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Buick originated as an independent motor car manufacturer, the Buick Motor Company, incorporated on May 19, 1903 by David Dunbar Buick (who invented the enameled bathtub) 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 top—only the luxurious Cadillac brand had more prestige. 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.
1962 Buick Electra with portholes
Buick's emblem is three shields arranged touching on a diagonal, within a ring. This design was adopted in 1960 and represents the three models that comprised the lineup that year—Electra, LeSabre, and Invicta. 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.
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. These were originally called Ventiports (later just portholes), and have appeared sporadically on several models since. As of 2003 they have been re-introduced on the Buick Park AvenueThe Park Avenue was a full-size luxury car from Buick. 1991 Begun as a trim package on Buick's Electra, the Park Avenue name was applied to that car's successor for the 1991 model year. It used GM's C-body platform until the redesign in 1997. The Park Ave.
Unlike some of GM's other brands, Buicks are not marketed globally, although in the early years of the marque Buick had a substantial export presence. In pre-World War II China, for example, one in five cars were Buicks.
Currently most Buick sales are restricted to the United States and Canada. One exception is Israel, where the Buick LeSabreThe Buick LeSabre is a midsize car from General Motors. 1997 The 1997 LeSabre was introduced in January of 1996 on the GM G platform. 2006 The LeSabre will be replaced by a new model in 2006 to replace the LeSabre and Park Avenue. While it is unclear whet and Buick Rendezvous are imported.
Since 1999, a Chinese version of the Buick CenturyCentury is a model name used by Buick numerous times over a period of nearly 70 years. It usually was applied to a car in the middle of the Buick product range. 1936 The name was first used by the marque in 1936, positioned above the Special and below the/ RegalThe Buick Regal was a mid-sized automobile produced by Buick in the United States between the 1973 and 2004 model years. During this period, Buick also used the Century name on mid-size models and the two frequently shared bodies and powertrains. Personal has been produced and sold in China under Shanghai GM and has proven to be popular among upscale, professional families. In addition, Buick of China also sells the subcompact Sail, sourced from GM's Asian operations and based on the Opel Corsa B, the compact Excelle, based on the Daewoo Lacetti/Nubira, and a modified version of the Venture/Montana/Silhouette/Sintra minivan named the GL8. Buick has stated that it expects China to become its second largest market.