Buick () is a

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer

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

in 1899, it was among the first American marques of automobiles, and was the company that established General Motors in 1908. Before the establishment of General Motors, GM founder

William C. Durant William Crapo Durant (December 8, 1861 – March 18, 1947) was a leading pioneer of the United States automobile industry and co-founder of General Motors and Chevrolet. He created a system in which a company held multiple marques – each s ...

had served as Buick's general manager and major investor. In the North American market, Buick is a premium automobile brand, selling

luxury vehicles A luxury car is a car that provides increased levels of comfort, equipment, amenities, quality, performance, and associated status compared to moderately priced cars. The term is subjective and reflects both the qualities of the car and th ...

positioned above GM's mainstream brands, while priced below the flagship luxury Cadillac division. Buick's current target demographic according to ''

The Detroit News ''The Detroit News'' is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival ''Detroit Free Press'' building. ''The News'' absorbed the ''Detroit Tribune'' on Februar ...

'' is "a successful executive with family." After securing its market position in the late 1930s, when junior companion brand Marquette and Cadillac junior brand LaSalle were discontinued, Buick was positioned as an upscale luxury car below the Cadillac. During this same time period, many manufacturers were introducing V8 engines in their high-end models, while Buick used a

straight-8 The straight-eight engine (also referred to as an inline-eight engine; abbreviated I8 or L8) is a piston engine with eight cylinders arranged in a straight line along the crankshaft. The number of cylinders and perfect primary and secondary eng ...

for all models starting in 1931. The first Buick V8 was introduced in 1953, then in 1962, the

Buick V6 The Buick V6, popularly referred to as the 3800 in its later incarnations, originally and initially marketed as ''Fireball'' at its introduction in 1962, was a large V6 engine used by General Motors. The block is made of cast iron and all use tw ...

was introduced for the compact Special model. Buick engines, with few exceptions, have always used

overhead valves An overhead valve (OHV) engine, sometimes called a ''pushrod engine'', is a piston engine whose valves are located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier flathead engines, where the valves were located bel ...

which the company pioneered in the 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 The New York International Au ...

. In 2017, Buick sold more than 1.4 million vehicles worldwide, a record for the brand. Buick's largest market is China, which accounts for 80% of its sales. Buicks are also sold in the United States,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, and

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. U.S. market share in 2022 was 1.2%, down by nearly half of its market share in 2000.

History

Early years

Buick is one of the oldest automobile brands in the world and currently the oldest in the United States. ( 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 antimeridian. The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Politically, the te ...

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

Oldsmobile Oldsmobile or 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 pro ...

, also an early automaker founded in 1897, is now defunct; Studebaker was founded in 1852, but did not begin producing automobiles until 1902; Henry Ford produced his first car in 1896 but did not start the Ford Motor Co. until 1903, and during the period in between was involved with other automobile manufacturers such as Cadillac, 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 was an automotive pioneer and engineer who worked with David Dunbar Buick perfecting the first Buick production automobiles. He worked with Mr. Buick a number of times around the turn of the century, building Buick's first two ...

, 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 (OHV) engine, sometimes called a ''pushrod engine'', is a piston engine whose valves are located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier flathead engines, where the valves were located b ...

) 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 8,800 in 1908, taking the number one spot away from close competitors Oldsmobile,

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

, and Maxwell. David Buick incorporated his company as the Buick Motor Company on May 19, 1903, in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

, 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. 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

that year as 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, 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 the ...

, 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 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 General Motors. Between 1899 and 1902, two prototype vehicles were built in Detroit, Michigan by

Walter Lorenzo Marr Walter Lorenzo Marr was an automotive pioneer and engineer who worked with David Dunbar Buick perfecting the first Buick production automobiles. He worked with Mr. Buick a number of times around the turn of the century, building Buick's first two o ...

. 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 or stock to provide leverage in the form of torque for the helmsman to turn the rudder. ...

steering similar to the

Oldsmobile Curved Dash __NOTOC__ 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 ...

. In mid-1904, another prototype was constructed for an endurance run, which convinced Whiting to authorize 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. 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 General Motors is attributed mainly to the success of Buick, so it can be said

Marr Marr (Scottish Gaelic: ''Màrr'') is one of six committee areas in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It has a population of 34,038 (2001 Census). Someone from Marr is called a ''Màrnach'' in Scottish Gaelic. Etymology The genesis of the name ''Mar ...

