Buick

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Buick

logo
legal form Division / brand
founding 1903
Seat Detroit , Michigan
Branch Automobile manufacturer
Website buick.com

Buick [ ˈbjuːɨk ] is a car brand founded in 1903 and has belonged to the US automobile company General Motors since it was founded in 1910 . Buick vehicles are produced in the USA, China , South Korea and Germany.

prehistory

David Dunbar Buick (1854-1929)

The beginnings of the company can be traced back to a company for the production of iron goods and engines, which the British-born David Dunbar Buick took over in 1882. He is considered to be the inventor of the lawn sprinkler and a process with which porcelain and cast iron can be combined (" enamelling "). His company prospered, but Buick was more of a tinkerer and inventor than a businessman. When he became more and more involved with the internal combustion engine in the years after 1890 and spent less and less time on the company, this led to tensions among the partners and ultimately to the separation and sale of the company to the Standard Sanitary Manufacturing Company .

Engines and automobiles

Buick now devoted its time and capital to engine development. In 1899 he founded the Buick Auto-Vim and Power Company to manufacture engines for agriculture and boats, but at the same time was engaged in the development of a complete automobile. Here, too, he concentrated too much on tinkering and too little on the sales success of his products. In 1902 the company was renamed the Buick Manufacturing Company . He received technical support from engineers Walter Lorenzo Marr (1865–1941) and Eugene Richard , who had previously worked at Oldsmobile . The three of them developed a new type of engine, the valves of which were no longer mounted on the side, but in the cylinder head. They called the principle "valve-in-head", a forerunner of the modern OHC engine . There was now a single prototype, but at the same time it was foreseeable that Buick's capital was practically exhausted. The relationship between Buick and Marr doesn't always seem easy either; In 1903 Marr left the company to set up his own production. His own automobile used a similar engine, but the Marr Auto-Car Company failed after a short time for reasons beyond Marr's control.

Buick Motor Company

  • Benjamin Briscoe (1867-1945). Photo taken in 1909

  • James H. Whiting (1842-1919). Photo from 1904

  • Walter Marr and Tom Buick (David Buick's son) during the testing of the first completed in Flint Buick automobile, a Type B . Photo taken on July 12, 1904

  • William Crapo Durant (1861-1947). Photo from 1916

  • Charles W. Nash (1861-1947)

founding

Buick trademark circa 1905. This is the brand's first logo

David Buick ran into financial difficulties because, as a perfectionist, he delayed evaluating his work. When he was unable to repay a loan of US $ 650 from the Briscoe brothers, industrialist Benjamin Briscoe (1867–1945) stepped in with an amount of US $ 5,000. It was also Briscoe who redesigned the company and registered it on May 19, 1903 as the Buick Motor Company under the laws of the state of Michigan . At this point, however, the bustling Briscoe was disillusioned because he had to find out that the equivalent of his capital infusions had so far only been a test vehicle and a production facility, but no prospect of an early start of production. He retired as soon as he found a new investor for Buick. That was the case in the late summer of 1903 when he came to an agreement with James H. Whiting (1842-1919). As the owner of the carriage construction company Flint Wagon Works, he was an important entrepreneur in Flint (Michigan) and was looking for an automobile that he wanted to build in the small town of 14,000 at the time.

In the meantime, Briscoe had looked elsewhere. Together with Jonathan Dixon Maxwell (1864–1928), another Oldsmobile veteran, who last worked at Northern as chief engineer, he founded the Maxwell-Briscoe Company , manufacturer of the Maxwell automobile and one of the forerunners of the Chrysler group.

Whiting had the Buick manufacturing facilities relocated to Flint, which led to further delays. It wasn't until the summer of 1904 that the only prototype arrived in Flint, and it was August before the first Buick automobile could be sold. Marr had meanwhile returned to the company, where he took the position of chief engineer.

William Durant (1904-1908)

Buick Model C Tonneau (1905)

Orders for 16 more vehicles followed in the next two months. Their production exceeded Whiting's financial means. So he looked for another investor and found it in his friend William C. Durant . He was a co-owner of the Durant-Dort Carriage Company , one of the largest carriage building companies in the United States. Apparently, Durant had to be convinced of the value of the automobile before he even looked at the company. But then it happened very quickly. On November 1, 1904, shareholders approved Durant's proposal to increase the share capital to US $ 300,000 and acquire the company. An increase to US $ 500,000 was decided on November 19. Typical of Durant's approach was that he turned down the presidential chair and instead proposed Josiah Begole , a director of the Flint Wagon Works and son of the former governor of Michigan, (1883-1885), Josiah Williams Begole . Charles W. Nash (1864-1948) was won by Durant-Dort as managing director . Whiting later also manufactured automobiles in his Whiting Motor Car Company .

