Portal:Buick
Portal maintenance status: (October 2018)
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Introduction
Buick (/ˈbjuːɪk/), formally the Buick Motor Division, is an automobile brand of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). It has the distinction of being the oldest active American marque of automobile, and was the company that established General Motors in 1908. Before the establishment of General Motors, GM founder William C. Durant had served as Buick's general manager and major investor. Buick also has the distinction of being the first production automobile maker in the world to equip its cars with overhead valve engines, which it did in 1904.
For much of its existence in the North American market, Buick has been marketed as a premium automobile brand, selling luxury vehicles positioned above GM's mainstream brands, while below the flagship luxury Cadillac division.
Selected general articles
The Roadmaster is an automobile that was built by Buick from 1936 to 1958, and again from 1991 to 1996. Roadmasters produced between 1936 and 1958 were built on Buick's longest non-limousine wheelbase and shared their basic structure with entry-level Cadillac and, after 1940, senior Oldsmobiles. Between 1946 and 1957 the Roadmaster served as Buick's flagship.
When it was resurrected for the 1991 through 1996 model years, it became the marque's largest vehicle. The Roadmaster sedan, a C-body vehicle over its eight previous generations, shared the B-body for the first time in its history. It was a full 10 in (254 mm) longer with a 5 in (127 mm) greater wheelbase than the C-body Buick Park Avenue. It was also larger both in wheelbase (2 in (51 mm)) and overall length (6 in (152 mm)) than the K-body Cadillac DeVille. Read more...
The Buick Enclave is a mid-size crossover SUV first launched in 2008. The Enclave, the GMC Acadia, and Chevrolet Traverse all share the GM Lambda platform. The Enclave was previewed at the 2006 North American International Auto Show, officially as a concept car, making it the first Lambda vehicle to be displayed. The Enclave is partially based on the Buick Centieme concept shown at the 2003 Detroit Auto Show.
The Enclave replaced both of Buick's SUVs, the minivan-based Rendezvous and the truck-based Rainier, as well as the Terraza minivan. As of February 2014, the 2014 Enclave was the top-ranked Affordable Midsize SUV in U.S. News & World Report's rankings. The second-generation Enclave was officially revealed at the 2017 New York Auto Show in New York, New York. Read more...
The Buick LaCrosse is a large/mid-size (full-size / executive since 2010) 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 sedan.
The first generation LaCrosse replaced the Century and Regal in North America beginning in the 2005 model year, serving as the brand's mid-size car. The automobile was originally sold as the Buick Allure in Canada. For 2010, the LaCrosse was completely redesigned and moved upmarket as a large premium sedan. The model was redesigned again for 2017. Read more...
The Buick Y-Job was the auto industry's first concept car, produced by Buick in 1938. Designed by Harley J. Earl, the car had power-operated hidden headlamps, a "gunsight" hood ornament, electric windows, wraparound bumpers, flush door handles, and prefigured styling cues used by Buick until the 1950s and the vertical waterfall grille design still used by Buick today. It used a Buick Super chassis, indicated by the word "Super" located above the rear license plate.
The car was driven for a number of years by Harley Earl, until he replaced it with a 1951 model car. Sometime after that, the car was restored at the Henry Ford Museum, until 1993 when it was returned to the GM Design Center. Read more...
The Chevrolet Volt is a plug-in hybrid car manufactured by General Motors, also marketed in rebadged variants as the Buick Velite 5 in China, Holden Volt in Australia and New Zealand, and with a different fascia as the Vauxhall Ampera in the United Kingdom and as the Opel Ampera in the remainder of Europe.
Sales of the 2011 Volt began in the United States in mid-December 2010, followed by various European countries and other international markets in 2011. Global combined Volt/Ampera-family sales totaled about 134,500 units by the end of December 2016. The U.S. is the leading market, with 113,489 Volts delivered, followed by Canada with 8,884 Volts sold through November 2016. Just over 10,000 Opel/Vauxhall Ampera cars had been sold in Europe , with the Netherlands leading the European region, with almost 5,000 Amperas and over 1,000 Volts registered. The Volt/Ampera family of vehicles is the world's all-time best-selling plug-in hybrid vehicle . Read more...