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 equivalent of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). It represents the capability of a force to produce change in the rotational motion of th ...

presented to the chassis in a longitudinal manner. The engine was mounted

amidships This glossary of nautical terms is an alphabetical listing of terms and expressions connected with ships, shipping, seamanship and navigation on water (mostly though not necessarily on the sea). Some remain current, while many date from the 17th ...

. 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 General Motors. 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 Cadillac brand. To save on resources, Buick vehicles shared a common platform, called the

GM A platform The General Motors A platform (commonly called A-body) was an automobile platform, and was GM's original, and oldest, platform used by all early GM products, beginning with the Chevrolet Superior. From this platform, all North American platforms B, ...

, that was shared with Chevrolet, Oakland,

, 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. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organi ...

, winning the first-ever race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 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 The Buick Six was a top level automobile produced by GM's Buick Division which was first introduced in 1914, and was the senior vehicle to the Buick Series B Four. It was an all new platform which was shared with the Oldsmobile Six and was the ...

, that followed the same bodystyle that first appeared at Cadillac, and four years ahead of

. The car was built at the all-new factory in Flint which later became known as

Buick City Buick City was a name applied to the former Buick home plant following major renovations completed during the early 1980s to better compete with Japanese producers. The plant was a massive automobile manufacturing complex in the northeast of Fli ...

. 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 straight-six, was the

Buick Master Six The Buick Master Six Series 40 and Series 50, based on the wheelbase used, was an automobile built by Buick from 1925 to 1928 and shared the GM B platform with the Oldsmobile Model 30. Previously, the company manufactured the Buick Six that us ...

. 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 An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

. 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

; however, Marquette was discontinued in 1930. All Buick, Marquette,

Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to 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 se ...

, 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 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 makes would use it at ...

starting in 1926.

1930s

Buick debuted two major achievements for the 1931 model year, the

OHV An overhead valve (OHV) engine, sometimes called a ''pushrod engine'', is a piston engine whose valves are located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier flathead engines, where the valves were located bel ...

Buick Straight-8 engine The Buick Straight-8 engine (Fireball 8) was produced from 1931 to 1953 and sold in Buick automobiles, replacing the Buick Straight-6 engine across the board in all models in 1931. Like many American automobile makers, Buick adopted the straight-e ...

and a

synchromesh transmission A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed motor vehicle transmission system, where gear changes ...

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 The Cadillac V8, introduced as the Type 51, is a large, luxurious automobile that was introduced in September 1914 by Cadillac as a 1915 model. It was Cadillac's first V8 automobile, replacing the four-cylinder Model 30, and used the all new GM ...

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 The lighting system of a motor vehicle consists of lighting and signalling devices mounted to or integrated into the front, rear, sides, and in some cases the top of a motor vehicle. They illuminate the road ahead for the driver and increase th ...

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. 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 his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of I ...

and Queen

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...

during the

1939 royal tour of Canada The 1939 royal tour of Canada by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth was undertaken in the build-up to World War II as a way to emphasise the links between Britain and Canada. The royal tour lasted from 17 May to 15 June, covering every Canadia ...

. 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, Haifa and Damascus to Baghdad, and back again, from 1923. Their route became known as "The Nairn Way". The firm continued, in vari ...

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

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 The Buick 4 was a series of passenger cars produced by the Buick Division of GM from 1909 through 1918, and was available as a touring car, phaeton or roadster. It was available with the Buick Model B as a larger alternative offering a larger en ...

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

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 The Buick Special was an automobile produced by Buick. It was usually Buick's lowest-priced model, starting out as a full-size car in 1936 and returning in 1961 (after a two-year hiatus) as a mid-size. The Special was built for several decades and ...

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

Buick engines

1904–1911. Two cylinders horizontally opposed at 180 degrees, OHV, 159 cu. in. 1907–1924. Four cylinders, in line, OHV, 165 to 392.6 cu. in. It was related to the Chevrolet Inline-4 engine 1914–1930.

Buick Straight-6 engine The Buick Straight 6 was an engine manufactured by Buick from 1914–1930 and was exclusively used in the Buick Six platform, then later in the Buick Master Six and Buick Standard Six. They were OHV, like their previous engines, as Buick had been a ...

, in line, OHV, 191 to 331 cu. in. 1931–1953.

