Those paying very close attention to the reveal of the 2019 Buick Envision may have noticed that the crossover doesn’t have a “Buick” “brand plate.” That’s on purpose, as representatives recently told GM Authority that Buick will stop using the brand badge on the rear of its vehicles, starting with the 2019 model year.
Before you start scrolling, perhaps vehemently, to the comments section in order to share your thoughts on the matter, we feel obligated to note that only the Buick brand plate – the one that that writes out “Buick” on the rear of the vehicle – is going away. By comparison, the nameplate badge – which writes out the name of the vehicle, such as “Encore” or “Enclave” – is staying, and so is Buick’s Tri Shield logo, now finished in red, silver and blue.
We should note that the brand plate is the only direct indicator on the exterior of a Buick vehicle that communicates its make. The only other indicators are the Tri Shield logo and its nameplate, but one must be familiar with both of those elements to identify the vehicle as a Buick.
Though we’ve confirmed that the 2019 Buick Envision will be the first model to lose the brand plate, we’re not privy as to what vehicle will be next. Either way, the change will be across the entire lineup, according to Buick.
Update: we have received word from Buick that all 2019 Buick models will see the brand plate removed.
Stay tuned to GM Authority as we learn more about this, and for continuous Buick news coverage.
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Comments
They don’t want people to judge a book by its name. Not a bad idea to help change the perception of what Buick was and what it is now
Not to mention the $5 GM will save on every car made.
1 million cars X $5 = $5 million!
Same thing they did with Oldsmobile. Anyone remember the Aurora?
And the Oldsmobile died.
Well based on all the media in Print, TV and Web the move to take the name off gave Buick more coverage than about any of the last 5 cars they released.
This move may have been better than a super bowl ad.
It was timed well with the Envision as is all over the media with this story with road test.
One thing to really consider is GM could be moving to transform the Buicks that sell in this country in volume to GMC and killing the rest.
the Lacrosse no one buys in much volume. The Regal and wagon will be the best Buicks no one ever bought and after Opel moves on becomes expendable.
the encore and Enclave both could be slotted into the GMC line as a small CUV and LWB SUV that GMC lacks.
The Envision is nice but sales limited due to imports in small volumes. GMC also has the Terrain and it appears sales are really ramping up on them right now. We have many on the roads here in the last two months once production ramped up full.
Could be interesting if Buicks cars fail to gain traction. The Lacrosse is not lighting it up. The Regal and wagon may be the best Buick to never sell joined with the fact based on an Opel that will go away.
The Encore and Enclave could roll into GMC as a small CUV and LWB CUV GMC does not have.
Not that I want this but the cost of the division for two real models that sell is high and hurts return on investment.
The cost of low volume models woul have to go up and we already have Cadillac.
China may not be enough to save Buick here.
Saturn tried the same thing. Worked well for them. Ahem.
(Wouldn’t surprise me if the same Saturn brand managers are now implementing at Buick-GMC – or all those Chevy Red Line concepts were purely coincidental).
This isn’t big news. And it won’t fix any big problems.
Buick’s logic is that they think people will automatically know that a Encore, Envision or Enclave is a Buick and know which dealership to visit; one has to wonder how many consecutive months of poor sales will force Buick to reconsider.
I think the idea is they want the product to speak for itself and people have to ask what type of car it is. if they are impressed before knowing it’s a Buick they’re more likely to stay impressed. This falls in line with what their commercials have been over the past few years too
I doubt the average consumer has memorized brand insignias so I’m not sure what Buick’s reasoning is. What harm does a “Buick” nameplate do? ?
Just like with Chevrolet GM is targeting Asian import buyers who don’t want the American brand stigma of inferiority.
Buick wants you to fall in love before learning that the vehicle is a Buick.
This tells me that the TRI SHIELD isn’t as healthy as GM let’s on. Buick has great quality and should have sales north of 20,000 units monthly.
Though American through and through, Chevrolet is cool. Buick on the other hand is not cool. Nor will it ever be. Buick’s however are nicer. Which is Chevrolet’s problem. Chevrolet can’t target let say Honda or even Kia because while Chevrolet doesn’t conjure up images of old blue haired ladies, it’s product is artificially held back because of Buick and therefore doesn’t stack up against the Asian brands. No AWD, lower HP engines, poor interiors and options are just a few things Chevrolet lacks compared to the other brands. Buick offers all these things yet can’t undo a lifetime image of the elderly. My question is when will GM just give these things to Chevrolet and get on with it. Remove the glass ceiling from the Bowtie and start making money.