The Buick Estate was a line of full-sized station wagons manufactured by the Buick division of General Motors. As its premier luxury division, Cadillac, didn't offer a station wagon, the Estate was GM's most expensive and most fully equipped entry in the market. Read more...
The Buick Regal is an upscale mid-sized automobile that was first introduced by Buick for the 1973 model year. North American production ended in 2004 and began again in 2011. For the 2011 model year, Buick re-introduced the Regal to the North American market, positioned as an upscale sports sedan. Production and sales in China have continued since 1999.
For certain model years between 1973 and 2004, the Regal shared bodies and powertrains with the similar Buick Century. The two most recent generations (2011–present) are North American market versions of the Opel Insignia, known as the Vauxhall Insignia in the UK. Read more...- The Buick Bengal was a concept roadster designed and built by Buick. It was first shown to the public at the 2001 North American International Auto in Detroit, Michigan. Read more...
The Buick Super is a full-sized automobile produced from the 1940 through the 1958 model years (excluding WW II). It was built on Buick's larger body shared with the Roadmaster and was replaced by the Riviera in 1964.
Super returned as a performance trim level on V8-powered LaCrosse and Lucerne sedans from 2008 until 2011. Read more...
The Buick Sport Wagon was a mid-size station wagon built by Buick and a corporate sister of the Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser. Featuring a raised roof and skylights over the cargo and second seat area, this model was an extended wheelbase version of the Buick Skylark station wagon. Buick Sport Wagons were built in three generations, spanning 1964–67, 1968–69, and 1970–72. During this time period, this was the only luxury level station wagon offered under the Buick model line. The last generation did not receive the skylights. Read more...
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 engineered entry-level version of the Chevrolet Monza, which was based on the Chevrolet Vega. Read more...
Buick Skylark GS, 1970 455 Stage 1
The Gran Sport name has been used on several high-performance cars built by Buick since 1965. In the GM brands hierarchy, Buick was surpassed in luxury and comfort appointments only by Cadillac, which did not produce performance models. As a result, the Buick GS series were the most opulently equipped GM sport models of their era. Read more...
The Buick Avenir is a concept car manufactured by Buick.
The Avenir was unveiled at the 2015 North American International Auto Show as a prototypical concept study on the future of the Buick brand. It was designed in GM's Australian design facility, with its exterior design led by Warrack Leach. Read more...
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 1938 (after a two-year hiatus) as a mid-size.
By 1970, Special was no longer offered as a standalone model but the name would later be used for the entry trim on 1975 to 1979 and 1991 to 1996 Century models. Read more...
The Buick Electra is a full-size luxury car that was built by Buick from 1959 to 1990. Harlow H. Curtice, former president of the Buick division and later president of General Motors, named the car after his sister-in-law, Electra Waggoner Biggs.
During its more than 30-year run, Electra was offered in varying body styles including coupe, convertible, sedan, and station wagon. It was rear-wheel drive from 1959 to 1984 and then converted to front-wheel drive (except station wagon) in 1985. The Electra was replaced by the Buick Park Avenue in 1991. Read more...
The Buick Excelle (Chinese: 別克凱越 or Chinese: 别克英朗) is the common name for the compact cars marketed by Shanghai General Motors Company Limited (Chinese: 上海通用汽車有限公司) under GM's Buick brand.
The original Buick Excelle (Chinese "Kai Yue") is based on the Daewoo Lacetti developed in South Korea by Daewoo Motors. While this car was originally sold worldwide under the Daewoo brand, in 2004, General Motors rebranded all Daewoo products in Europe as Chevrolets. Read more...- The Buick Centieme is a concept car that was produced for the 2003 North American International Auto Show in Detroit by Buick. Its styling provided the basis for the later Buick Enclave show and production vehicles. Read more...
The Buick Skylark is a passenger car 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 the years. Read more...
The Buick Avista is a concept 2-door, 2+2-seater hardtop coupe built by Buick, first unveiled at the 2016 North American International Auto Show on January 10, 2016.
The exterior, finished in superior blue, boasts a low-slung flowing pillarless coupe design with a sloping fastback roofline. The front fascia is said to have been inspired by the 1954 Buick Wildcat II concept car. On the inside, the seats are upholstered in mist gray leather, complete with carbon fiber aluminium accents to give the driver's compartment a more sporty appearance. The dashboard features a wide touchscreen previewing a "future version" of Buick's IntelliLink infotainment system. The doors and interior components were 3D-printed. Read more...