, in line, OHV, 221 to 345 cu. in. 1953-1981

Buick V8 engine The Buick V8 is a family of V8 engines produced by the Buick division of General Motors between 1953 and 1981. The first version replaced the Buick straight-eight. Displacements vary from (for the division's unique all-aluminum early 1960s engi ...

1961-2008

Buick V6 engine The Buick V6, popularly referred to as the 3800 in its later incarnations, originally and initially marketed as ''Fireball'' at its introduction in 1962, was a large V6 engine used by General Motors. The block is made of cast iron and all use tw ...

Post World War II years

File:Buick - Super 8 - 1947 - 40 hp - 8 cyl - Kolkata 2013-01-13 3361.JPG, 1947

Buick Super The Buick Super is a full-sized automobile produced by Buick from 1940 through the 1958 model years, with a brief hiatus from 1943 through 1945. The first generation shared the longer wheelbase with the top level Roadmaster while offering the sma ...

File:1948 Buick Roadmaster - blue - fvr.jpg, 1948

Buick Roadmaster The Buick Roadmaster is an automobile that was 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 s ...

Sedanet File:Buick Convertible 1949.jpg, 1949

File:Buick Riviera 1950.jpg, 1950

Riviera ''Riviera'' () is an Italian word which means "coastline", ultimately derived from Latin , through Ligurian . It came to be applied as a proper name to the coast of Liguria, in the form ''Riviera ligure'', then shortened in English. The two areas ...

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 19 ...

File:Buick Super 1957.jpg, 1957

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 ...

1940s

1940 saw the first use of the " Estate" designation for Buick on the Super 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 that was used by the United States Army in World War II and the Korean War. A top speed of up to was attained by keeping armor to a minim ...

tank destroyer and supplied radial engines for the B-24 Liberator,

Douglas C-47 Skytrain The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota ( RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF 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 and remained ...

, 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 civilian a ...

. 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 Roadma ...

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

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 In an automobile, ball joints are spherical bearings that connect the control arms to the steering knuckles, and are used on virtually every automobile made. They bionically resemble the ball-and-socket joints found in most tetrapod animals. ...

front suspension debuted and Roadmasters now had

aluminum Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It ha ...

finned brake drums. 1959 saw the introduction of three new models: Electra, 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 called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...

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. Serving ...

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 sa ...

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 The Gran Sport name has been used on several high-performance cars built by General Motors for its Buick brand since 1965. In the GM brands hierarchy, Buick was surpassed in luxury and comfort appointments only by Cadillac, which did not produ ...

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 full-size station wagon from 1940 to 1964 and from 1970 to 1996. The Estate nameplate was derived from the term country estate in wealthy su ...

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 H-body platform, a badge engineere ...

File:'77 Buick Electra Park Avenue.jpg, 1977

Park Avenue File:Buick regal Limited FJ-15-BY.JPG, 1979

Buick Regal The Buick Regal is a line of mid-size cars marketed by Buick since 1973. For nearly its entire production, the Regal has served as the premium mid-size/intermediate offering of the Buick product range. Introduced as a submodel of the Buick Centu ...

1960s

An Electra 225 paced the Daytona 500 race in both 1960 and 1963. In 1961, a new

Fireball V6 The Buick V6, popularly referred to as the 3800 in its later incarnations, originally and initially marketed as ''Fireball'' at its introduction in 1962, was a large V6 engine used by General Motors. The block is made of cast iron and all use two ...

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. Further, at least two additional species are ...

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 Literature * ''Specia ...

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 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 construction ...

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 1971,

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label= Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label ...

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

Park Avenue Park Avenue is a wide New York City boulevard which carries north and southbound traffic in the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. For most of the road's length in Manhattan, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Av ...

" 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. For 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 wo ...

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. For 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:'87 Buick Regal Grand National (Auto classique St-Constant '13).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 an ...

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 luxury 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 mode ...

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 Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-ca ...

becomes available on select Buick models and Somerset is introduced as a trim/option package on the Regal Limited. In 1981, the T-Type performance trim is 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 Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap st ...

high-performance package is 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 at 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. In 1985, the

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

was introduced as its own model. Also, the Electra coupe and sedan were redesigned and converted to front-wheel drive and were initially powered by a carbureted 3.0 liter Buick

V6 engine A V6 engine is a six-cylinder piston engine where the cylinders 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, Deutz Gasmotoren Fabr ...