To strengthen the development work at Buick, the engineer Enos DeWaters was hired in 1905 , who had previously worked for the ER Thomas Motor Car Company in Buffalo (New York) , a manufacturer of high-class automobiles and motorcycle pioneers, and for Cadillac . Shortly thereafter, the Buick Motor Company merged with the C. S. Mott Carriage Works of Charles Stewart Mott (1875–1973).

To avoid legal problems with the Selden patent for Buick , Durant bought the Pope-Robinson Company in Hyde Park (Massachusetts), an insolvent vehicle manufacturer that already had such a license. The US patent, granted in 1895, gave its owners a monopoly on the manufacture of vehicles with internal combustion engines . The Association of Licensed Automobile Manufacturers (ALAM) was founded to assert their interests . The insolvent Pope-Robinson Company held such a license. It was transferred to Buick and the company then dissolved.

McLaughlin-Buick Model G Runabout, twin cylinder (1906)

Durant had 1,100 orders at the Detroit Motor Show in November 1905, but only 750 Buick vehicles were completed by the end of the year. The result was a long-term cooperation with the Canadian entrepreneur Samuel McLaughlin (1871–1972), who initially manufactured drive trains in his McLaughlin Motor Car Company and, from 1907, automobiles of the F and G series . With its two-cylinder automobiles, Buick managed to become the second largest automobile manufacturer in the United States (behind Ford) by 1907. That year, Buick four-cylinder models also appeared; the output was 4641 vehicles.

General Motors (1908-1920)

The fortunes of Buick and General Motors (GM) are historically closely linked. Durant and Mott founded the company initially called General Motors Company on September 16, 1908 in Flint as a holding company for the Buick Motor Company and other planned acquisitions. Mott was GM's largest single shareholder for a long time, but was not involved in day-to-day business. In the same year Oldsmobile came under the holding umbrella. David Dunbar Buick sold his shares and left the company late that year. After that, he failed several times as an entrepreneur and last worked, ill health, as a teacher and porter at a business school in Detroit. George E. Daniels (1875–1954) was elected as the first GM president on an interim basis, and after a month he gave up the post to William M. Eaton (1856–1923). Buick's first racing activities also took place during this period, and Durant himself put together a team in 1907. Its first director was William H. Pickens . Louis and Arthur Chevrolet , Bob Burman and Lewis Strang were hired as drivers . Louis Chevrolet was the team captain. In the same year, Buick moved to new facilities in Flint, Michigan . Buick trucks were manufactured at the previous site in Jackson until 1912. The works manager of the Durant-Dort Carriage Company , Charles W. Nash (1864-1948), was elected in 1908 to succeed Begole as President of the Buick Motor Company .

  • Colonel R. Samuel McLaughlin (1871–1972)

  • Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941), photo taken around 1920

  • Louis Chevrolet on Buick (1909)

  • Buick Model 10 Runabout (1908). This was a slightly enlarged version of a successful Oldsmobile model

  • Buick Model 39 Toy Tonneau (1910)

  • Buick Model 14 "Buggyabout" (1911), the last two-cylinder model from Buick

Buick saves General Motors

1912 Buick logo

Durant practiced an aggressive growth policy with General Motors and incorporated other companies into the group. The growth was financed in each case by the purchase being made entirely or largely through an exchange of shares. For Durant, Buick was one of the “money machines” that GM and its expensive (and, in retrospect, not always wise) acquisitions had to carry. Others were Oldsmobile , Cadillac, and Oakland . At that time Buick was very successful and mainly active in the lower price segment. In the 1910 model year, 27,377 cars were sold.

Meanwhile, General Motors had $ 15 million in debt. The banks forced Durant to resign in September 1910 and initially enforced Frank L. Storrow (1864–1926) as their representative in the presidency. After just two months in office, he was replaced by Thomas Neal . In November 1912, Charles Nash followed him into office. He deserves the credit of having sorted out the financial chaos and thus saved General Motors. His successor at Buick was Walter P. Chrysler (1879-1940), another later company founder; Durant had also brought him into the company at the time. Buick played a crucial role in the restructuring of the practically insolvent General Motors Company . The company lived up to this not least thanks to the talent of sales manager Richard H. "Trainload" Collins , who did not owe the nickname "train load" to any coincidence: From 1915 to 1916 he tripled the number of vehicles sold from 43,946 to 124,834 units.

