Buick’s History: A Foundation of GM Through Decades of Change

William C. “Billy” Durant’s expansion of Buick helped provide the foundation for General Motors. The fledgling automobile business he took over became central to a much larger organization, giving Buick a place in GM’s beginnings as well as its later vehicle lineup.

Keeping a premium place in that lineup required repeated renewal. More affordable cars during the Depression, distinctive personal-luxury models and locally developed vehicles in China each reflected a different response to changing customers and markets.

A Quick Look at the History of Buick

From Engine Ventures to an Automobile Manufacturer

Buick’s beginnings predate the corporation that carried its name. David Dunbar Buick was active in gasoline engines by 1899, with businesses including Buick Auto-Vim and Power Company and Buick Manufacturing Company preceding Buick Motor Company’s 1903 incorporation.

Engineers Walter Marr and Eugene Richard contributed to the early technical work alongside the founder.

Flint wagon-business investors acquired the enterprise in 1903 and moved it from Detroit. The relocation involved a corporate change as well: the Detroit Buick corporation was dissolved in January 1904, and a Flint corporation was incorporated later that month. The Model B began Flint vehicle production that year.

Durant became general manager in 1904 and expanded the operation. According to GM’s historical account, Buick had become the highest-volume American automobile producer by 1908. Durant established GM on September 16 that year, bringing Buick into the new organization.

Buick’s early growth brought engineering and commercial organization together: the engine ventures supplied the starting capability, while Durant expanded the business around its vehicles.

Rebuilding the Premium Offering During the Depression

The Great Depression put pressure on Buick’s premium-car business. Harlow H. Curtice became general manager in 1933, beginning a period of product and marketing renewal.

A revived Series 40 arrived in May 1934, offering buyers a smaller, less expensive eight-cylinder Buick. Market share rose during the recovery that followed through the prewar years.

Curtice also hired advertising executive Art Kudner to develop a new direction for 1936. Styling and advertising renewal accompanied the product changes.

The recovery suggests that Buick’s premium position could accommodate greater affordability. Curtice’s program combined that adjustment with changes in how the cars looked and were presented to buyers.

Postwar Identity and the Search for Distinctive Cars

During World War II, Buick produced military equipment. The postwar period brought engineering and styling changes that became part of its vehicle identity. Dynaflow appeared on the 1948 Roadmaster, followed by Buick’s familiar portholes in 1949.

Buick’s own retrospective history attributes its late-1950s setback to a combination of unpopular styling, product difficulties and recession. The lineup again underwent renewal.

Two early-1960s developments show different sides of that renewal. The 1962 Special offered a V6, while the Riviera gave Buick a distinct entry in the personal-luxury market.

Introduced on October 4, 1962, for the 1963 model year, the Riviera targeted a market that included the Ford Thunderbird. Buick had used the Riviera designation since 1949, but the new vehicle established it as the name of a separate model.

GM design chief Bill Mitchell approved the Riviera’s design direction and commissioned a full-size clay model, with Ned Nickles playing an important styling role. The project showed how GM’s shared design organization could produce a distinctive Buick for the personal-luxury market.

Fuel Pressures and Manufacturing Renewal

The oil embargo of 1973 created another difficult setting. Buick’s retrospective history records falling sales, followed by the reintroduction of its V6 and the development of smaller, lighter vehicles.

Renewal also reached the factory. Buick City, installed within the existing Flint complex, was completed in the fall of 1985. The project added manufacturing investment to an era of changes in engines and vehicle size.

China Adds a New Market and Development Role

GM and SAIC established their Chinese manufacturing venture in 1997. On December 17, 1998, the venture rolled out its first locally made Buick sedan. That vehicle was a preproduction car; regular manufacturing and customer sales followed in 1999.

The launch sedan drew on Century and Regal foundations while adapting the vehicle for Chinese customers. Rear-seat accommodation received particular attention, and the intended buyers included businesses, entrepreneurs and government officials. GM’s international resources supported development and employee training.

The customer base subsequently broadened. In a 2011 interview with China Business Review, GM China executive David Chen described the shift from institutional purchases toward family buyers. His account discussed the GL8 and Sail introductions and the role of the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center, known as PATAC, in local development.

Over time, the venture’s activity expanded from producing adapted vehicles toward a larger local role in engineering and product development.

Buick remained a GM brand, with Chinese manufacturing conducted by the venture later known as SAIC-GM.

Crossovers and Buick’s Place in the New GM

In North America, Enclave production began in 2007 for the 2008 model year, providing an important marker in Buick’s crossover-era development. A more fundamental corporate change followed in 2009.

On July 10, 2009, the new General Motors Company began operations using assets transferred from the old General Motors Corporation through a court-approved sale. Buick remained one of four core U.S. brands, alongside Chevrolet, Cadillac and GMC.

The restructuring preserved the Buick brand within a new corporate parent.

An Electric Commitment Meets a Changing Rollout

On June 1, 2022, GM announced that Buick’s North American lineup would become all-electric by the end of the decade. The announcement also set out a first electric vehicle for 2024 and introduced the Wildcat concept as a preview of a new design direction.

“The Buick brand is committed to an all-electric future by the end of this decade,” said Duncan Aldred, then global vice president of Buick and GMC.

GM offered U.S. Buick dealers buyouts in 2022 as an alternative to preparing for the electric transition. A retailer surrendering its Buick franchise could continue selling other brands.