, 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 (sometimes abbreviated to auto or AT) is a multi-speed transmission used in internal combustion engine-based motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving ...

with a 0.70:1 overdrive gear. The 3.0 liter V6 and 4.3-liter diesel V6 were no longer offered after 1985. During the 1985 to 1989 model years, the Electra name also continued to be used on the rear-wheel-drive B-body "Estate" station wagon. Buick-powered cars won 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 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 engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longitu ...

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-wheel ...

on the

. Joining the LeSabre on the H-body included the

Oldsmobile Delta 88 The Oldsmobile 88 (marketed from 1989 on as the Eighty Eight) is a full-size car that was sold and produced by Oldsmobile from 1949 until 1999. From 1950 until 1974, the 88 was the division's most profitable line, particularly the entry level mod ...

. The new LeSabre's hood was hinged at the front of the car instead of near the cowl and windshield. The new styling and front-wheel drive also did not include Buick's long-standing

Ventiport Buick () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American marques of automobiles, and was the company that established General Mo ...

s on the front fenders. 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 440-T4 automatic 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 co ...

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 ''MotorTrend'' 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 ''MotorTrend'' until 1998, when it was sold to ...

''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 engine mounting configuration. Most rear-wheel drive vehicles ...

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 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 Sedan (automobile), sedans) are the vertical or nearly vertical supports of its window area or Greenhouse (automotive), greenhouse—designated respectively as the ''A, B, ...

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 3800 V6 was standard, with a supercharged version rated at and available as an option. Rivieras were now built 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 wh ...

, riding the same Cadillac-derived G platform as the 4-door

Oldsmobile Aurora The Oldsmobile Aurora is a luxury sports sedan, manufactured and marketed by General Motors from 1994 until 2003 over two generations — sharing platforms with Buick Riviera and using the Cadillac-derived G platform. At the time of produc ...

. In 1996, both the Roadmaster sedan and wagon were discontinued. In 1998, after 95 years in Flint, Buick headquarters was moved to Detroit. Bob Coletta, Buick general manager, saw the first Chinese Buick roll off 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 was 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 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

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 The Buick Rendezvous is a mid-size crossover SUV that was sold by Buick for the 2002–2007 model years. Introduced in the spring of 2001, the Buick Rendezvous and its corporate cousin, the Pontiac Aztek, were GM's first entries into the cross ...

File:04-07 Buick Rainier.jpg, 2004

Buick Rainier The Buick Rainier is a mid-size luxury SUV that was manufactured by General Motors and marketed by Buick for model years 2004–2007. It was named after Mount Rainier, and — along with the Saab 9-7X — was the replacement for the Oldsmobile ...

CXL File:Buick Terraza -- 09-26-2009.jpg, 2005

Buick Terraza The Buick Terraza is a luxury minivan that was marketed by Buick from 2005 through 2007 model years. The Terraza was a badge engineered variant of the Chevrolet, Pontiac, and Saturn minivans sharing the U platform; ( Uplander, Montana SV6, and R ...

File:Buick-Lucerne-CXL.jpg, 2006 Buick Lucerne CXL File:Buick Enclave CXL -- 03-05-2010.jpg, 2008

Buick Enclave The Buick Enclave is a three-row luxury crossover SUV produced by General Motors since 2007. It was previewed at the 2006 North American International Auto Show, officially as a concept car, making it the first Lambda vehicle to be displayed. ...

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

Buick LaCrosse The Buick LaCrosse is a mid-size sedan manufactured and marketed by Buick since 2004. The LaCrosse is now in its third generation, slotted above the Buick Regal as the brand's flagship vehicle. The first-generation LaCrosse replaced the Century ...

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

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

Buick Verano The Buick Verano (Chinese: 威朗) 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. ...

File:Buick Encore P4250799.jpg, 2013 Buick Encore File:Buick Cascada (16282443827).jpg, 2016

Buick Cascada Cascada (, Spanish for "Waterfall", stylized as CASCADA, CASC''A''DA and cascada) is a German dance music act founded in 2004 by singer Natalie Horler and DJs/producers DJ Manian and DJ Yanou. They are best known for their hit singles " Everyt ...

