Buick
This article is about the American automobile brand. For the Scottish name, see Buick (name).Buick is a
brand of automobile built in the
United States,
Canada, and
China by
General Motors Corporation. Buicks are sold in
North America,
China,
Taiwan, and
Israel. The name is pronounced "B-YOO-ick" (
IPA 'bjuIk). It is now GM's only US-based semi-luxury brand since the demise of
Oldsmobile in 2004, although GM's Swedish subsidiary,
Saab, fills a similar segment in price and prestige level.
Buick originated as an independent motor car manufacturer, the
Buick Motor Company, incorporated on
May 19,
1903 by the
Scottish-American David Dunbar Buick (who invented the
overhead valve engine on which the company's success was based) in
Flint, Michigan. In 1904 the struggling company was taken over by
James Whiting, who brought in
William C. Durant to manage his new acquisition. Buick himself unwisely sold his stock for a small sum at his departure, and died in very modest circumstances forty years later.
Durant was a natural, however, and Buick soon became the largest car maker in America. Using the profits from this, Durant embarked on a series of several dozen corporate acquisitions, calling his new mega-corporation
General Motors.
At first, the different manufacturers who comprised General Motors competed against each other, but Durant put a stop to that. He wanted each General Motors division to target one class of buyer, and in his new scheme Buick was near the topâ€"only the luxurious
Cadillac brand had more prestige.
In 1929, the Buick Motor Division launched the
Marquette sister brand, designed to help bridge the price gap between Buick and Oldsmobile, however Marquette was discontinued in 1930.
Even today, Buick retains that position in the GM lineup. The ideal Buick customer was comfortably off; possibly not quite rich enough to afford a Cadillac or not desiring the ostentation of one, but definitely in the market for a car a cut above the norm. Buick is the fourth oldest marque in the world(Oldsmobile is/was the second oldest, and Mercedes is the oldest, GMC is now the oldest in the GM lineup, by only 1 year before Buick, and 5 years younger than Oldsmobile)
Speculation [
1] exists, however, as to whether GM will repeat its termination of the
Oldsmobile by eliminating the Buick brand in order to further cut costs, following the temporary suspension of GM's planned
Zeta project to develop new rear wheel drive cars which would have fit the Buick market niche [
2], and the consolidation of Buick, Pontiac, and GMC trucks into a single dealer franchise, which would make it simple to eliminate the Buick brand without leaving any dealers with no product. However, with the development of the Zeta platform apparently still ongoing (including the development of the
2006 VE Holden Commodore), it may be likely that Buick will survive still.
Buick began consolidating its lineup in
2005, replacing the
Century and
Regal with the
LaCrosse, and the
LeSabre and
Park Avenue with the
Lucerne in
2006. The company will replace both of its
SUVs, the
Rendezvous and
Rainier with the
Enclave within 18 months, while the slow-selling
Terraza minivan likely to end production shortly after. This will leave the marque with just three models by
2009.
Buick's emblem consists of three shields, each bisected diagonally to the right by a straight line, the shields arranged touching each other in a left-diagonal pattern, inside a circle. If represented in color, the leftmost shield is red, the middle white, and the rightmost blue, although white is sometimes represented by light gray. This design, known as the
Trishield, was adopted in 1959 for the 1960 models and represents the three models that comprised the lineup that yearâ€"LeSabre, Invicta, and Electra. The shields are adopted from the shield of the Buick family crest, which in modified form had been used on Buicks since the 30s. A version of the traditional crest appeared on Electras through the 70s.
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Buick Eight Sedan, 1951. Three Portholes are visible. |
A traditional Buick styling cue dating to 1949 is a series of three or four
portholes or vents on the front fender behind the front wheels. The source of this design feature was a
custom car (one not made by Buick), which in addition had a flashing light within each hole, each synchronized with a specific spark plug â€" a feature not used by Buick. These were originally called "
Ventiports" (later just "portholes"), and have appeared sporadically on several models since, as nonfunctional ornamentation. Lower cost models were equipped with three portholes, while higher cost models came with four; when the number of portholes was standardized across the entire model line, buyers of the higher cost models complained bitterly that they felt shortchanged. In
2003 they were re-introduced on the
Buick Park Avenue. After the Park Avenue was discontinued, Buick salvaged the portholes to appear on the new
Lucerne. In a break with tradition, the Lucerne's portholes refer directly to engine configuration: six-cylinder models have six, while V8s have eight.
