Africa, and one of the species (the Raso lark) endemic to the islet of Raso in the Cape Verde Islands Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially ...

nameplate returned as the top model of the new

Special Special or specials may refer to: Policing * Specials, Ulster Special Constabulary, the Northern Ireland police force * Specials, Special Constable, an auxiliary, volunteer, or temporary; police worker or police officer * Special police forces ...

compact car line. The Buick Special was named

Motor Trend Car of the Year The ''Motor Trend'' Car of the Year (COTY) is an annual '' Car of the Year'' award given by '' Motor Trend'' magazine to recognize the best new or significantly refreshed car in a given model year. Background ''Motor Trend'', which debuted in ...

in 1962. Also in 1962,

Wildcat The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while th ...

was introduced as a trim level on Invicta and became its own model the following year. In 1963 the

was introduced as its own model. In the mid-1960s Buick started officially selling German-built

Opel Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Gr ...

cars through its North American dealerships. For 1967,

radial tire A radial tire (more properly, a radial-ply tire) is a particular design of vehicular tire. In this design, the cord plies are arranged at 90 degrees to the direction of travel, or radially (from the center of the tire). Radial tire constructio ...

s became available as an option on all full-size Buicks.

1970s

The 1970s saw a number of new models added to the Buick lineup including the Estate Wagon as its own model in 1970,

Centurion In the Roman army during classical antiquity, a centurion (; , . ; , or ), was a commander, nominally of a century (), a military unit originally consisting of 100 legionaries. The size of the century changed over time; from the 1st century BC ...

in 1971,

Apollo Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...

in 1973, and Skyhawk in 1975. 1975 also saw the first appearance of the "

Park Avenue Park Avenue is a boulevard in New York City that carries north and southbound traffic in the borough (New York City), boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. For most of the road's length in Manhattan, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the wes ...

" nameplate for Buick as a trim/option package on the Electra 225 Limited. A Buick Century paced the Indianapolis 500 race not once but twice in the mid-1970s. In 1976, Buick began selling rebadged

Isuzu Gemini The Isuzu Gemini is a subcompact car produced by the Japanese automaker Isuzu from 1974 until 2000. The same basic product was built and/or sold under several other names, sometimes by other General Motors brands, in various markets around the wor ...

s as Opels to replace the Opel Kadett models it had previously marketed. The following year, Electra 225 and LeSabre were redesigned and downsized, and the Buick brand saw its best model year sales to date with 773,313 vehicles sold. 1978 marked Buick's 75th anniversary and welcomed a redesigned Century as well as a redesigned Regal coupe which was now available with a turbocharged V6 engine. Buick model year sales broke another record in 1978 with 795,316 vehicles sold. In 1979, the Riviera was redesigned; Riviera S-Type was named Motor Trend Car of the Year. File:Buick Skylark (5011365230).jpg, 1980

File:1982 Buick LeSabre Limited diesel sedan front.jpg, 1982

Limited File:1984 Riviera convertible.jpg, 1984

File:Blue Buick Electra.jpg, 1985

Park Avenue File:Buick Somerset.jpg, 1986 Buick Somerset File:1987 Buick Regal Grand National, front left (2022 Back to the 50's Weekend).jpg, 1987 Buick Regal Grand National File:1987 Buick SkyHawk Custom.jpg, 1987

Custom File:1988 Buick Reatta, front left.jpg, 1988

Buick Reatta The Buick Reatta is a low-volume transverse front-engine, front-wheel drive, two-door, two-seater grand tourer manufactured and marketed by Buick as a coupe (1988–1991) and convertible (1990–1991) — both featuring a 3.8 liter V6 engine ...

File:Buick Roadmaster -- 04-22-2010.jpg, 1992

Limited File:94-96 Buick Century Wagon.jpg, 1994

Estate File:1996-1998 Buick Skylark.jpg, 1996

File:Buick Park Avenue -- 01-07-2012.jpg, 1997

Buick Park Avenue The Buick Park Avenue is a full-size car built by Buick. The nameplate was first used in 1975 for an appearance option package on the Electra 225 Limited. It became an Electra trim level in 1978 and its own model starting in the 1991 model year ...

File:1999 Buick Riviera.jpg, 1999

1980s

In the 1980s, Buick's lineup saw several changes including the downsizing of various models. In 1980, Lloyd Reuss was appointed as general manager and further pushed Buick into turbocharging, racing, and performance production cars, building momentum which continued a number of years after his departure in 1984 as he headed toward a brief term as GM president. Also in 1980, the

Diesel engine The diesel engine, named after the German engineer Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which Combustion, ignition of diesel fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to Mechanics, mechanical Compr ...

became available on select Buick models and Somerset was introduced as an optional package on the Regal Limited. In 1981, the T-Type performance trim was introduced on the Riviera. Regal was the official pace car of the

race in 1981. In 1982, the

Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Aintree, Merseyside, England. First run in 1839, it ...

high-performance package was first offered on Regal. A soft-top Riviera helped lead the return of the convertible, which had disappeared from domestic lineups in 1976. The following year, a Riviera convertible with a twin-turbo V6 paced the Indy 500. Also in 1983, Buick had its best model year to date with 810,435 vehicles sold. In 1984, Buick was the official car of the XXIII Olympiad. A reorganization split manufacturing & engineering from sales and marketing. The first pilot Buick is produced at "Buick City", a state-of-the-art assembly center built inside the walls of Buick's home plant in Flint. Buick had its best model year sales to date with 906,626 vehicles sold plus Buick's worldwide sales topped one million for the first time. Lloyd Reuss ended his tenure as general manager of the Buick Motor Division in 1984. For the 1985 model year, Buick introduced the downsized sixth-generation Electra, effectively GM's first front-drive, transverse-engine, full-size unibody cars — initially powered by a carbureted 3.0 liter Buick

V6 engine A V6 engine is a six- cylinder piston engine where the cylinders and cylinder blocks share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration. The first V6 engines were designed and produced independently by Marmon Motor Car Company, ...