Premium File:Buick Envision P4250795.jpg, 2016

Buick Envision The Buick Envision is a compact crossover SUV manufactured by General Motors. It is exclusively manufactured in China by the SAIC-GM joint venture, supplying the domestic market and the North American market. __TOC__ Concept The Buick Envision ...

Premium File:Buick Velite 5 front.jpg, 2017

Buick Velite 5 Buick () is a division (business), division of the United States, American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American Brand, marques of automobiles, and w ...

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 called Factory Zero, is a General Motors automobile assembly plant straddling the border between Detroit and Hamtramck, Michigan. It is located about three miles (five km) from GM's corporate headquarters. Wh ...

factory in

Hamtramck, Michigan Hamtramck ( ) is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 28,433. Hamtramck is surrounded by the city of Detroit except for a small portion that borders the fellow enclave city of ...

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

concept car A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle, show vehicle or prototype) is a car made to showcase new styling and/or new technology. They are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or ...

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

/Allure, the Lucerne, 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 may refer to: *Pontiac (automobile), a car brand *Pontiac (Ottawa leader) ( – 1769), a Native American war chief Places and jurisdictions Canada *Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality ** Apostolic Vicariate of Pontiac, now the Roman Catholic D ...

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 D ...

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 since 2008. Taking its name from a 2003 concept car, the model line serves as the flagship Opel car line, slotted above the ...

was originally intended to become the second-generation

Saturn Aura The Saturn Aura is a four-door, five-passenger front engine/front-wheel drive mid-sized sedan manufactured and marketed by GM's Saturn subsidiary over a single generation from 2006–2009. The car launched one year before the seventh generatio ...

, 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 saw the return of a classic Buick nameplate. The

, as well as the addition of several new ones. 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 as well. 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 luxury models such as the

Lexus ES The 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 the ES use ...

. 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,

Infiniti is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Nissan. Infiniti officially started selling vehicles on November 8, 1989, in North America. The marketing network for Infiniti-branded vehicles included dealers in over 50 countries in ...

Lexus is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Toyota. 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 among the 10 largest Japanese ...

, and

Volvo The Volvo Group ( sv, Volvokoncernen; 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, distributio ...

models, while Cadillac was aimed at the "luxury" performance segment which includes brands like BMW and

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...

. 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 that is produced by General Motors since 2008. It was designated as a globally developed, designed, and manufactured four-door compact sedan, complemented by a five-door hatchback body variant from 2011, and ...

, 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 after the planned show has ended, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford University Pre ...

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 of a "hybrid global brand" which includes Opel/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 for "Waterfall", stylized as CASCADA, CASC''A''DA and cascada) is a German dance music act founded in 2004 by singer Natalie Horler and DJs/producers DJ Manian and DJ Yanou. They are best known for their hit singles " Every ...

subcompact convertible debuted at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The all-new 2017 LaCrosse was shown at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November. 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 Group PSA in March 2017, Buick is expected to move away from sharing 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

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 of a company, or a majority share of the stock of the company is acquired. The acquiror thereby "buys out" the present equity holders of the target company. A buyout ...

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 the 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. Buick's North American lineup consists of the Encore GX compact crossover, the Envision compact crossover, and the Enclave mid-size crossover.

Production models

File:Buick Excelle II 001.jpg,

Buick Excelle The Buick Excelle () is the common name for the subcompact cars marketed by Shanghai General Motors Company Limited () under GM's Buick brand. It is classified as a compact in china, but by international standards it is a subcompact car. The ori ...

File:2018 Buick Excelle GT.jpg,

Buick Excelle GT The Buick Excelle GT () is the name for the compact car manufactured by SAIC-GM under GM's Buick brand. The original Buick Excelle () was based on the Daewoo Lacetti developed by Daewoo Motors. Parallel to the Lacetti-based Excelle, Shanghai ...

File:2018 Buick Excelle GX 1.3T front 8.14.18.jpg, Buick Excelle GX File:Buick Verano II sedan 3 China 2016-04-16.jpg,

File:Buick Verano II hatch GS 01 China 2016-04-16.jpg, Buick Verano GS File:2019 Buick Regal GS sedan front NYIAS 2019.jpg,

File:2019 Buick LaCrosse Avenir AWD front NYIAS 2019.jpg,

File:2017 Buick Encore 'Preferred' 1.4L front 6.16.19.jpg, Buick Encore File:2020 Buick Encore GX 'Essence' ST AWD, front 7.11.20.jpg,

Buick Encore GX The Buick Encore GX is a subcompact crossover SUV built by General Motors starting in 2019. Like the smaller Encore, the Encore GX is manufactured by GM Korea. In China, it is manufactured by the SAIC-GM joint venture. Overview The Encore GX ...