Not calling a Buick a Buick on the lift gate or trunk lid is going to fix anything. They need to fix Chevrolet instead.
Chevrolet hasn’t been cool since the 1970s.
No one under 45 considered Chevy cool except for Corvette among a certain sort of buyer. If Chevrolet were cool, undamaged, then GMC wouldn’t be needed for margins. Chevrolet may be cool in trailer parks, but that’s it. Malibu just doesn’t excit buyers!
I agree that Chevy keeps hitting it’s head on Buick.
This can only change as GM brings Buick up to Lexus level. Buick is an important element of the GM transform at home and abroad.
Anyway, I don’t think Millennials see Blue haired Buick. That is more an aging Gen X thing.
I’m not even sure Chevy was cool in the 70s.
if Chevrolet sucks that bad then why are you even here? I’m sure there is a nice Toyota or Honda forum you can go stroke it on somewhere….
As the owner of a Camaro and a Malibu that is under the age 45, I would say both of you may not know what you’re talking about…….
Dude I have been asking this question for years. Why are you even apart of this site if you hate what GM does?
I think they like to just complain! That’s what I get from it! You know as well as I do that a car company makes cars for the masses so any one person can look at any car or truck and say I would have designed this part of it different! There are no perfect cars or trucks but people think it’s a fail if it’s not built to their specs. Which is ridiculous!
I love hearing when people say “I” don’t fit in this car! Are you serious? Do you think this car was built for you and you only? Of course not! But those people will call it a failure!
We have to get back to building type specific cars and trucks and stop trying to make one size fits all vehicles just so the customer can save a buck!
A performance car should be based on performance and nothing else!
Luxury car should be based on luxury and nothing else!
Family cars should be based on family and nothing else!
Economy cars should be based on economy and nothing else!
But what you get are people who say the
Performance car doesn’t have enough leg room.
Luxury doesn’t have enough power
Family car doesn’t handle very good
Economy cars are cheaply built
This is why our auto industry is in the toilet, companies trying to make one car or truck meet every possible function on the road. Instead of creating type specific vehicles for what they are intended for!
The camaro doesn’t need more leg room it needs to go faster!
The CT6 doesn’t need more hp it needs to be more luxurious
The Malibu doesn’t need to handle better it needs to be more spacious
The sonic doesn’t need to have a nicer interior it needs to be more economical better MPGS
And so On!
People complaining about not enough rear seat leg room in a Cadillac ATS or not enough trunk space in a Chevrolet Camaro are comical. They are too simple minded to realize that they are not looking for a car in the Compact or Performance car segment.
they are too ignorant to understand that is why there is different segments.
The automotive market is a competition. If GM makes a sports car with what they tell you is 400 hp and Ford makes a sports car with 400 hp and Dodge makes a sports car with 400 hp . Well the GM person buys the GM one, the Ford person the Ford one, the Dodge person the Dodge one. But when the one with A/C and a trunk get driven the most and seen by the masses and out sell the competition who wins. And the others just go away. Until when. When enough people say this is what I want and I will buy it. I have a 68 Camaro, do you know why the new ones look like a 68 and not a 75 MORE PEOPLE BOUGHT AND FIXED THE 68 STYLE. Sure a lot of people like the 75, but more like the 68, look around. New cars and trucks are the same way, but with technology we shouldn’t have to wait 40 years for feed back.
Yep here’s Brian, complaining about people who he thinks are complaining. I am on this site to be heard. If we left it up to you we would have a sports car with a board for a seat and no trunk. Or a pickup with no air. What I cant figure out is why you are here? If everything was good enough for you back when you first started driving why are you on a site talking about change. Again if GM only sends surveys to those people with new cars they will never know what needs to be fixed. Most people where I live take there car to the dealer only if it under warranty. When the warranty is up they have there trusted mechanic fix it. How will GM ever know about trouble if no one tells them.
I am here because I love GM unlike most if you. I am also here because I am tired of seeing people trying to change cars that don’t need to be changed. The camaro/corvette dont need to be changed into family cars.
And so on!
