- Jun 9, 2014
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Buick Name Is Erased From Buicks as Sales Slip for Century-Old Marque
DETROIT — Buick, the rock upon which General Motors was built more than a century ago, appears to be fading in the company’s rearview mirror.
As of the 2019 model year, the Buick name is no longer stamped across the back of its North American models. In China, where Buick claims most of its sales these days, the “Buick” nameplate disappeared years ago. The brand’s logo is all that’s left, and soon, the company might be gone from the car business altogether — making only S.U.V.s and crossovers.
It seems that, after 115 years, the name’s image has become too outdated for a company that wants to be thought of as a thoroughly modern “attainable luxury” vehicle in a class with Acura, Infiniti, Lincoln and Lexus, a notch below high-end offerings like Cadillac.
The company has gone so far as to produce advertisements that explicitly distance the brand from its reputation. “That’s not a Buick” spots were placed in high-profile slots, like the Super Bowl, to drive home the point.
....
The absence of Buick lettering leaves room for the new Avenir badge, which Buick introduced as a “sub-brand” suggesting a higher level of luxury. Some auto analysts expect that Buick will eventually make a full transition to the Avenir name.
...
Interestingly, Oldsmobile, Pontiac and Saturn were canceled while selling at North American volumes far higher than Buick is now. Olds, in particular, was posting comparatively robust sales near a quarter-million a year when it was handed its surprise death notice in late 2000. Saturn and Pontiac had dipped below 200,000 in yearly sales and did not survive G.M.’s bankruptcy in 2009.
...
If not for the Buick name’s esteem in China — Communist Party leaders once favored lavishly appointed Buick land yachts — it is possible the brand would have been abandoned when Buick City was.
DETROIT — Buick, the rock upon which General Motors was built more than a century ago, appears to be fading in the company’s rearview mirror.
As of the 2019 model year, the Buick name is no longer stamped across the back of its North American models. In China, where Buick claims most of its sales these days, the “Buick” nameplate disappeared years ago. The brand’s logo is all that’s left, and soon, the company might be gone from the car business altogether — making only S.U.V.s and crossovers.
It seems that, after 115 years, the name’s image has become too outdated for a company that wants to be thought of as a thoroughly modern “attainable luxury” vehicle in a class with Acura, Infiniti, Lincoln and Lexus, a notch below high-end offerings like Cadillac.
The company has gone so far as to produce advertisements that explicitly distance the brand from its reputation. “That’s not a Buick” spots were placed in high-profile slots, like the Super Bowl, to drive home the point.
....
The absence of Buick lettering leaves room for the new Avenir badge, which Buick introduced as a “sub-brand” suggesting a higher level of luxury. Some auto analysts expect that Buick will eventually make a full transition to the Avenir name.
...
Interestingly, Oldsmobile, Pontiac and Saturn were canceled while selling at North American volumes far higher than Buick is now. Olds, in particular, was posting comparatively robust sales near a quarter-million a year when it was handed its surprise death notice in late 2000. Saturn and Pontiac had dipped below 200,000 in yearly sales and did not survive G.M.’s bankruptcy in 2009.
...
If not for the Buick name’s esteem in China — Communist Party leaders once favored lavishly appointed Buick land yachts — it is possible the brand would have been abandoned when Buick City was.