File:2019 Buick Envision facelift front NYIAS 2019.jpg,

File:Buick Envision S 001.jpg,

Buick Envision S The Buick Envision is a compact crossover SUV manufactured by General Motors. It is exclusively manufactured in China by the SAIC-GM joint venture, supplying the domestic market and the North American market. __TOC__ Concept The Buick Envision w ...

File:Buick Enlave Chinese version 003.jpg,

File:Buick GL6 2 China 2018-03-20.jpg,

Buick GL6 The Buick GL6 is a 6-seater compact MPV produced by Buick Buick () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American marques of ...

File:Buick GL8 III ES 002 China 2017-03-30.jpg,

Buick GL8 The Buick GL8 is a minivan that is produced by Shanghai GM, a joint-venture between Chinese automaker SAIC Motor and American automaker General Motors. It is only sold in China. Introduced in 1999, the first generation Buick GL8 is similar to t ...

File:Buick Velite 6 004.jpg,

Buick Velite 6 The Buick Velite 6 (微蓝) is a compact station wagon, also known as a "multi-activity vehicle" (MAV) built by Chinese-American manufacturer SAIC-GM under the Buick brand. It is available as either an electric car or a plug-in hybrid (PHEV). I ...

File:Buick Velite 7 001.jpg,

Buick Velite 7 The Buick Velite 7 is a subcompact electric crossover. It is sold exclusively in China. The Velite 7 is similar to the Chevrolet Bolt, using the same BEV2 platform, but it is slightly larger. Introduction The Velite 7 was launched in July 2020 ...

Current

China

* Enclave (2020–present) *

(2013–present) * Encore GX (2020–present) * Envista (2022–present) *

(2015–present) * Envision S (2020–present) * Excelle (2003–present)Official website of Buick China.
Retrieved October 2, 2017. * Excelle GT (2010–present) * Excelle GX (2018–present) * GL6 (2018–present) * GL8 (2000–present) *

(2006–present) * Regal (1999–present) * Velite 6 (2019–present) * Velite 7 (2020–present) * Verano (2012–present)

North America

* Enclave (2008–present) *

(2013–present) * Encore GX (2020–present) *

(2016–present)

Past

* Model B (1904) * Model C (1905) * Model F & G (1906–1910) * Model 10 (1908–1910) * Model 14 & 14B (1910–1911) * 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 Series 40, often shortened as S40, is a software platform and application user interface (UI) software on Nokia's broad range of mid-tier feature phones, as well as on some of the Vertu line of luxury phones. It was one of the world's most wi ...

(1930–1935) * Series 50 (1930–1935) *

Series 60 The S60 Platform (formerly Series 60 User Interface) was a software platform for smartphones that runs on top of the Symbian operating system. It was created by Nokia based on the 'Pearl' user interface from Symbian Ltd. It was introduced at ...

(1930–1935) *

(1936–1958, 1961–1969) * Roadmaster (1936–1958, 1991–1996) * Century (1936–1942, 1954–1958, 1973–2005) * Super (1939–1958) *

(1953–1954, 1961–1972, 1975–1998) * Invicta (1959–1963) * Electra (1959–1990) * LeSabre (1959–2005) *

(1963–1970) *

(1963–1993, 1995–1999) * Estate (1970–1979, 1990) * Centurion (1971–1973) *

(1973–1975) * Skyhawk (1975–1980, 1982–1989) * Opel (1976–1979) *

(1985–1987) * Reatta (1988–1991) *

(1991–2005, 2007–2012) * Sail (2001–2004) * Rendezvous (2001–2007) * Rainier (2004–2007) * Royaum (2005–2006) * Terraza (2005–2007) * Lucerne (2006–2011) * Excelle XT (2010–2015) *

(2016–2019) * Velite 5 (2017–2019)

Concept cars

File:Buick Y.jpg, 1938 Buick Y-Job concept File:XP_300_(6334945849).jpg, 1951

Buick XP-300 The Buick XP-300 (initially designated the XP-9) is a concept car created by General Motors in 1951. It is a counterpart to GM's Le Sabre, with which it shares many common mechanical components, including its supercharged V8 engine, which could r ...

concept File:1954 Buick Wildcat I (6333008771).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 Centur ...