Rainier and Marquette

Rainier Model A 22-28 HP Touring (1906)

Durant had the still in May 1909 Rainier Motor Car Company in Flushing ( Queens , New York acquired), a high-quality in troubled serious manufacturer automobiles. It turned out that the company could not be saved. In order to be able to continue producing the Rainier more cheaply, the Marquette Motor Company was set up in Saginaw (Michigan) , which was led by the Buick management. In the course of the restructuring measures at GM, this brand was also quickly given up. It was remembered mainly because the racing team started as a Marquette-Buick for regulatory reasons .

It appears that some of the last examples of the short-lived brand were sold as peninsulars .

Buick in the 1910s

Buick Model 41 5-passenger sedan (1910)

By far the most expensive model was the Model 41 sedan in 1910 . Buick offered the last two-cylinder in 1911.

There were major changes in 1914. With a Six of 225 ci (3687 cm³), initially only available as a Touring at US $ 1985, Buick penetrated further into the upper middle class and now offered a real alternative to the Cadillac. Left-hand drive, Delco starters and electric lighting were new . The cheapest model was still under US- $ 1000 this year.

Younger story

Buick developed into one of the most successful American automobile brands in the following decades until the 1970s .

In the new group, Buick was supposed to appeal to the groups of buyers who bought luxury cars like Cadillacs , cheaper models from the Buick brand or people who could not afford a Cadillac. From the end of the 1980s onwards, however, the younger generation of buyers oriented themselves more towards European and Japanese automobile brands in the upper model segment, which demonstrably led to the decline of Buick and other traditional American brands (Cadillac, Lincoln , Mercury ). Today Buick stands behind the Cadillac brand within General Motors and, like them, is struggling for profile. The Buick Company has been in deficit for years, so that the model range was slashed to five types in the model year 2006, similar to the Pontiac brand , in addition to the new edition of traditional American sedans (LaCrosse, Lucerne) in the SUV ( Sport Utility Vehicle ) segment. , more exact "cross over vehicles" to gain a new profile.

According to the official GM announcement, the target direction Buicks is to be seen primarily against Lexus (Toyota's luxury division).

This article or the following section is not adequately provided with supporting documents ( e.g. individual evidence ). Information without sufficient evidence could be removed soon. Please help Wikipedia by researching the information and including good evidence.

This is certainly correct, at least from the point of view of quality, because according to studies by J. D. Power, Buick is fairly consistently in second place behind Lexus , which z. B. concerns the "initial quality". Should it not succeed, the Buick brand runs the risk of being completely discontinued, which has already happened with the Oldsmobile and Pontiac brands .

In the 1950s to 1970s, numerous Opel models (as Opel) were offered through the Buick sales network in the United States, such as the Olympia Rekord P1 (1959), the Olympia of 1967, Ascona , Manta A and in particular the Opel GT . Vauxhall models were sold through Pontiac dealers.

  • Buick Eight Series 121 Model 49 7 Pass. Touring (1929)

  • Buick Series 40 Special 4-Door Convertible (1937)

  • Buick Series 80 Roadmaster (1938)

  • Buick Series 40 Special Coupe (1939)

  • Buick Series 50 Super Riviera Hardtop (1957)

  • Buick Riviera (1963)

  • Buick Wildcat Custom Sedan (1968)

  • Buick Century GS ("Gran Sport", 1973)

  • Buick Regal Turbo T (1987)

  • Buick Roadmaster (1991)

Models in the USA

Timelines

Timeline of models by Buick , a division of General Motors , 1946 to 1999
Type 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s
6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9
Lower middle class Skyhawk Skyhawk
Apollo Somerset
Skylark Skylark Skylark Skylark
Middle class Special Special Special Century Century Century Century
Skylark Skylark Skylark shelf shelf shelf shelf
Personal Luxury Cars Skylark Limited Riviera Riviera Riviera Riviera Riviera Riviera Riviera
Full-size cars Special Special Special LeSabre LeSabre LeSabre LeSabre LeSabre LeSabre
Century Invicta
great great great Wildcat Centurion Electra Park avenue Park avenue
Roadmaster Roadmaster Roadmaster Electra Electra Electra Electra Estate Wagon Roadmaster
Sports car Reatta
Timeline of Buick models in the United States, as of 2000
Type 2000s 2010s 2020s
0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0
Lower middle class Verano
Cascada
Middle class Century shelf shelf
shelf Lacrosse Lacrosse Lacrosse
Upper class LeSabre Lucerne
Park avenue
SUV Encore
Encore GX
Envision
date Enclave Enclave
Rainier
Vans Terraza
  •  largely based on an Opel
    		•