, a fuel-injected 3.8 liter Buick V6 engine, or a 4.3 liter Oldsmobile diesel V6 engine. Each was mated to a 4-speed

automatic transmission An automatic transmission (AT) or automatic gearbox is a multi-speed transmission (mechanics), transmission used in motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving conditions. The 1904 ...

with a 0.70:1 overdrive gear. The 3.0 liter V6 and 4.3-liter diesel V6 were discontinued after 1985. During the 1985 through 1989 model years, the Electra name also continued to be used on the rear-wheel-drive B-body "Estate" station wagon. Also in 1985, Buick introduced the

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

as its own model. Buick-powered cars won the pole and second position in qualifying for Indianapolis 500. Over the next few years, Buick engines would set a number of stock-block records and twice would power a third or more of the 33-car Indy 500 field (11 in 1990 and 12 in 1992). 1985 would be the final year for the rear-drive LeSabre before another downsizing and conversion to front-wheel-drive for 1986 (sedans and coupes only; the rear-drive LeSabre Estate Wagon would soldier on largely unchanged for a few more years). The top-line LeSabre Limited became the LeSabre Limited Collectors Edition to mark the end of an era for the rear-wheel-drive coupe and sedan; engine offerings included the standard 231 V6 (sedans and coupes) or optional Olds 307 V8 or Oldsmobile 350 diesel V8. 1985 saw Buick's best model year sales to date with 915,336 vehicles sold. In 1986, the LeSabre was introduced on the new

front wheel drive Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of internal combustion engine, engine and transmission (mechanics), transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel-drive vehicles feature ...

H platform, after departing from

rear wheel drive Rear-wheel drive (RWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the rear wheels only. Until the late 20th century, rear-wheel drive was the most common configuration for cars. Most rear-whee ...

on the

. Joining the LeSabre on the H-body included the Oldsmobile Delta 88. Like the previously introduced Electra, the LeSabre's hood was hinged at the front of the car instead of near the cowl and windshield. Styling and did not include Buick's long-standing ventiports or sweepspear styling cues. In 1986, a LeSabre Grand National model was built to qualify the coupe body style for NASCAR competition. Less than 120 units were made, all finished in black with a gray interior. Also for 1986, the E-body Riviera was converted to unibody construction and further downsized to a wheelbase similar in length to that of the

. The V6 was now the only engine, rated initially at SAE and of torque. It used the Turbo-

Hydramatic Hydramatic (also known as Hydra-Matic) is an automatic transmission developed by General Motors Corporation's Oldsmobile Division, the ''Hydramatic'' was the first mass-produced fully automatic transmission developed for passenger automobile u ...

440-T4

automatic Automatic may refer to: Music Bands * Automatic (Australian band), Australian rock band * Automatic (American band), American rock band * The Automatic, a Welsh alternative rock band Albums * ''Automatic'' (Jack Bruce album), a 1983 el ...

with a 2.84:1 final drive ratio. This generation was noted for advanced electronic instrumentation displayed on a dash-mounted CRT. The CRT controlled the vehicle's climate control system and stereo, and also supplied advanced instrumentation such as a

trip computer A trip computer is a computer fitted to some cars; most modern trip computers record, calculate, and display the distance travelled, the average speed, the average fuel consumption, and real-time fuel consumption. The first, mechanical trip ...

and maintenance reminder feature. Four-wheel disc brakes were standard. With a choice of three suspension packages available, up to the performance oriented FE3 setting, handling was notably improved. The Riviera placed fourth for ''

Motor Trend ''Motor Trend'' is an American automobile magazine. It first appeared in September 1949, and designated the first Car of the Year, also in 1949. Petersen Publishing Company in Los Angeles published ''Motor Trend'' until 1998, when it was sold ...

''s 1986 Car of the Year contest. Fuel economy was notably improved for the 1986 Riviera, but the investment in the downsized,

transverse engine A transverse engine is an engine mounted in a vehicle so that the engine's crankshaft axis is perpendicular to the direction of travel. Many modern front-wheel drive vehicles use this arrangement. Most rear-wheel drive vehicles use a longitudinal ...

front-wheel drive platform resulted in a substantial price increase to $19,831 for the base model to $21,577 for the new T-Type. Downsizing also resulted in a dimensional similarity to smaller, less expensive offerings from GM. The smaller dimensions, generic styling, and lack of a V8 led to Riviera sales plummeting to 22,138 for 1986. In 1987, the last of the turbo/intercooled Regal Grand Nationals, often called the quickest American cars, were offered as well as 547 even quicker special edition '87 GNXs. It would also be the last year for the rear-wheel-drive Regal. General manager Ed Mertz promoted the new "Premium American Motorcars" theme which focused Buick marketing on the various qualities that made the marque famous. In 1988, Buick was the official car of the

U.S. Olympic Team The United States of America has sent athletes to every celebration of the modern Olympic Games with the exception of the 1980 Summer Olympics, during which it led a boycott in protest of the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. The United ...

. The Reatta two-seater was introduced, to be followed two years later by a convertible. Also in 1988, Regal was downsized and converted to front-wheel drive. Bobby Allison won the Daytona 500 in a Regal that year. 1988 also saw the debut of the slogan "The Great American Road Belongs to Buick". In 1989, a new Electra trim level was offered called the Park Avenue Ultra. The Ultra was an upgrade to the Electra Park Avenue and featured a standard leather-trimmed interior with dual 20-way power front seats (shared with Cadillac's restyled 1989 Fleetwood Sixty Special), lower-body accent exterior paint treatment, distinctive thick-padded vinyl top with limousine-style rear-window surround (available only on Ultra), simulated burled elm trim on the doors and instrument panel, unique aluminum wheels, anti-lock brakes, chromed

B-pillar The pillars on a car with permanent roof body style (such as four-door sedans) are the vertical or nearly vertical supports of its window area or greenhouse—designated respectively as the A, B, C and (in larger cars such as 4-door stati ...

moldings, specific grille and tail lamps, leather-wrapped steering wheel, electronic instrumentation, padded glove-compartment door, unique interior door panel trim, and a variety of otherwise minor changes. With its long list of standard equipment, the Park Avenue Ultra carried a higher base price than Cadillac's Sedan de Ville. The Riviera was also restyled for 1989, adding 11 inches to its overall length. In the late 1980s, the Flint-built LeSabre ranked #1 in North America and #2 in the world in a major independent quality study which eventually led Buick to change its ad slogan from "The Great American Road Belongs to Buick" to "Buick: The New Symbol for Quality in America."