Meanwhile, Buick’s design changes also appeared on gasoline vehicles. The 2024 Envista, revealed on April 17, 2023, applied the new direction to a small crossover with a 1.2-liter turbo engine.

The electric timetable later changed. In July 2024, Mary Barra disclosed that Buick’s first EV would be deferred. Car and Driver reported that Barra linked GM’s investment approach to electric-vehicle demand growing more slowly than in the preceding years. No firm replacement date accompanied the disclosure.

The sequence left two parts of Buick’s renewal moving at different speeds: a design and SUV program already taking shape, and a North American electric rollout whose initial schedule had slipped.

Buick’s Regional Business in 2026

As of November 11, 2026, Buick’s U.S. business centered on Enclave, Encore GX, Envision and Envista. GM reported 43,990 U.S. Buick deliveries in the third quarter, up 7.9% from the same quarter in 2025. January–September deliveries totaled 135,811, down 13.4%, showing that the quarterly improvement followed a weaker year-to-date performance.

In China, GM and SAIC signed an agreement on August 5, 2026, extending SAIC-GM through 2047. Shanghai government reporting described an expanding role for local teams, a premium Electra new-energy sub-brand introduced in 2025 and an architecture supporting several types of propulsion.

GM’s October 2026 China report described battery-electric ELECTRA L7 activity and more than 13,000 ELECTRA E7 plug-in-hybrid deliveries during the third quarter. It also reported more than 22,000 deliveries across the GL8 family. These products combined several approaches to electrification: China’s new-energy category includes battery-electric, plug-in-hybrid and extended-range electric vehicles.

Buick’s present form reflects the accumulated changes in its history. Engineering, design and market focus have each played a part in its renewal. Today, U.S. SUVs and China’s broader electrification program represent different regional approaches, while the North American all-electric commitment remains unfinished.

Timeline

These milestones trace Buick’s origins, major renewals and changing corporate setting.

1899–1903

David Dunbar Buick’s engine ventures precede Buick Motor Company’s incorporation on May 19, 1903.

1904–1908

William C. Durant becomes Buick general manager in 1904 and expands the business. He establishes GM on September 16, 1908.

1933–1936

Harlow H. Curtice becomes general manager. Buick introduces the revived Series 40 and renews its styling and advertising.

1948–1949

Buick introduces Dynaflow on the Roadmaster, followed the next year by its familiar portholes.

October 4, 1962

Buick introduces the distinct Riviera model for the 1963 model year.

1985

Buick City is completed within the Flint manufacturing complex.

1997–1999

GM and SAIC establish their manufacturing venture in 1997. Its first local Buick preproduction sedan rolls out in December 1998, followed by regular production and sales in 1999.

2007–2009

Enclave production begins in 2007 for model year 2008. On July 10, 2009, the new GM begins operations with Buick among its four core U.S. brands.

2022–2024

GM announces an all-electric North American Buick lineup by the end of the decade. In July 2024, Mary Barra discloses deferral of the first Buick EV.

August 5, 2026

GM and SAIC sign an agreement extending SAIC-GM through 2047.

FAQs

Question: Was Buick founded in 1899 or 1903?

Answer: Buick’s engine-business origins reach back to 1899. May 19, 1903, is the conventional incorporation date for Buick Motor Company. The dates describe different stages in the business’s development.

Question: Who owns Buick?

Answer: Buick is a General Motors Company brand. SAIC-GM is the Chinese joint venture involving GM and SAIC Motor; that partnership does not mean SAIC owns the entire Buick brand.

Question: What happened to Buick during GM’s 2009 restructuring?

Answer: Buick was retained as one of the new GM’s four core U.S. brands. The new General Motors Company began operations on July 10, 2009, after a court-approved asset sale from the old General Motors Corporation.

Question: Is Buick already all-electric?

Answer: No. As of November 11, 2026, Buick’s U.S. lineup still included gasoline SUVs and crossovers. Its 2022 North American electric commitment was followed by a delayed first EV, while Chinese offerings included battery-electric vehicles and other electrified powertrains.

Interviews & Firsthand Resources

David Chen on GM’s Development in China

In this April–June 2011 China Business Review interview, GM China executive David Chen discusses local products, the movement toward family buyers and engineering capability. His account provides a participant’s perspective on the changing market for vehicles including Buick’s GL8 and Sail.

Read the David Chen interview

Sources

• Buick Motor Division / Buick Club of America: A Brief History of Buick.
• General Motors / Buick: GM Heritage, 1995 Riviera Owner’s Manual, The New General Motors Company Launches Today, Buick’s 2022 Electric-Portfolio Announcement, Q3 2026 China Sales, 2024 Envista Introduction, Enclave Production History, U.S. Deliveries, Q3 2026.
• Franschhoek Motor Museum: Collection in Action: Buick.
• MotorCities National Heritage Area: Buick’s 1930s Advertising, The 1963 Buick Riviera.
• General Motors / Automotive Intelligence: Shanghai Plant and First Local Buick, December 1998.
• China Business Review / US-China Business Council: David Chen Interview, April–June 2011.
• Shanghai Municipal Government: SAIC Motor and GM Extend Partnership Through 2047.
• Car and Driver: Buick’s First EV Delayed.
• Green Car Reports: Buick Dealer Buyouts and the EV Transition.