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"Sweepspear" in a Buick Skylark. |
Another styling cue from the 1940s through the 1970s was the
"sweepspear", a curved line running the length of the car. In the earlier cars, this was a chrome-plated rub strip which, after it passed the front wheel, gently curved down nearly to the rocker panel just before the rear wheel, and then curved around the rear wheel in a quarter of a circle to go straight back to the tail-light. During the two-tone color craze of the 1950s, the sweepspear separated two different color areas. After that, the curved line was usually indicated either by a vinyl rub strip or simply a character line molded into the sheetmetal.
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 '65
Skylark and
Electra models appeared with full-width rear lamps. Since then,
wide taillamps have been a Buick hallmark.
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Buick "dollar grin" and Trishield in a Buick Lesabre |
The Buick styling cue (dating from the 1940s) that has most often reappeared, though, is for the grille to be a horizontal oval with many thin vertical chromed ribs bulging forward. This has sometimes been called the Buick
"dollar grin" particularly on the early 1950s models, which had thick, highly-polished ribs that somewhat resembled teeth. It appears Buick may be preparing to abandon this styling cue for a new waterfall grille, as seen on the
Buick Velite concept car from 2004 and 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
Buick V8 engine, nicknamed the "nailhead", became popular with
hot-rodders in the 1950s and 1960s, because the vertical attachment of the
valve covers, in contrast to the angled attachment of other V-8 engines, enabled the engine to fit into smaller spaces while maintaining easy access for maintenance.
Unlike some of GM's other brands, Buicks are currently not marketed globally, although the marque had a substantial export presence until a few years ago. Some Buicks were also built in Europe or were available with specific trim for european market until 1996.
In pre-World War II China, one in five cars were Buicks.
Currently most Buick sales are restricted to the
United States and
Canada. However, Buick has attracted a considerable market in a few countries.
Buick in New Zealand
Buicks used to be sold in
New Zealand. Back then, they were also built at the
GMNZ plant in
Petone, outside
Wellington. However, at the end of
World War II, the Buick name was not revived.
Buick in Israel
In
Israel, Buicks are imported by Universal Motors, Ltd. (UMI), which also imports other GM vehicles. In the 2005 model year, the
Buick LeSabre and
Buick Rendezvous were sold. For the 2006 model year, the
Buick LaCrosse and
Buick Lucerne will be sold alongside the Rendezvous, which might replace the LeSabre in sales.
Buick in the Middle East
Buicks used to be sold throughout the Middle East until the
Buick Roadmaster was discontinued.
Buick in China
Since 1999, a Chinese version of the
Buick Century/
Regal has been produced and sold in
China under Shanghai GM and has proven to be popular among upscale, professional families, establishing Buick as the most popular vehicle brand in China. In addition, Buick of China also sells the compact Excelle (based on the
Daewoo Lacetti/Nubira), a five-door
hatchback version called the
HRV, and a modified version of the first generation
Pontiac Montana minivan named the
GL8.
In June,
2005, Buick announced that it will build a car named the
Buick Royaum in
Australia for export to China, based on the
Holden Statesman and Caprice luxury cars. Buick previously marketed the subcompact
Sail, sourced from GM's Asian operations and based on the
Opel Corsa B, until 2005. Since then, Shanghai GM has replaced it with the Chevrolet Sail. Buick has stated that it expects China to become its second largest market.
For the
2006 model year, Buick debuted the Chinese version of the
LaCrosse sedan; the only differences are exterior design, different engine choices, and a facelifted interior. It is positioned above the Regal but below the Royaum.
Buick in Taiwan
GM Taiwan was founded in August 1989. In the early 1990s, Buick, along with other GM brands were very popular and frequently seen on Taiwanese streets.
Park Avenue, 3rd & 4th generation
Regal, and 6th generation
Skylark used to be sold in Taiwan.
In December 2004, General Motors signed a memorandum of understanding with
Yulon, a firm based in
Taiwan, 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, mainly to serve as a channel for local sales. Currently, the only Buick vehicle sold in Taiwan is the imported
Rendezvous.
On April 17th 2006,
Yulon-GM debuted the 1st Buick vehicle ever being built in Taiwan, the
LaCrosse sedan. It is mainly the same with the Greater Chinese region version
LaCrosse.