1990s

In 1990, the first Reatta convertible was produced. 1990 was also the last year for the Electra as Park Avenue, previously a trim level on the Electra, became its own model for the 1991 model year. In 1991, Buick led the industry in improvement in sales and market share. A new four-door Regal came to market for 1991, the first Regal sedan since 1984. Buick also introduced a supercharged 3.8-liter V6 in the Park Avenue Ultra. Supercharging became so popular at Buick that by the new millennium, Buick was the leading marketer and industry leader of supercharged cars. 1991 saw the return of the Roadmaster after a 33-year absence. The Roadmaster was first offered as a wagon only and then a sedan was added for 1992. For 1992, the popular LeSabre was redesigned along the same lines as the previous year's

. 1992 also saw the introduction of a new, redesigned Skylark. In 1993, a special edition LeSabre was sold to commemorate Buick's 90th anniversary. In addition to Custom trim level standard equipment, included were "90th Anniversary" badging, cassette player, cruise control, rear-window defogger, power driver's seat, carpeted floor mats, exterior pinstripes, and choice of wire or aluminum wheel covers. In 1995, after a hiatus in 1994, the Riviera returned with radical styling that departed from the previous generations' more traditional image. A

naturally aspirated A naturally aspirated engine, also known as a normally aspirated engine, and abbreviated to N/A or NA, is an internal combustion engine in which air intake depends solely on atmospheric pressure and does not have forced induction through a turboc ...

3800 V6 was standard, with a

supercharged In an internal combustion engine, a supercharger compresses the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to produce more power for a given displacement. It is a form of forced induction that is mechanically powered (usually by ...

version rated at and available as an option. Rivieras were now assembled in

Lake Orion, Michigan Lake Orion ( ) is a village in the northern outskirts of Metro Detroit in Oakland County, Michigan, United States. The population was 2,973 at the 2010 census. "Lake Orion" can refer to either the village or the much larger Orion Township, of w ...

, riding the same Cadillac-derived G platform as the 4-door Oldsmobile Aurora. In 1996, both the Roadmaster sedan and wagon were discontinued. In 1998, after 95 years in Flint, Buick's headquarters was moved to Detroit. Bob Coletta, Buick general manager, saw the first Chinese Buick roll off the line at Shanghai before he turned over the top Buick job to Roger Adams. Buick Gallery and Research Center opened at Flint's Sloan Museum. A reorganization of the division split sales from marketing. In 1999, the last of nearly 16 million Buicks were built in Flint's Buick City. The last car, a 1999 LeSabre, rolled off the assembly line on June 29 that year. In a major independent quality study, Buick ranked #2 (and top domestic) among 37 international brands and Buick City shared the top world position among automotive assembly plants. With sales of all coupes declining in the North American market, GM decided to discontinue the Riviera. 1999 was the car's last model year with production ceasing on November 25, 1998. The final 200 cars had special silver paint and trim and were denoted "Silver Arrow" models, a designation which hearkened back to several Silver Arrow show cars that had been built off Riviera bodies by Bill Mitchell. The eighth generation Rivieras received the most powerful V6 Buick engine since the Grand Nationals of the 1980s. The supercharged OHV V6 gave impressive

and acceleration, pushing the car from 0 to in under 7 seconds, and turning the mile in 15.5 seconds and achieved MPG fuel efficiency ratings of 18 city/27 highway.

Recent years

File:00-05 Buick LeSabre.jpg, 2000

File:Buick Rendezvous.jpg, 2002 Buick Rendezvous File:04-07 Buick Rainier.jpg, 2004 Buick Rainier CXL File:Buick Terraza -- 09-26-2009.jpg, 2005 Buick Terraza File:Buick-Lucerne-CXL.jpg, 2006

Buick Lucerne The Buick Lucerne is a full-size car manufactured by General Motors from 2005 to 2011. Named for the city of Lucerne, Switzerland, it served as Buick's top-of-the-line sedan until it was replaced by the second generation Buick LaCrosse. History ...

CXL File:Buick Enclave CXL -- 03-05-2010.jpg, 2008

Buick Enclave The Buick Enclave is a three-row full-size crossover SUV produced by General Motors since 2007. It was previewed at the North American International Auto Show#2006, 2006 North American International Auto Show, officially as a concept car, makin ...

CXL File:2009 Buick LaCrosse -- 09-07-2009.jpg, 2009

Buick LaCrosse The Buick LaCrosse is a four-door, front-wheel-drive sedan manufactured by Buick since model year 2005, and marketed variously across four generations for the North American and Chinese markets. The first-generation LaCrosse replaced the Centu ...

Super File:2011 Buick Verano (5490346021).jpg, 2011

GS File:2012 Buick Verano -- 04-30-2012.JPG, 2012

Buick Verano The Buick Verano () is a compact car manufactured by SAIC-GM for the GM's Buick brand since 2010. It debuted at the North American International Auto Show on January 10, 2011, during a preview of Buick's then upcoming 2012 model. It is the firs ...

File:Buick Encore P4250799.jpg, 2013

Buick Encore The Buick Encore is a subcompact crossover SUV built by General Motors from 2012 to 2022. It is subcompact crossover SUV marketed by Buick and its fourth SUV overall after the Rendezvous, Rainier, and Enclave. The "Encore" designation was p ...

File:Buick Cascada (16282443827).jpg, 2016 Buick Cascada Premium File:Buick Envision P4250795.jpg, 2016

Buick Envision The Buick Envision is a compact crossover SUV manufactured by General Motors and marketed under the Buick brand since 2014. It is exclusively manufactured in China by the SAIC-GM joint venture, supplying the Chinese and North American markets. __T ...