The Buick Limited was an automobile built by Buick between 1936 and 1942 and during model year 1958. Since 1959 Buick has used the "Limited" name to denote those models which featured a high level of trim and standard options in its various model ranges. Read more...
The Roadmaster is an automobile that was built by Buick from 1936 to 1958, and again from 1991 to 1996. Roadmasters produced between 1936 and 1958 were built on Buick's longest non-limousine wheelbase and shared their basic structure with entry-level Cadillac and, after 1940, senior Oldsmobiles. Between 1946 and 1957 the Roadmaster served as Buick's flagship.
When it was resurrected for the 1991 through 1996 model years, it became the marque's largest vehicle. The Roadmaster sedan, a C-body vehicle over its eight previous generations, shared the B-body for the first time in its history. It was a full 10 in (254 mm) longer with a 5 in (127 mm) greater wheelbase than the C-body Buick Park Avenue. It was also larger both in wheelbase (2 in (51 mm)) and overall length (6 in (152 mm)) than the K-body Cadillac DeVille. Read more...
Buick Century is the model name used by Buick for a line of upscale performance cars from 1936 to 1942 and 1954 to 1958, and from 1973 to 2005 for a mid-size car.
The model name Century came about when Buick was designing its first production automobile capable of reaching a speed of 100 mph (161 km/h). The division needed to come up with a name. One of the Buick executives had returned from a recent trip to Britain, and told the other executives that the British referred to going 100 mph as "doing the century". The executives liked the Century name and it stuck. Read more...
Released in August 2004, the WL brought with it an all-new 3.6-litre Alloytec V6 engine, succeeding the WK's Ecotec unit. Power and torque figures were rated at 190 kilowatts (250 hp) and 340 newton metres (250 lb⋅ft), respectively. The Statesman's optional V8 was the 245 kilowatts (329 hp) version from the WK Caprice, with the WL Caprice's engine obtaining a further 5 kilowatts (6.7 hp). The V8s received a stronger GM 4L65-E automatic transmission, while the Alloytec V6 versions received a new five-speed GM 5L40-E automatic. Several new safety features were added to the WL line-up. Such include brake assist, electronic brakeforce distribution, Electronic Stability Program and LED tail lamps. The new LED lamps give an additional 5 metres (16 ft) of warning to trailing motorists travelling at 110 kilometres per hour (68 mph) because they illuminate in 60 nanoseconds, compared to 1,000 for conventional incandescent light bulbs.
In 2005, General Motors began exporting the Statesman to China, where it was badged as the Buick Royaum. The Royaum was initially equipped with the 3.6-litre Alloytec engine fitted to the Statesman, however a 155-kilowatt (208 hp) 2.8-litre version of the same followed later in the year. During 2005, Holden exported almost 2,000 units to South Korea. With an identical powertrain to the Buick, the South Korean export model was sold through the GM Daewoo network and marketed as the Daewoo Statesman. Read more...
The Daewoo Lacetti is a compact car manufactured and marketed globally by GM Korea since 2002 and now in its third generation.
The first-generation Lacetti was available as a four-door sedan and five-door station wagon, styled by Pininfarina — and five-door hatchback styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro. The sedan and wagon were marketed as the Suzuki Forenza in North America. The hatchback, was introduced in 2004 and marketed as Daewoo Lacetti5 in South Korea, Suzuki Reno in the United States, Daewoo Nubira in Europe, and elsewhere also as the Chevrolet Nubira and Lacetti. Read more...
The Buick Apollo is a compact car that was manufactured from 1973 to 1975 by Buick. It was based on the GM X platform along with the Oldsmobile Omega, Chevrolet Nova, and the Pontiac Ventura. The car was named for the Greek God Apollo.
It was powered by a 250 in3 Chevrolet inline six or an optional 350 in3 Buick V8, available with either a two- or four-barrel carburetor. The Oldsmobile 260 was added as the base V8 option for 1975. It was available as a coupe, hatchback, or as a four-door sedan. The two-door models were renamed Skylark for 1975; only the four-door sedan in the '75 model year carried the Apollo nameplate. A total of 112,901 Apollos were built. Read more...