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Buick Apollo (
1973 â€"
1979)
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Buick Allure (
2005 â€" Current, only sold in Canada, same as the LaCrosse)
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Buick Centurion (
1971 â€"
1973)
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Buick Century (
1936 â€"
1942,
1954 â€"
1958,
1973 â€"
2005)
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Buick Eight*
Buick Electra (
1959 â€"
1990)
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Buick Enclave (
2008 â€" Current)
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Buick Estate Wagon (
1940,
1946-
1964,
1970 â€"
1996)
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Buick Excelle (
2003 â€" Current, rebadged
Daewoo Nubira, only sold in China)
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Buick G-series (
1999 â€"
2003, rebadged
Buick Century, only sold in China)
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Buick GL8 (
2000 â€" Current, only sold in China)
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Buick Gran Sport (
1968 â€"
1972)
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Buick GSX (
1970 â€"
1971)
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Buick HRV (
2004 â€" Current, only sold in China)
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Buick Invicta (
1959 â€"
1964)
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Buick LaCrosse (
2005 â€" Current)
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Buick LeSabre (
1959 â€"
2005)
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Buick Limited (
1936 â€"
1942,
1958)
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Buick Lucerne (
2006 â€" Current)
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Buick Luxus (
1973 â€"
1974)
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Buick Park Avenue (
1991 â€"
2005)
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Buick Rainier (
2004 â€" Current)
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Buick Reatta (
1988 â€"
1991)
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Buick Regal (
1973 â€"
2004)
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Buick Rendezvous (
2002 â€" Current)
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Buick Riviera (
1963 â€"
1999)
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Buick Roadmaster (
1936 â€"
1958,
1991 â€"
1996)
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Buick Royaum (
2005 â€" Current, only sold in China)
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Buick Sail â€" (
2000 â€"
2005, rebadged
Opel Corsa Classic/Chevrolet Classic Limousine, only sold in China)
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Buick Skyhawk (
1975 â€"
1980,
1982 â€"
1989)
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Buick Skylark (
1953 â€"
1954,
1961 â€"
1972,
1975 â€"
1998)
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Buick Somerset (
1985 â€"
1987)
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Buick Special (
1936 â€"
1958,
1961 â€"
1969)
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Buick Sport Wagon (
1964 â€"
1971)
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Buick Super (
1940 â€"
1958)
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Buick Terraza (
2005 â€" Current)
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Buick Wildcat (
1963 â€"
1970)
Companion make
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MarquetteConcept Vehicles
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Buick Y-Job (
1938)
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1951 Buick LeSabre (
1951)
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Buick XP-300 (
1951)
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Buick Wildcat I (
1953)
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Buick Wildcat II (
1954)
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Buick Wildcat III (
1955)
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1956 Buick Centurion (
1956)
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Buick Riviera Silver Arrow I (
1963)
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Buick Questor (
1983)
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1985 Buick Wildcat (
1985)
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1988 Buick Lucerne (
1988)
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Buick Bolero (
1990)
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Buick Sceptre (
1992)
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Buick XP2000 (
1996)
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Buick Signia (
1998)
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Buick Cielo (
1999)
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2000 Buick LaCrosse (
2000)
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Buick Blackhawk (
2000)
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Buick Bengal (
2001)
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Buick Centieme (
2003)
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Buick Velite (
2004)
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List of automobile manufacturers*
v8buick.com Forum for all cars and trucks that were powered by Buick V8 engines (1953-1980).
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Buick Club of America Contains information about all Buicks, the BCA club and has a discussion forum.
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Riviera Owners Association The ROA club's website, information about the 1963-1999 Riviera.
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Riviera Forum For Riviera fans.
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Buick Performance Group*
Regalgs.org Supercharged Buick Regal fansite. Very informative forums.
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Buick home*
Buick in China (English and Chinese)
*gmcanada.com Buick in Canada:
English â€"
French*
Buick in Israel (Hebrew)
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Buick in Taiwan (Chinese)
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Reatta.net Reatta enthusiast website and message board
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Buick Club Extremely well stocked informational site
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Western Australian Buick Owners Club Site has pages of owners vehicles and information about the history of the car.
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The Futrue of Buick*
Buick from TopSpeed*
"Buick: Isn't It Time for a Real Car?" Article from The Truth About Cars