Premium File:Buick Velite 5 front.jpg, 2017 Buick Velite 5

2000s

In the 2000s, Buick's lineup was modified with the compact and performance segments being abandoned in favor of the crossover/SUV market which was growing in popularity. In 2000, Buick headed into the new millennium with a redesigned LeSabre (best-selling U.S. full-size car for eight straight years) and a more powerful Century. Since the first Detroit experimental car of 1899–1900 and the first Flint production car of 1904, more than 35 million Buicks had been built. The 2000 LeSabre was introduced in March 1999 and was now built on GM's G platform; however, GM chose to continue to refer to it as the H platform. The LeSabre was manufactured at GM's

Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly, also referred to as Factory Zero (and historically as GM Poletown), is an automotive assembly plant located on the border between Detroit and Hamtramck, Michigan, United States, owned and operated by General Motors. I ...

factory in

Hamtramck, Michigan Hamtramck ( ; ; ; ) is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An enclave of Detroit, Hamtramck is located roughly north of downtown Detroit, and is surrounded by Detroit on most sides. As of the 2020 census, the city had a po ...

and Lake Orion Assembly, in Lake Orion, Michigan. Some of the changes with the redesign included a new grille that did not open with the hood and slightly smaller exterior dimensions. Despite its somewhat smaller exterior size, it still offered similar interior room and more trunk space than the previous model. 2001 saw Buick's first entry into the crossover market with the introduction of the

Rendezvous Rendezvous or rendez-vous may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Rendezvous'' (1923 film), a silent film adventure melodrama * ''Rendezvous'' (1930 film), a German musical directed by Carl Boese * ''Rendezvous ...

as a 2002 model. In 2003, the Buick Centieme crossover

concept car A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle or show vehicle) is a car made to showcase new styling or new technology. Concept cars are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or may not ...

commemorated Buick Motor Division's 100th anniversary. Some of the Centieme's exterior design and interior features would later appear on the 2008

Enclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is so ...

crossover. In 2004, Buick added the Rainier mid-size SUV, and the new Terraza minivan was added a year later. In the years following, Buick began consolidating its North American lineup and by 2008 had reduced it to just three models: the

LaCrosse Lacrosse is a contact team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game w ...

/Allure, the

Lucerne Lucerne ( ) or Luzern ()Other languages: ; ; ; . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital of the canton of Lucerne and part of the Lucerne (district), di ...

, and the new-for-2008 Enclave. The Super name had also returned after a 50-year absence as a new performance trim level on LaCrosse and Lucerne. The brand's total overall sales slipped in the United States, and, with a reputation for primarily appealing to older buyers, rumors circulated throughout this decade that the Buick marque would be discontinued. The profitability of the model lineup and popularity in China ensured Buick's future within General Motors, with the decision being made to discontinue the

Pontiac Pontiac most often refers to: * Pontiac (Odawa leader) ( – 1769), Native American war chief *Pontiac (automobile), a former General Motors brand Pontiac may also refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality ** Apo ...

brand instead. Since 2005, GM had gradually consolidated Buick with GMC and former

dealerships to create the current Buick-GMC network. During

General Motors Chapter 11 reorganization The 2009 General Motors Chapter 11 sale of the assets of automobile manufacturer General Motors and some of its subsidiaries was implemented through Chapter 11, Title 11, United States Code in the United States bankruptcy court for the Southern ...

and emergence in 2009, the company designated Buick as a "core brand", citing the division's success in China. Behind the scenes, GM began to move products originally planned for other brands to Buick. The

Opel Insignia The Opel Insignia is a large family car (D-segment in Europe) developed and produced by the German car manufacturer Opel from 2008 to 2022. Taking its name from a 2003 concept car, the model line serves as the flagship model, slotted above the ...

was originally intended to become the second-generation Saturn Aura, but instead became the new Buick Regal. In the 2009 J.D. Power and Associates Vehicle Dependability Study, Buick tied with Jaguar as the most dependable brand in the United States.

2010s

The 2010s included the return of a classic Buick nameplate, the

, and several new model names. The decade also saw the brand's first hatchback since 1987, its first factory convertible since 1991, and its first station wagon since 1996. Buick further expanded its presence in the popular crossover/SUV market in the 2010s. In January 2009, Buick unveiled the new 2010 LaCrosse sedan, an all-new styling direction that included traditional Buick cues. The market responded positively to the LaCrosse and reviews favorably compared it to luxury models such as the

Lexus ES The Lexus ES is a series of mid-size executive cars marketed since 1989 by Lexus, the luxury division of Toyota, across multiple generations, each offering V6 engines and a front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout. The first five generations of ...

. In 2010, Buick became the fastest-growing automotive brand in America and attracted a younger customer demographic. A GM company spokesman at the time said that Buick was positioned as a "premium" marque (entry-level luxury) to compete with various

Acura Acura is the luxury and performance division of Japanese automaker Honda, based primarily in North America. The brand was launched on March 27, 1986, marketing luxury and performance automobiles. Acura sells cars in the United States, Canada, M ...

Infiniti (stylized in all caps) is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Nissan. The brand began on November 8, 1989, initially in North America. The marketing network for Infiniti vehicles included dealers in over 50 countries in the 201 ...

Lexus is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Toyota, Toyota Motor Corporation. The Lexus brand is marketed in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide and is Japan's largest-selling make of premium cars. It has ranked amon ...

, and

Volvo The Volvo Group (; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distribution and sale of truck ...

models, while

was aimed at the "luxury" performance segment which includes brands like

BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, trading as BMW Group (commonly abbreviated to BMW (), sometimes anglicised as Bavarian Motor Works), is a German multinational manufacturer of vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Th ...

and

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...

. An all-new Regal sedan, a smaller model based on the European

, was re-introduced for the 2011 model year after a seven-year absence. For 2012, the all-new Verano, which was a compact sedan based on the

Chevrolet Cruze The Chevrolet Cruze is a compact car produced by General Motors from 2008 through 2023. It was designated as a globally developed, designed, and manufactured four-door compact sedan, complemented by a five-door hatchback body variant from 2011, ...

, joined the lineup. Additionally, the performance-oriented Regal GS officially went on sale and became the first Buick in almost 20 years to be offered with a manual transmission and a turbocharger. Buick also entered the hybrid market with the introduction of eAssist technology on the 2012 LaCrosse and Regal which helped improve fuel economy ratings by as much as 38% over the regular gas-engine versions. Meanwhile, sales of the Enclave crossover remained strong. In January 2012, the all-new

Encore An encore is an additional performance given by performers at the conclusion of a show or concert, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford Universi ...

mini crossover was unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Also in 2012, a turbocharged version of the Verano was introduced and the Enclave was redesigned for the 2013 model year. In 2013, GM confirmed plans for a "hybrid global brand" which includes

/Vauxhall and Buick using more synergies between the brands. LaCrosse and Regal were refreshed for the 2014 model year. In 2015, the all-new

Cascada Cascada (, Spanish language, Spanish, 'Waterfall'), is a German dance music act founded in 2004 by singer Natalie Horler and DJs/composers/ producers DJ Manian and DJ Yanou. They functioned as a trio from 2004 to 2021, with their last track ...