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 XP2000 or XP-2000 was the name of a concept car produced by Buick of General Motors (GM). It was assembled in 1995 by GM's Australian division Holden, and first showcased at the North American International, Chicago, and Los Angeles auto shows ...

concept File:NAIAS 304.JPG, 2007

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

concept File:Buick Avenir Concept %2816468329835%29.jpg, 2015 Buick Avenir concept File:AVISTA.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 most recent concepts, all electric vehicles, 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 Electra then in the Buick lineup. It was supplanted by the Buick Hawk in the 1970s, but the trishield reemerged in the 1980s, simplified, but with its same patriotic colors. The Trishield with red, white, and blue features, was simplified in 2005, but the colors have returned, representing the current trio of vehicles in the Buick marque for sedans and crossovers.

VentiPorts

A traditional Buick styling cue dating to 1949 is a series of three or four 'vents' on the front fenders behind the front wheels. The source of this design feature was a custom car of Buick stylist Ned Nickles, which in addition had a flashing light within each hole, each synchronized with a specific spark plug to simulate the flames from the exhaust stack of a fighter airplane. Combined with the bombsight mascot (introduced in 1946), Nickle's custom Buick invoked an imaginary fighter airplane. The flashing light feature was not used by Buick in production. The 1949 Buick Sales brochure stated the following "...four chrome-ringed Venti-Ports on forward fenders (three on all Super models) striking a smart aviation note while serving to ventilate the engine compartment." Air entered from the grille into the engine bay, was pressurized by the radiator fan and exited (partially) through the VentiPorts. However, sometime during the 1949 model year this attribute was discontinued and the VentiPorts became non-functional. When introduced in 1949, there were only 2 model lines; the higher-priced Roadmaster had 4 ports per side, the lower series Super had 3. This was echoed over the next few years. By '54, Buick had added the Special and Century model lines, and although the Century and Super both used the same engine as the top-line Roadmaster, only the Roadmaster wore 4 VentiPorts. And the '53-54 Skylark had none. Buick was not entirely consistent with how they applied the styling feature, so theories that their count was tied to engine or body shell size is not factually consistent. It is more accurate that Buick tied the Ventiport count to the model line, and that was dependent on the year in question. For example, in '55 the Century and Super were both 'promoted' to 4 VentiPorts per side, despite the fact that the Century was sharing the smaller body shell with the '3-holer' Special. Buick temporarily dropped the VentiPorts for model years 1958 and 1959. 1958 is infamous for being relatively over-adorned; perhaps stylists decided there wasn't 'room' for Ventiports that year. But by model-year 1960, they were back. In 1961, Buick introduced the first V6 engine installed in an American passenger car, called the

in the Buick Special, and three VentiPorts appeared on the side. This still was not tied to cylinder count, however, as the V8 LeSabres continued to carry 3 Ports per side. Also during this era, Buick used what the '67 Buick GS brochure called "vertical VentiPorts" to describe trim details seen on the lower half of front fenders on the Skylarks and Wildcat lines. The specialty Riviera model had neither, akin to the '53-54 Skylark. VentiPorts were used on most models over the next 2 decades. VentiPorts appeared on the limited production 1987 Buick GNX, and once again they were functional. Then the feature was dropped again, until 2003 when VentiPorts were re-introduced on the

Ultra. After the Park Avenue was discontinued, Buick incorporated VentiPorts on the new-for-2006 Lucerne. For the first time, it seemed Buick was tying VentiPort count to the number of cylinders; the V6 Lucernes had three on each side, while V8s had four on each side. Modern and edgy compared to the oval ones that adorned Buicks for years, the new VentiPorts have become a Buick-wide talisman again. The newly designed VentiPorts appear on every Buick model from 2014 until around 2017. At one time, a letter from Buick surfaced that was a response to an inquiry regarding the name of the ports. The official name, according to the letter, was "Cruiserline VentiPorts".

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 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 during 1957, and continuin ...

began with the launching of

Sputnik I Sputnik 1 (; see § Etymology) 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. It sent a radio signal back to Earth for t ...

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 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 Electra 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 Grill or grille may refer to: Food * Barbecue grill, a device or surface used for cooking food, usually fuelled by gas or charcoal, or the part of a cooker that performs this function * Flattop grill, a cooking device often used in restaurants, ...