People are not as one dimensional as you suggest, Brian. Many people want a luxurious car that also handles well, or is fast. If GM doesn’t build it for them, they will buy a BMW. Many people NEED a family car, but want something that handles well, if for nothing more than safety. If GM doesn’t do it, they will buy a Ford or Mazda. A Camaro is built to be a fun car that people enjoy driving (more than just for going fast), but what is the point if you can’t put a couple of carry-on bags in the trunk for a long weekend, or some beach chairs and a cooler to go hang out at the beach? Sure, maybe some are wealthy enough to have a dedicated car and can take a crossover or family sedan, but it’s not fun to drive. You don’t want to leave your “fun” car at home in the garage all the time because it’s useless in everyday life, and only good for cruising aimlessly on a Sunday and ending up back at home. If vehicles don’t fit people’s lifestyle, they won’t buy it plain and simple. I drive a Buick Lacrosse, is it a family car or a luxury car? I could write a book on everything GM could have done better with it. They’ve done better before… the wipers shouldn’t start wiping a dry windshield before the washer squirts fluid, the start button shouldn’t be hidden behind the steering wheel, the trunk hinges should be hydraulic so they don’t intrude on the trunk space. This is not their first rodeo. My wife has a Sonic, which I would say falls under an economy car. By your logic, it should be a flimsy unsafe penalty box that gets 50mpg. She doesn’t deserve to have the fun of a turbo, or nice things like a sunroof, or cruise control. Heck, better leave out the a/c too since it kills the fuel economy. Oh, but wait, she’s not “poor” and wants a small car that’s easy to park in tight urban areas, and desires some creature comforts too… In that case, she’d have to go back to the Toyota or Honda she drove previously. You say GM has to build cars for the masses, but it seems like you want them to only build cars to fit you. I’m a huge GM fan, and want nothing more than for them to succeed, but that’s also what makes me so critical of the products they put out. They have to be class leading on all fronts, and it seems like all too often they regress on certain features or design items, when I know they can do better. Just because you push your kids to do better doesn’t mean you don’t still love them. GM has to build cars that fit the market, and where it’s headed. They can not dictate the trends like they did in the old days.
The point I am trying to make is one car can’t check every box and be great at doing everything. So then the car is only good at many things instead of being great at what it was intended for.
I don’t want a car made for me that’s what certain people do who complain about cars. They want a camaro to function like a minivan or a family car which it’s Not!
As for not having enough money to have different cars and trucks for different occasions. Well that’s a personal problem. I would prefer that cars and trucks be built for specific reasons and if I have to own three cars to take car of my needs then so be it.
Sports car to have fun in
SUV to haul family around
4×4 to do work and go play in the mud
Instead people would rather have one vehicle that kind of does each one which is ridiculous!
You were in diapers for most of the 70s. You probably still are in them.
I’m an ageing gen x (49). I agree Buick needs to move higher, Lexus, and Cadillac higher yet. A few years back we had a 2004 Cadillac CTS and a 2005 Cadillac SRX, our cousins were visiting, I overheard there millennial kids say “dad what kind if car is that its cool” there dad said, “that’s Cadillac it’s an old persons car” and there dad is my age, and they were driving a Chrysler mini van. Buick the same. So once again we are at the GM game. ” We GM make as good of car as they do, we GM just need to get people to give us a chance. I can tell you my whole family history going back to 1909 and what they drove for car brands it started with GM. Even my grandpa, when I was a kid Chevrolet pickups, grain trucks. My uncle Chevrolet trucks, Buick cars, I learned to drive his Chevrolet pickup. My mom Cadillac car. Now my generation X. We will start with our parents so you can watch what happens. My mom Cadillac – Me Cadillac, GMC, Chevrolet, 8 total. My sister was Chevrolet, Buick, Hummer, Her husband and his parents Chevrolet, Buick. NOW my sister and husband, Lincoln, Ford, 8 at least, but still at least 1 Corvette. His parents though, Ford, Lincoln. My brother Chevrolet. My other brother Chevrolet, his millennial kids, BMW, Ford. My uncle Ram, Mercedes. His son, Toyota, Audi. His daughter Ford. Now I could go on and on but the reason they all switched from GM was for a better vehicle, and better service. I doubt for a $1,000 or $2,000 they will switch back. Easter is coming up and we will all sit and talk how much $$ we have spent over the years on vehicles, GM will not come out on top. Maybe GM makes a better vehicle now, then the last 25 years, but so does everyone else. I will tell you from experience there customer relations / service is not better. When Chevrolet used to have the most vehicles on the road they were on top, Toyota the same. Until GM makes a good car and learns to fix them ( the problems they know they have) regardless of who drives them or who bought them, for a decent amount of mileage, its not going to matter what they call them. They GM have been doing this for years, Malibu or Corsica or Lumina or Impala or Park Ave. or Lucerne or Lacrosse. Why not try something new, listen more to the customer not so much the dealer, fix what the customer wants fixed, and make a vehicle that will last. Our 2014 Cadillac ATS is NOT a better car than our 2004 Cadillac CTS was and our 2015 GMC Canyon is NOT a better vehicle than our 2005 Cadillac SRX and our 2017 GMC Denali 2500HD is not a better truck than our 2007 Silverado 2500HD was, less power, less mileage, less comfort, terrible transmission shifts, no acceleration spunk, ( the new Denali HD has more power than the 2007 HD ) Just my opinion and experience. What GM calls them will not matter, who knows in a few years they mite be called what they used to be (Impala).