subcompact convertible debuted at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The all-new 2017 LaCrosse was shown at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show in November 2015, as a 2017 model. Buick also confirmed that the

Envision Envision may refer to: Organizations * Envision EMI, a management company based in Virginia, USA * Envision Energy, a wind turbine manufacturer and energy technology company based in Shanghai, China * Envision Financial, a financial institution ...

compact crossover would be sold in North America starting summer 2016. The Verano compact sedan was dropped from the Buick lineup in North America in 2017. With GM selling off the Opel/Vauxhall division to

PSA Group Peugeot S.A., trading as Groupe PSA () (formerly PSA Peugeot Citroën from 1991 to 2016) was a French Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company which produced automobiles and motorcycles unde ...

in March 2017, Buick is expected to move away from sharing the Opel model/designs upon the completion of the current generation vehicles. For 2018, Buick replaced the Regal sedan with an all-new model offering hatchback and station wagon body styles. This new Regal was the first hatchback from Buick for the North American market since the 1987 Skyhawk and the first station wagon since the 1996 Roadmaster. A sub-brand was also added in 2018 to accompany Buick, with the Avenir badge being applied to its top-of-the-line level trims, utilizing the same strategy as GMC's successful Denali sub-brand. 2019 would be the last year for the Cascada convertible globally and the LaCrosse sedan for the North American market.

2020s

Buick logo used until 2023 New for 2020 was the Encore GX crossover which slotted in between the existing Encore and Envision. The Regal hatchback and station wagon were discontinued for the North American market in 2020. In June 2022, Buick Global Chief Duncan Aldred announced that Buick would transition its entire line-up to electric vehicles by 2030. As part of that plan, all Buick dealers would be given the opportunity to take a

buyout In finance, a buyout is an investment transaction by which the ownership equity, or a controlling interest of a company, or a majority share of the capital stock of the company is acquired. The acquirer thereby "buys out" the present equity holde ...

rather than switch to all-electric. Aldred explained the move saying that making the transition to electric would require a considerable investment in upgrading dealer facilities and not all dealers would be willing to make the financial commitment. Aldrerd also pointed out that most Buick dealers also sold other GM products, so accepting the buyout would not necessarily result in a dealership closing. Once Buick's top-selling model in North America, the Encore was discontinued in 2022 as more customers favored the larger Encore GX which was introduced for 2020 and became Buick's new top seller. In 2023, the

Envista The Buick Envista is a compact crossover SUV manufactured by General Motors and marketed under the Buick brand since 2022. It shares the General Motors VSS platforms, GM VSS-F platform with the Chevrolet Seeker, Chevrolet Trax (marketed as the S ...

launched for the 2024 model year. Buick's North American lineup consists of the Envista and Encore GX subcompact crossovers, the Envision compact crossover, and the Enclave mid-size crossover.

Production models

Current

China

* Electra E4 (2023–present) * Electra E5 (2023–present) *

(2020–present) * Encore Plus (2020–present) *

(2022–present) * Envision S (2015–present) * GL8 (2000–present)Official website of Buick China.
Retrieved October 2, 2017. *

(2006–present) * Regal (1999–present) * Velite 6 (2019–present) * Verano (2010–present)

North America

(2008–present) * Encore GX (2020–present) *

(2016–present) *

(2024–present) File:BUICK GL8 CENTURY (BUICK GL8 FOURTH GENENRATION) China (7).jpg,

Century A century is a period of 100 years or 10 decades. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c. ...

File:Buick Electra E4 003.jpg, Electra E4 File:Buick E5 003.jpg, Electra E5 File:BUICK ENCLAVE China.jpg,

File:2020 Buick Encore GX 'Essence' ST AWD, front 7.11.20.jpg, Encore GX File:Buick Envista GS IMG001.jpg,

File:BUICK ENVISION S China.jpg,

File:Buick GL8 ES 2022 facelift IMG003.jpg, GL8 ES File:Buick GL8 II Land Business Edition 007.jpg, GL8 Land Business File:BUICK GL8 ES PHEV (4).jpg, GL8 ES PHEV File:BUICK LACROSSE FOURTH GENERATION China.jpg,

File:BUICK REGAL SIXTH GENERATION (OPEL INSIGNIA B) China (13).jpg, Regal File:BUICK VELITE 6 China (5).jpg, Velite 6 File:Buick Verano III Pro Sanming 01 2022-07-07.jpg, Verano

Past

* Model B (1904) * Model C (1905) * Model D (1907–1908) * Model F & G (1906–1910) * Model K (1907–1908) * Model 10 (1908–1910) * Model S (1907–1908) * Model 5 (1908) * Model 14 & 14B (1910–1911) * Model 16 (1909-1910) * Model 17 (1909-1910) * Model 19 (1910) * Model 28, 29, 34, 36 & 43 (1912) * Model 24, 25, 30, 31 & 40 (1913) * Series B (1914) * Series C (1915) * Series D (1916–1917) * Series E (1918) * Series H (1919) * Series K (1920) * Series 21 (1921) * Series 22 (1922) * Series 23 (1923) * Series 24 (1924) * Master Series (1925–1928) * Standard Series (1925–1928) * Series 116, 121 & 129 (1929) *

Series 40 Nokia Series 40 Platform, often shortened as S40, is a software platform and application user interface (UI) software that was previously used on Nokia's broad range of mid-tier feature phones from 2002 to 2014, as well as on some of the Vertu l ...

(1930–1935) * Series 50 (1930–1935) *

Series 60 The S60 Platform, originally named Series 60 User Interface, is a discontinued software platform and graphical user interface for smartphones that runs on top of the Symbian operating system. It was created by Nokia based on the 'Pearl' interfa ...

(1930–1935) *

(1936–1958, 1961–1969) * Roadmaster (1936–1958, 1991–1996) *

(1936–1942, 1954–1958, 1973–2005) *

(1939–1958) *

(1953–1954, 1961–1972, 1975–1998) * Invicta (1959–1963) *

(1959–1990) * LeSabre (1959–2005) *

(1963–1970) *

(1963–1993, 1995–1999) * Estate (1970–1979, 1990) *

(1971–1973) *

(1973–1975) * Skyhawk (1975–1980, 1982–1989) *

(1976–1979) *

(1985–1987) * Reatta (1988–1991) *

(1991–2005, 2007–2012) *

Sail A sail is a tensile structure, which is made from fabric or other membrane materials, that uses wind power to propel sailing craft, including sailing ships, sailboats, windsurfers, ice boats, and even sail-powered land vehicles. Sails may b ...