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 1938 (after a two-year hiatus) as a mid-size.
By 1970, Special was no longer offered as a standalone model but the name would later be used for the entry trim on 1975 to 1979 and 1991 to 1996 Century models. Read more...
The Buick Centurion was sold by Buick from 1971 through 1973, replacing the Buick Wildcat as the sporty rendition of Buick's full-size car. The Centurion name was inspired by a Buick concept car, that name coming from the professional officer in the Roman Army. The current car's symbol was not the traditional Buick tri-shield, but a side profile of a centurion. It was not, as some have suggested, a play on the Buick Century. Read more...
The Buick Excelle (Chinese: 別克凱越 or Chinese: 别克英朗) is the common name for the compact cars marketed by Shanghai General Motors Company Limited (Chinese: 上海通用汽車有限公司) under GM's Buick brand.
The original Buick Excelle (Chinese "Kai Yue") is based on the Daewoo Lacetti developed in South Korea by Daewoo Motors. While this car was originally sold worldwide under the Daewoo brand, in 2004, General Motors rebranded all Daewoo products in Europe as Chevrolets. Read more...
The Buick Rainier was a midsize SUV that was manufactured by General Motors and marketed by Buick for model years 2003-2007, replacing the Oldsmobile Bravada. Read more...
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 Relay respectively) in Doraville, Georgia.
The Terraza retailed at US$28,110 in 2005. The Buick debuted with one engine, a 3.5 L High Value V6 that generates 200 hp (149 kW) and 220 lb·ft (298 N·m) of torque, going from 0-60 mph in the 9-second range. For 2006, a 3.9 L LZ9 V6, with 240 hp (179 kW) and 240 lb·ft (332 Nm) torque. It offered leather seats, and a wood trim on the panels and also offered on the steering wheel and gear shift knob. Read more...
The Buick GL6 is a 6-seater compact MPV produced by Buick exclusively for the Chinese market. The GL6 is positioned below the successful GL8 to aim for the lower-priced MPV market. Pricing starts around $25,000 (estimate in U.S. dollars, converted from Chinese yuan). Read more...
The Buick Excelle (Chinese: 別克凱越 or Chinese: 别克英朗) is the common name for the compact cars marketed by Shanghai General Motors Company Limited (Chinese: 上海通用汽車有限公司) under GM's Buick brand.
The original Buick Excelle (Chinese "Kai Yue") is based on the Daewoo Lacetti developed in South Korea by Daewoo Motors. While this car was originally sold worldwide under the Daewoo brand, in 2004, General Motors rebranded all Daewoo products in Europe as Chevrolets. Read more...
The Buick Reatta is a low-volume transverse front-engine, front-wheel drive, two-door, two-seater grand tourer/sports car manufactured and marketed by Buick as a coupe (1988–1991) and convertible (1990-1991) — both featuring a 3.8 liter V6 engine and shortened version of the GM E platform, the same one that underpinned the Buick Riviera.
As Buick's first two-seater and its first convertible since the 1985 Riviera, the Reatta was manufactured in a highly specialized assembly program at the Reatta Craft Center (later known as the Lansing Craft Center) in Lansing, Michigan—achieving production of over 21,000 units in four years. Read more...
The Buick Wildcat was a full-sized automobile that was produced by Buick from 1962 to 1970. It took its name from a fiberglass-bodied 1953 concept car. Read more...
The Opel Cascada (Spanish for "waterfall") is a compact convertible engineered and manufactured by the German automaker Opel since April 2013. It is also marketed as the Opel Cabrio in Spain, Vauxhall Cascada in the United Kingdom, the Holden Cascada in Australia and New Zealand, and the Buick Cascada in the United States and China. It is not sold in Canada. Read more...
The Buick LeSabre was a full-size car made by General Motors from 1959 to 2005. Prior to 1959, this position had been retained by the full-size Buick Special model (1936–58).
The name originated with the 1951 GM Le Sabre show car designed by Harley Earl; that car is often mistakenly attributed to the Buick division but in fact it was presented as a GM vehicle without reference to a specific GM division. Buick closely related their 1956-1957 models to the GM LeSabre by replicating the top section of the rear wing into their design.. Read more...