Again your experience may vary, I’m very satisfied with 3 of the GM vehicles in my daily driver fleet, which have provide great service and dependability since 2005. The few times I’ve ever had to take one to the dealer, the service was also very good.
I do agree with that, the since 2005. My 2004,2005, and 2007 had less trouble and went to the dealer less than our 2014,2015,2017. And our 2004,2005,2007 had 420,000 miles combined and our 2014,2015,2017 have 59,000 miles combined.
I’ve been a loyal GM guy for 40+/- years. I have to say that I don’t many (if any, at all) who know what the heck the tri-shield logo means. I guess anyone interested in the butt-end of a Buick will have to drive around to find a dealership with the tri-shield logo on their sign.
The shields came from Buick’s founder as an homage to his Scottish heritage.
Can’t remember the details –
So true talk to a young girl at buick customer service (she did not even know what an opel was? and this is a person that is GM expert
You Google “Encore” and be wowed what you liked was a Buick
Well I have enough confidence in Buick that it will be the compelling design and products that will sell the car not a porthole or Buick name on the rear.
If people think enough of what the car is they will learn what it is.
The car makes the name not the name making the car.
To be honest I think some other GM models could cut back on emblems. My GMC has way too many names and emblems on the tailgate. It has three names on a Canyon tailgate way too many.
GMC is both a nameplate and a logo. But GMC doesn’t print out GMC as a word on the back of the car the way Buick does. In fact — neither do Chevy or Cadillac. So really Buick would be joining the rest of GM.
Oldsmobile did this very same thing in 1990s as Harry Belafonte’s daughter belted out to American that “This is not your father’s Oldsmobile. This is the new generation of Oldsmobile”. The terrible gingle still sticks in my head and was considered a milestone for the brand.
” That’s not a Buick” was just a play on old GM statagy more than a copy of Opel’s Tina Mueller.
The daughters of other stars did that ad, too, including Ringo Starr’s and Leonard Nimoy’s (she did the “space wagon” Silhouette and Mr. Spock himself appears as a hologram).
WHY? Oldsmobile tried this, and it did not work! I’m proud of my BUICK, and want people to know what it is. They need all the brand awareness they can get right now.
The difference is Olds had not one worthy model. Name one.
The Aurora was their best and Still fell far short.
On the other hand the two new Buick’s are enough to draw attention in a positive way. The Enclave by most is prized enough if you say Enclave people know that is a Buick.
GM at one point it was difficult to tell a Regal from a Cutlass. Today there is nothing like a Regal on the Market.
The Buick SUV models are doing fine and the cars will live or die mostly if they can withstand a harsh sedan market.
Anyone with Buick in their name would be expected to feel as you do but the average public is not behold to the name.
If you really trust the product is good enough to live it will live.
The Buick name on a trunk lid or hatch is not going to save Buick. The only thing that will save them is continued relevant products.
Look to GMC the GMC is mostly identified by Denali today. You do not even have to say what model and people form an impression based on what a Denali package represents.
I hope the time comes Avenir works the same way is known on sight.
I am naming one: The Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme! It outsold many other sedans in a single year.
The purpose of my comment was simply to point out GM recycling a prior gimmic.
In this instance it’s very obvious that with only one model that this is an experiment.
Also, the logic is probably to create more space for Avenir, at least in N A. To, in essence, remove the Buick from Avenir products much as Benz does with it’s various lines sharing a logo.
And, btw, the situation at Olds wasn’t quite as sad as you paint. The Aurora, given the state of GM quality at the time, was pretty slick.
I’m a little biased towards Oldsmobile too, but how did the Aurora fall short? One of the greatest problems was that people didn’t know what it was, or who made it. Perhaps it is different now that almost everyone has easy access to the internet to find out, but people have short attention spans, perhaps shorter than ever these days. I had a Cutlass Supreme in those days, and several mistook it for a Pontiac. I also dated a girl that bought an Alero, and her co-workers were arguing over whether it was made by Acura or Infiniti. Oldsmobile had the added problem of changing the logo to something new and different further adding to the problem. Buick needs to be careful, as Avenir is not an established name yet either. Leaving the Buick nameplate off isn’t going to sell any MORE cars. The haters are still going to know what it is, but your average upper middle class suburbanite that might like the car/crossover is likely to be confused.