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 Bumper or Bumpers may refer to: People * Betty Bumpers (1925-2018), American activist, First Lady of Arkansas, wife of Dale Bumpers * Dale Bumpers (1925–2016), American politician, governor of Arkansas and senator * Bumper Robinson (born 197 ...

. Current Buick Models have a new take on the classic styling with their Chromed "Waterfall Grilles".

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 Buick Lucerne 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 Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap st ...

Nailhead

The

, nicknamed the Nailhead because of its relatively small intake and exhaust valves which resembled nails, became popular with

hot-rod Hot rods are typically American cars that might be old, classic, or modern and that have been rebuilt or modified with large engines optimised for speed and acceleration. One definition is: "a car that's been stripped down, souped up and made ...

ders in the 1950s and 1960s because the vertical attachment of the

valve cover Rocker covers are covers that are bolted on over rocker arms in an internal combustion engine. They are called valve covers in the United States, Canada, and in situations where Rocker Arms are not present, such as some Overhead Cam, and most Du ...

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. The first V8 engine was produced by the French Antoinette company in 1904, developed and u ...

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 Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap st ...

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, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

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

Puyi Aisin-Gioro Puyi (; 7 February 1906 – 17 October 1967), courtesy name Yaozhi (曜之), was the last emperor of China as the eleventh and final Qing dynasty monarch. He became emperor at the age of two in 1908, but was forced to abdicate on 1 ...

, the first president Sun Yat-sen, and the first premier

Zhou Enlai Zhou Enlai (; 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was a Chinese statesman and military officer who served as the first premier of the People's Republic of China from 1 October 1949 until his death on 8 January 1976. Zhou served under Chairman Ma ...

. 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 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 Yulon Motor Co., Ltd. () is a Taiwanese automaker and importer. Taiwan's biggest automaker as of 2010, Yulon is known for building Nissan models under license. The original romanization of the company's name is Yue Loong, but in 1992 the company ...

, a firm based in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

, 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 to 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 city and seat of the surrounding municipality of the same name in the Mexican state of Coahuila. Ramos Arizpe is located 11 km from the state capital of Saltillo. It is part of the Saltillo metropolitan area. The city ...

, in the state of Coahuila, just south of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, 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 are expected to go away due to Opel's future (under new owner PSA) regarding the Insignia that is tied to the North American-badged Regal and Buick's decision to make the La Crosse exclusive to China.

Middle East

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

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

model year The model year (sometimes abbreviated "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

were sold. For model years 2006 and 2007, the

and Buick Lucerne were sold alongside the Rendezvous. For model year 2008, the

and Buick Lucerne were available. Buicks were sold 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 ( ar, مجلس التعاون لدول العربية الخليج ), also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC; ar, مجلس التعاون الخليجي), is a regional, interg ...

markets until 1996.

New Zealand

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

Petone Petone (Māori: ''Pito-one''), a large suburb of Lower Hutt, Wellington, stands at the southern end of the Hutt Valley, on the northern shore of Wellington Harbour. The Māori name means "end of the sand beach". Europeans first settled in P ...

, outside

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) 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 second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...

. The Buick name was revived helicopter for the New Zealand market.

Motorsport

For many years, Buick was a substitute for Chevrolet in

. 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 Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap st ...

stock car racing series using its Regal and later the Gran Sport. The golden age of Buick in motorsport, however, was the early to 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 Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap st ...

model, in the NASCAR Cup Series 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, currently known as the NTT IndyCar Series under sponsorship, is the highest class of regional North American open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices o ...

and

IMSA GT Series IMSA GT was a sports car racing series organized by International Motor Sports Association. Races took place primarily in the United States, and occasionally in Canada. History The series was founded in 1969 by John and Peggy Bishop, and Bill F ...

(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 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 track types includ ...

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

Enthusiast organizations

The

Buick Club of America The Buick Club of America (BCA), founded in 1966, is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and restoration of automobiles built by the Buick Motor Division of General Motors Corporation. The Buick Club promotes activities, resou ...

, founded in 1966, is a non-profit organization 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 (formerly Consumer News and Business Channel) is an American basic cable business news channel. It provides business news programming on weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time, while broadcasting talk sho ...

Old Buick images and historical data
{{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

Buick engines

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