(2001–2004) *

(2001–2007) * Excelle (2003–2023) * Rainier (2004–2007) * Royaum (2005–2006) * Terraza (2005–2007) *

(2006–2011) * Excelle GT (2010–2023) * Excelle XT (2010–2015) *

(2013–2022) *

(2016–2019) * Velite 5 (2017–2019) * GL6 (2017-2023) * Velite 7 (2020–2022)

Concept cars

File:1939 ... Harley Earl and "The Y Job".jpg, 1938 Buick Y-Job concept File:XP 300 (6334945849).jpg, 1951 Buick XP-300 concept File:1954 Buick Wildcat II (6326258819) (cropped).jpg, 1954 Buick Wildcat II concept File:1956 Buick Centurion (6327011550).jpg, 1956

Buick Centurion The Buick Centurion is a full-size car built from the 1971 through 1973 model years. Replacing the Wildcat as the sporty iteration of Buick's three full-size car lines, it was positioned between the LeSabre and Electra in the lineup. The Centurio ...

concept File:Sloan Museum at Courtland Center December 2018 06 (1963 Buick Silver Arrow).jpg, 1963 Buick Silver Arrow
concept File:1989 Buick Park Avenue Essence White 01.jpg, 1989 Buick Park Avenue Essence concept File:1995 Buick XP2000.jpg, 1995 Buick XP2000 concept File:NAIAS 304.JPG, 2007

concept File:Buick Riviera Concept at Auto Shanghai 2013.JPG, 2013

concept File:Buick Avenir Concept (16280644800) (cropped).jpg, 2015 Buick Avenir concept File:Buick Avista Concept - 1.jpg, 2016 Buick Avista concept Buick has a long history of creating intriguing concept cars dating back to the Y-Job, the industry's first concept car, of 1938. Its recent concepts, all

electric vehicle An electric vehicle (EV) is a motor vehicle whose propulsion is powered fully or mostly by electricity. EVs encompass a wide range of transportation modes, including road vehicle, road and rail vehicles, electric boats and Submersible, submer ...

s, are the Buick Enspire concept unveiled in April 2018, the Buick Electra concept unveiled in September 2020, and the Buick Wildcat concept which was unveiled in June 2022.

Distinguishing features

Trishield

The Buick Trishield is rooted in the ancestral coat of arms of the automaker's founder, David Dunbar Buick. That crest was a red shield with a checkered silver and azure diagonal line from the upper left to lower right, a stag above, and a punctured cross below. The division adopted this on its radiator grilles in 1937. In 1960, the logo underwent a major overhaul. Its single shield was replaced by a trio in red, white, and blue—denoting the LeSabre, Invicta, and

then in the Buick lineup. It was supplanted by the Buick Hawk in the 1970s, but reemerged in simplified form in the 1980s. The Trishield became monochromatic in 2005, but the traditional colors returned in 2023.

VentiPorts

A traditional Buick styling cue dating to 1949 is a series of three or four vents on the front fender behind the front wheels. The source of this design feature was a

custom car A custom car is a passenger automobile, vehicle that has been altered to engine tuning, improve its performance, change its aesthetics, or combine both. Some automotive enthusiasts in the United States want to push "styling and performance a st ...

of Buick stylist Ned Nickles, which in addition had a flashing light within each hole each synchronized with a specific spark plug simulating the flames from the exhaust stack of a fighter airplane. The flashing light feature was not used by Buick in production. They were called VentiPorts because, as the 1949 sales brochure noted, they helped ventilate the engine compartment. Air entered from the grille into the engine bay, was pressurized by the radiator fan, and exited through the VentiPorts. Later in the model year, however, they were made non-functional and from then on were solely a styling feature. When introduced, the number of VentiPorts (three or four) denoted the size of

straight-eight engine The straight-eight engine or inline-eight engine (often abbreviated as I8) is an eight-cylinder internal combustion engine with all eight cylinders mounted in a straight line along the crankcase. The type has been produced in side-valve, IO ...

installed. Since displacement differences in straight-eight engines resulted in more significant differences in engine length than on V8s, the Roadmaster needed a longer chassis in front of the cowl to accommodate its larger engine. Thus, an extra VentiPort corresponded to that additional length. After the more compact V8 replaced the straight-eight engine in 1953 this difference in chassis length was no longer needed, but the convention remained. Consequently, when the

, which shared the

's smaller body, was reintroduced in 1954, it also received four VentiPorts to denote its engine's greater displacement. However, in 1955, the

, which shared the Roadmaster's larger body, was promoted from three to four VentiPorts despite having the smaller displacement engine. The Invicta, which took the place of the Century in 1959 and had the smaller body with the larger displacement engine, had only three VentiPorts on introduction; thus the number of VentiPorts came to denote body size rather than engine size. In 1961, Buick introduced the first V6 engine installed in an American passenger car, in the Buick Special, and three VentiPorts appeared on the side, now denoting the number of cylinders instead of displacement or body size. VentiPorts would continue to appear on some Buick models through 1981. In 2003 VentiPorts were re-introduced on the

Ultra, and continued with its replacement, the

. Consistent with the tradition that held from 1961, the Lucerne's VentiPorts refer directly to the number of pistons: V6 models have three on each side, while V8s have four on each side.

Sweepspear

Another styling cue from the 1940s through the 1970s was the Sweepspear, a curved trim line running almost the length of the car. Introduced as an option on the 1949

hardtop A hardtop is a rigid form of automobile roof, typically metal, and integral to the vehicle's design, strength, and style. The term typically applies to a pillarless hardtop, a car body style without a B-pillar. The term "pillared hardtop" was ...

coupe, the original Sweepspear was a chrome-plated steel rub strip which began level over the front wheel, gently curved down across the front fender and door, dove nearly to the rocker panel just ahead of the rear wheel, then flared up and over the rear wheel before leveling off again into a straight run back to the tail light. In 1942 all GM vehicles had an appearance upgrade where the trailing edge of the front fender was extended across the front doors that was called "Airfoil" accented by parallel chrome strips on the front and rear fenders on Buick vehicles. In later years the character line of the "Airfoil" feature was accented with a stainless steel strip that evolved into the Buick "Sweepspear" for several decades. The "Riviera trim", as it was initially called, was made available on the Roadmaster convertible very late in the '49 model year. It proved so popular that by the 1951 model year, it was made a standard feature on all Buicks. On 1950s models with two-tone paint, the Sweepspear separated the two colors. Originally stainless steel, the Sweepspear eventually became a vinyl rub strip or simple character line in the sheetmetal, as hinted in some versions of the

, distinct on the 1968–1969 Skylark, and appearing on the 2008 Invicta concept car. Often optional trim was available to reinforce a plain character line in the bodywork.

