The Buick Motor Company was established on May 19, 1903 in Flint, Michigan by a Scottish-American named David Dunbar Buick. In 1904 the struggling company was taken over by James Whiting, who brought in William C. Durant to manage his new acquisition. Buick nearly went bankrupt in 1904, but 4 years after Durant took over the company Buick was the No. 1 producer of automobiles outselling the combined production of Ford and Cadillac its closest competitors. It saw great growth was was then know nationwide as the largest car maker in America. David Buick unfortunately was not able to capitalize on the success of the company he began. He sold he portion for a small amount, and died with relatively no money left.
The Expansion of Buick
With Buick’s success Durant was able purchase other manufactures which lead to the birth of General Motors. At first, Buick and the rest of the manufactures that made up General Motors competed against each other, but Durant wanted each division to target a specific market. Buick was placed on the high end of the GM line up second to only Cadillac. Buck’s early success was based around their overhead valve engine, which earned an unsurpassed reputation in competition around the world. Over the last century Buck has helped pioneer the modern car industry with innovations like hardtops, portholes, wide tail-lamps, sweepspears and muscle cars. Buick has always pride themselves on being at the front of the ever changing automobile market. They are able to maintain a fresh, new style, while still hanging on to their unique, authentic feel.
Today’s Buick
With over 100 years in the automotive industry Buick still holds its spot in the GM line up under Cadillac. With the demise of Oldsmobile Buick is now GM’s only US-based entry-level luxury brand. Buick is continuing its success with new vehicles such as the LaCrosse and Lucerne, and the soon to be released Luxury SUV—the Buick Enclave. With over 30 brands throughout its lifespan, Buick always looks to give the consumer something that is ahead of the curve. Buick has also seen the expansion of its factories into other parts of the world. Taiwan, Israel, New Zealand, China and the Middle East have all benefited from Buick. They want to be known as the American car that is influencing the world. You can tell they are already accomplishing that goal, because their marquee is known worldwide, and extremely popular. Buick has even locked into the pop culture market by getting popular athletes such as Tiger Woods to help sell their vehicles. Buick…an American institution.