    Current models

    • Buick Regal

    • Buick LaCrosse

    • Buick Encore

    • Buick Envision

    • Buick Enclave

    The sales figures of the Buick brand in the USA have declined in recent years and in 2009 were even behind the actually more expensive sister brand Cadillac, which has a more extensive range of models. It should be noted that GM is the only manufacturer on the US market that still offers its own brand for the mid-range price range. New models currently largely correspond to the corresponding models from the European brand Opel, which belonged to GM until 2017 .

    Buick Verano

    A compact class model in the European sense has been offered by Buick since mid-2011. The Verano is a sedan version of the Opel Astra .

    Buick Regal

    The name Regal goes back to the year 1973 at Buick. The model, which has been available in this form in the USA since 2010, but in China since 2009, is a mid-range car that is identical to the Opel Insignia except for brand details .

    Buick LaCrosse

    The LaCrosse , which has been in its second generation since 2009, is intended to compete with imported vehicles from the upper middle class , which is otherwise unusual for US manufacturers , such as the Lexus ES or a Mercedes-Benz E-Class . The Buick LaCrosse uses the same platform (Epsilon II) as the Regal and is therefore also known as the extended version of the Regal (LWB = long wheel base ).

    Buick Encore

    In early 2012, a small SUV was presented. The car is sold in Europe as the Opel Mokka or Vauxhall Mokka. Technically, these are closely related to the Chevrolet Trax .

    Buick Enclave

    The SUV Enclave , which has been built since 2007, is the brand's top model and also (as of 2009) the best-selling. In 2017, it was replaced in North America by a new model based on the C1XX platform ( Buick Enclave (2017) ).

    Models in china

    In the People's Republic of China , GM offers a model range that differs from that in the USA under the Buick name and has even been larger since 2008.

    Timeline

    Timeline of Buick models in China, as of 2000
    Type 2000s 2010s 2020s
    0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0
    Small car Sail
    Compact class Excelle HRV Excelle XT Verano GS
    Excelle Excelle
    Excelle GT Excelle GT
    Excelle GX
    Verano
    Velite 5 Velite 6
    Velite 7
    Middle class shelf shelf shelf
    upper middle class Lacrosse Lacrosse
    Upper class Royaum
    Park avenue
    SUV Encore Encore
    Encore GX
    Envision
    Envision S
    Enclave Enclave
    Vans GL6
    GL8 GL8
    GL8 GL8
  •  largely based on an Opel
  •  Re-Badged Daewoo / Chevrolet from South Korea
  •  Re-Badged Holden from Australia
    		•

    Current models

    • Buick Excelle

    • Buick Excelle GT

    • Buick Excelle GX

    • Buick Verano GS

    • Buick Verano

    • Buick Regal

    • Buick LaCrosse

    • Buick Encore

    • Buick Encore GX

    • Buick Envision

    • Buick Enclave

    • Buick GL6

    • Buick GL8

    Remarks

    1. ↑ Daniels was friends with Durant and one of his legal advisors in founding General Motors. He later founded the Daniels Motor Company , which offered one of the first V8 passenger cars in the United States.
    2. ↑ The Buick Rainier SUV was a reminder of this episode from the company's founding days .

    literature

    Web links

    Commons : Buick  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

    Individual evidence

    1. ↑ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942. 1996, p. 161 (Buick).
    2. ↑ Gustin, Kirbitz: David Buick's Marvelous Motor Car. 2011, pp. 17-29
    3. ↑ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942. 1996, p. 162 (Buick).
    4. ↑ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942. 1996, p. 931 (Marr).
    5. ↑ Gustin, Kirbitz: David Buick's Marvelous Motor Car. 2011, p. 81
    6. ↑ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942. 1996, p. 940 (Maxwell).
    7. ↑ a b Gustin, Kirbitz: David Buick's Marvelous Motor Car. 2011, p. 131
    8. ^ Madsen: The Deal Maker: How William C. Durant made General Motors. 1999, p. 180.
    9. ↑ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942. 1996, p. 163 (Buick).
    10. ↑ General Motors imports for the American market Flyer (JPG)
    11. ↑ a b http://media.gm.com/content/Pages/news/us/en/2010/Jan/0105_Dec_Sales/_jcr_content/iconrow/textfile/file.res/Deliveries%20December%2009.xls