Delta fin

1959 Buick Electra 225 Riviera Sedan wings

The 1958 Buick was marketed beginning in September 1957, just as the

space age The Space Age is a period encompassing the activities related to the space race, space exploration, space technology, and the cultural developments influenced by these events, beginning with the launch of Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957, and co ...

began with the launching of

Sputnik I Sputnik 1 (, , ''Satellite 1''), sometimes referred to as simply Sputnik, was the first artificial Earth satellite. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957 as part of the Soviet space program ...

on October 4 of that year. The "Sweepspear" evolved into the "Delta Fin" reminiscent of a rocket ship, which appeared on the all-new appearance for 1959, and was trimmed down in 1960 and removed for 1961.

Taillight shapes

During the 1950s, the characteristic form of the Buick

taillamps Automotive lighting is functional exterior lighting in vehicles. A motor vehicle has lighting and signaling devices mounted to or integrated into its front, rear, sides, and, in some cases, top. Various devices have the dual function of illumin ...

was a tier of small, circular bullet-shapes. In the early 1960s, most models began to evolve a wide, rectangular pattern, until the 1965

and

models appeared with full-width rear lamps.

Classic grille styling

The Buick styling cue (dating from the 1942–1958 period) that has most often reappeared, though, is for the grille to be a horizontal oval with many, thin, vertical chromed ribs bulging forward. This has sometimes been called the Buick "dollar grin", particularly on the early 1950s models, which had thick, highly polished ribs that somewhat resembled teeth. The 1950 model took this tooth theme to its extreme as the teeth crossed over the bumper exposing the 1950 "grin", which was the result of extending the bumper guards over the front bumper, and was advertised as "Front and Center with Duty plus Beauty". The 1951 model reined in the theme, bringing the bumper guard "teeth" back behind the bumper.

Waterfall grille

In recent years, Buick has adopted a waterfall grille, as seen on the Buick Velite concept car from 2004 and first used in production with the

introduced for the 2006 model year. This waterfall grille bears some resemblance to grilles of Buicks from the 1980s, such as the

Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Aintree, Merseyside, England. First run in 1839, it ...

Nailhead

The

, nicknamed the Nailhead because of its relatively small intake and exhaust valves which resembled nails, became popular with hot-rodders in the 1950s and 1960s because the vertical attachment of the

valve cover A rocker cover, (UK), or valve cover (elsewhere) is a cover that encloses the rocker arm in an internal combustion engine, bolting with a gasket seal to the engine head. Engines with more than one head (such as a V8) will have multiple rocker ...

s, in contrast to the angled attachment of other

V8 engine A V8 engine is an eight- cylinder piston engine in which two banks of four cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration. Origins The first known V8 was the Antoinette, designed by Léon Levavasseur, a ...

s, enabled the engine to fit into smaller spaces while maintaining easy access for maintenance.

Performance

In addition to premium and luxury vehicles, Buick has also been well known for its offerings of high-performance cars. Some of the better-known examples included the Gran Sport and Skylark GSX models of the 1960s and 1970s, and the

Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Aintree, Merseyside, England. First run in 1839, it ...

and GNX models of the 1980s, with a performance package revival called T-Type.

World distribution

Asia

Buick is one of China's most popular, best-selling automobiles. In 2016, General Motors sold over 1.1 million Buicks in China. Buicks have always been popular in China. In pre-

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

China, one in five cars was a Buick. Buicks were used by the last emperor

Puyi Puyi (7 February 190617 October 1967) was the final emperor of China, reigning as the eleventh monarch of the Qing dynasty from 1908 to 1912. When the Guangxu Emperor died without an heir, Empress Dowager Cixi picked his nephew Puyi, aged tw ...

, the first president

Sun Yat-sen Sun Yat-senUsually known as Sun Zhongshan () in Chinese; also known by Names of Sun Yat-sen, several other names. (; 12 November 186612 March 1925) was a Chinese physician, revolutionary, statesman, and political philosopher who founded the Republ ...

, and the first premier

Zhou Enlai Zhou Enlai ( zh, s=周恩来, p=Zhōu Ēnlái, w=Chou1 Ên1-lai2; 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was a Chinese statesman, diplomat, and revolutionary who served as the first Premier of the People's Republic of China from September 1954 unti ...

. Since 1999, a

for China has been produced and sold by Shanghai GM and has proven to be popular among upscale, professional families, establishing Buick as one of the most popular vehicle brands in China. In addition, Buick of China sells a compact Excelle, similar to a five-door

hatchback A hatchback is a car body style, car body configuration with a rear door that swings upward to provide access to the main interior of the car as a cargo area rather than just to a separated trunk. Hatchbacks may feature fold-down second-row sea ...

version called the HRV, and a minivan named the GL8. Many Buicks for the local market are equipped with smaller more fuel-efficient engines with double overhead camshafts, than those with overhead valves in the same nameplate for the American market. GM Taiwan was founded in August 1989. In the early 1990s, Buick, along with other GM brands, was very popular and frequently seen on Taiwanese streets.

, 3rd and 4th generation Regal, and 6th generation

used to be sold in Taiwan. In December 2004, General Motors signed a memorandum of understanding with Yulon, a firm based in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

, for the licensed manufacture of Buick vehicles there. In July 2005, Yulon GM Motor Co. Ltd. (Yulon GM), a joint venture with 51 percent equity stake held by Yulon Motor and 49 percent by GM, was founded. In April 2010, Buick debuted a localised version of LaCrosse, named Alpheon, to the South Korean market.