The Buick Park Avenue is a full-size car built by Buick. The nameplate was first used in 1975 for an appearance option package on the Electra 225 Limited. It became an Electra trim level in 1978 and its own model starting in 1990 (1991 model year) after the Electra was discontinued.
There were two generations of the Park Avenue that were manufactured in the United States until 2005. In 2007, the nameplate was revived on a large Buick sedan built by Shanghai GM for the Chinese market based on the Holden Caprice from the WM/WN range. The nameplate is derived from the affluent New York City boulevard, Park Avenue. Read more...- The Buick Park Avenue Essence was a concept car designed and engineered by the Buick division of General Motors to showcase advanced technology and styling. First shown in 1989 in a light green metallic color, the Essence made rounds through the auto show circuits later in a light white. Inside the Essence was a wide, sweeping instrument panel that housed a prototype Delco Navicar navigation system among other innovations. Smooth, graceful body lines forecast the eventual production Park Avenue, introduced in 1990. The Essence was powered by the then-new 165 hp version of Buick's 3800 OHV V6 engine. Read more...
At the 2007 Shanghai Motor Show, Buick debuted a concept coupe named Riviera, based on the GM Epsilon II platform. The concept was later shown at the 2008 North American International Auto Show.
It was designed by the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC). The design was inspired by classic Buicks, ancient Chinese artifacts, and modern electronic icons. It includes "icy green" backlighting, Shell Blue body, gull-wing doors, a 2+2 seating configuration, and 21-inch 10-spoke forged aluminum wheels. Read more...
The Buick Regal is an upscale mid-sized automobile that was first introduced by Buick for the 1973 model year. North American production ended in 2004 and began again in 2011. For the 2011 model year, Buick re-introduced the Regal to the North American market, positioned as an upscale sports sedan. Production and sales in China have continued since 1999.
For certain model years between 1973 and 2004, the Regal shared bodies and powertrains with the similar Buick Century. The two most recent generations (2011–present) are North American market versions of the Opel Insignia, known as the Vauxhall Insignia in the UK. Read more...
The Buick Invicta is a full-size automobile produced by Buick from 1959 to 1963. The Invicta was a continuation of the Buick Century concept that mated the standard size Buick LeSabre (pre-1959, Buick Special) body with Buick's larger 401 cubic inch Nailhead V8 engine, yielding what was referred to as "the banker's hot rod." The name was derived from Latin and signified 'unconquerable, invincible, unbeatable, unvanquished' according to Buick Motor Division sales training materials. Read more...
The Buick Verano is a front engine, front-wheel drive layout, four-door, five passenger, entry-level luxury compact car manufactured by General Motors for its Buick brand at the Orion Assembly plant in Orion Township, Michigan, and in China by GM's Joint Venture with SAIC Motor, SAIC-GM (also called Shanghai GM). The Verano debuted at the North American International Auto Show on January 10, 2011, during a preview of Buick's then upcoming 2012 model. It is the first compact marketed by Buick in the United States since the 1998 Buick Skylark. Verano is Spanish for summer.
The Verano—along with the Buick Excelle GT, which was developed for the Chinese market and produced in China and the European Opel Astra / UK Vauxhall Astra sedan, which was presented at the 2012 Moscow International Automobile Salon—shares General Motors' Delta II platform with the Chevrolet Cruze and the corresponding MPV models, Chevrolet Orlando and Opel/Vauxhall Zafira Tourer. Read more...
Did you know...
- ... that the engine of the Buick XP-300 concept car could run on either gasoline or methanol?
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Selected images
Contemporary sweepspear, upon its reintroduction on a 2nd generation Buick LaCrosse.
1904 Buick Model B
Valve-In-Head (OHV) engine, illustration from 1904 patent, Buick Manufacturing Company
1935 Buick Series 40 Model 46C convertible coupe
Sweepspear on a 1953 Buick Skylark.
1939 Buick Special Series 40 Model 41 touring sedan
2010–2012 Buick LaCrosse
A trishield, the Buick symbol, hood ornament on a 1990 LeSabre Custom
Louis Chevrolet driving a Buick Bug in the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup
1938 Buick Roadmaster Series 80 touring sedan
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