Mexico

Buicks were sold in Mexico from 1921 until 1962, when a

protectionist Protectionism, sometimes referred to as trade protectionism, is the economic policy of restricting imports from other countries through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, import quotas, and a variety of other government regulations. ...

policy on behalf of the government restricted the percentage of imported parts that could be used in the manufacture of vehicles and the sale of imported cars. From then onwards, all GM products were sold by Chevrolet dealerships. In 1990, after a heavy modification to the protectionist policy of the sixties, GM started assembling the Buick Century in Mexico, at the plant in

Ramos Arizpe Ramos Arizpe () is a town that is part of the Saltillo metropolitan area located in the Mexican state of Coahuila. The city reported a population of 114,010 in the 2020 census; the municipality had a population of 122,243. Its area is 5,306. ...

, in the state of

Coahuila Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza, is one of the 31 states of Mexico. The largest city and State Capital is the city of Saltillo; the second largest is Torreón and the thi ...

, just south of

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, and selling it through Mexican Chevrolet dealerships, so it was not uncommon for many people to call it "Chevrolet Century". In 1997, GM stopped selling Buicks in Mexico and the brand was not sold there until 2009. With the announcement in 2009 of the elimination of the

brand, it was speculated that Buicks would be sold once again in Mexico since there was a large network of Pontiac-GMC dealerships already in place. On July 24, 2009, Grace Lieblein, the new president of GM in Mexico, revealed that the Buick brand would be available in Mexico in late September of that year, after an absence of a dozen years, with the LaCrosse and the Enclave models. Buick shared the dealership floor with Pontiac and GMC until the Pontiac brand faded away in the summer of 2010. On March 26, 2019, Buick announced that the Mexican division will offer only crossovers (Encore, Envision, and Enclave). The La Crosse sedan, Regal hatchback, and Regal TourX station wagon were dropped from the market as those brands were expected to be discontinued due to Opel's future (under new owner Stellantis). The Insignia is tied to the North American-badged Regal and Buick's decision to make the La Crosse exclusive to China.

Middle East

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

, Buicks are imported by Universal Motors, Ltd. (UMI), which also imports other GM vehicles. For

model year The model year (sometimes abbreviated as MY) is a method of describing the version of a product which has been produced over multiple years. The model year may or may not be the same as the calendar year in which the product was manufactured. ...

s 2004 and 2005, the

and Buick Rendezvous were sold. For model years 2006 and 2007, the

and

were sold alongside the Rendezvous. For the 2008 model year, the

and

were available. Buicks were marketed throughout the Middle East until the second-generation

was discontinued, and continued to be available in the

Gulf Cooperation Council The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (), also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC; ), is a Regional integration, regional, intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental, political, and economic union comprising Ba ...

markets until 1996.

New Zealand

Buicks were once sold in New Zealand. They were also built at the GMNZ plant in

Petone Petone (Māori language, Māori: ''Pito-one'') is a large suburb of Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand. It stands at the southern end of the Hutt Valley, on the northern shore of Wellington Harbour. Europeans first settled in Petone in Januar ...

, outside

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

Motorsport

For many years, Buick was a substitute for Chevrolet in

. Driver Phil Shafer drove a Buick to win the 1933 Elgin Trophy, considered to be the first officially organized stock car race in the United States. No earlier than the 1960s, Buick was a competitor in the

, and (like almost every other American manufacturer) also participated in the

Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Aintree, Merseyside, England. First run in 1839, it ...

stock car racing series using its Regal and later the Gran Sport. The golden age of Buick in motorsport, however, was early through late 1980s. General Motors entered the Regal, particularly the

Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Aintree, Merseyside, England. First run in 1839, it ...

model, in the

NASCAR Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States. The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, ...

alongside the

Oldsmobile Cutlass The Oldsmobile Cutlass was a series of automobiles produced by General Motors' Oldsmobile division between 1961 and 1999. At its introduction, the Cutlass was Oldsmobile's entry-level model; it began as a unibody compact car, but saw its greatest ...

. Buick was also a major powerplant in the

IndyCar Series The IndyCar Series, officially known as the NTT IndyCar Series for sponsorship reasons, is the highest class of American open-wheel car racing in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices of various sanctioning bodies sinc ...

and IMSA GT Series (particularly in the IMSA GTP class) for several years. The 1990s, however, proved to be the end of Buick's reign in motorsports, as GM replaced it for many years with

before phasing out that marque in 2004. Oldsmobile would be replaced by

until its demise in 2009, being replaced by Chevrolet. Buicks were also entered in the

Trans Am Series The Trans-Am Series presented by Pirelli is a sports car racing series held in North America. Founded in 1966, it is sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). Primarily based in the United States, the series competes on a variety of ...

in the 1980s and 1990s using aftermarket V8 engines.

Enthusiast organizations

The Buick Club of America, founded in 1966, is a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

dedicated to the preservation and restoration of automobiles built by the Buick Motor Division of General Motors Corporation.

File:Buick 1911-0121.jpg, A 1911 Buick Advertisement - Syracuse Post-Standard, January 21, 1911 File:Buick ad 1913.jpg, 1913 advertisement File:Buick ad 1920.jpg, ''The Saturday Evening Post'', November 1920 File:Buick 1913 logo.png, 1912 Buick logo File:Buick folder 1925.jpg, Cover of 1925 promotional folder from Swedish reseller File:Buick advertisement, 1916.jpg, alt=Advertisement for 1916 Buick by dealer Howard Automobile Co., San Francisco., Advertisement for 1916 Buick by dealer Howard Automobile Co., San Francisco

References

External links

*
Business analysis of Buick's position in China and within GM in 2019
– video by

CNBC CNBC is an American List of business news channels, business news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group, a unit of Comcast's NBCUniversal. The network broadcasts live business news and analysis programming during the morning, Day ...

{{Authority control 1903 establishments in Michigan American brands American companies established in 1903 Car brands Car manufacturers of the United States Flint, Michigan General Motors marques Luxury motor vehicle manufacturers Motor vehicle manufacturers based in Michigan Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1903

History

Early years

1910s–1920s

1930s

Post World War II years

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

Recent years

2000s

2010s

2020s

Production models

Current

China

North America

Past

Concept cars

Distinguishing features

Trishield

VentiPorts

Sweepspear

Delta fin

Taillight shapes

Classic grille styling

Waterfall grille

Nailhead

Performance

World distribution

Asia

Mexico

Middle East

New Zealand

Motorsport

Enthusiast organizations

Advertisements

See also

References

External links