Well I would see how the Aurora is doing but since Olds tanked with the Aurora I guess it would be hard to judge.
The first gen made some progress but the second gen was just another GM rebadge. It failed miserably.
A good case is the Cutlass. It was a great seller in the RWD G body. People loved it for the styling and content. The then went FWD and it failed to do as the RWD did. Then some genius came up with the idea of the Culass Ciera and Cutlass Calais.
They were of the thinking a name would change people’s minds. Well they both also failed.
For Buick to succeed they need to make vehicles people want. They need to focus on compelling style, utility, value, quality and image.
If they can focus on this they will do well no matter what name is or is not on the car.
For a name to mean much it has to hold great value in the eye of the public. In China Buick does this in America not so much. Few people here know or care about any Buick in the last 50 years. We had no emperor that prized them.
While many of us that did care about Buick remember the past in a positive light we are in the minority.
Even cars like the GN help little today in this kind of market.
Like it or not the future of Buick’s are the CUV and SUV lines. They are what people want today and Buick actually is gaining traction here. I do not want to see them leave cars but if the needle does not move with what they have we could see all utility models before the dust settles.
These are difficult times for cars be it a sedan or coupe. I saw at the show how the people were drawn to the utilities Buick offered and none were looking at the tailgate.
You build it right and market it well people will know who and what it is even with no name on the car.
Leaving the name off may or may not sell more cars. But not building it right no matter the name will not sell more either.
Buick doesn’t have an SUV (yet), only CUVs.
Is this car made in China?
No, because it isn’t a “car”.
“Before you start scrolling, perhaps vehemently, to the comments section in order to share your thoughts on the matter, we feel obligated to note that only the Buick brand plate – the one that that writes out “Buick” on the rear of the vehicle – is going away.”
Sadly, nobody is reading the label.
While I understand some reasoning to why Buick would do this, not everyone is going to recognize a model ie. Encore to Buick as well as not everyone and I would suggest more than half the buying public recognizes a brands crest to that brand. At the same time for some it might convey a message that Buick is ashamed of their brand which there is no reason be. Instead feel that Buick would be smarter to be proud of the refreshed product portfolio and the direction it’s going as well as to utilize some smart marketing, which means stop with the “That’s not your father’s Buick” type messaging. This to me from my perspective gives me message that if I bought a Buick they’re so low on totem pole that people should expect sub par vehicles.
Buick should be encouraging pride of owning a Buick and that needs a nameplate to do it, it’s now becoming common place for Buick’s to related or compared with some premium brands which is healthy for a brand. The time will come when some see’s Buick but can’t se nameplate and associates it with another brand like a Lexus, then visit a Lexus dealership which on the one hand is a compliment but also leads to a conquest sale. Now if Buick decided to something like attach the Buick name to the model, meaning take a Lacrosse badge and underneath in smaller text but legible text reveal Buick there, that at least eliminates what it is when seen by buying public.
Bad Idea.
Many cars are sold, by liking what you see, and going to the dealer that sells the vehicle.
Do you expect people to go home and Google the model name to see who makes it?
I don’t get how people get sucked in by dealers. Salesmen kill it for me. I want what I want.
Good way of getting rid of brand names eventually the new customers will not associate the name to the symbol. Long term one brand like MB, Toyota etc. No need for Chevrolet, Buick, GMC or Cadillac. Your choice we’ll offer General Motors Bolt- good, Volt -better, Electro – best and Electrolux – extra special. Self driving cars will change the society we have today. The bad guys will still have illegal cars where they can drive and use as a get away vehicles. Far fetched? Maybe, just think about it. The corporate planners are.
Thing is good marketing means marketing a brand before product, you sell a brand before the product and we’re only seeing more it each and every day thanks to social media. Marketing and selling a product comes secondary to brand, if you’re not marketing a Buick but the product (Encore, Regal, Lacrosse etc.) instead you’ll short change yourself with your entire portfolio.
I kind of agree that GM could be GM then just make whatever. If they just name the same car whatever anyway. I think they tried the GM thing already, remember the small GM square on everything. It only matters to a small number of US buyers. GM needs to focus more on the product and the customer. Make a better product, fix it when its not until it is and continue on. No one will care what its called. Sounds like an internal blame game ” we can’t sell those because people think there a Buick.” Maybe its not a good enough car that simple.
Nice pictures but if you want to entice me to buy a premium vehicle then showing me pictures of the car in some mundane suburb won’t work. There are thousands of pictures of great homes and or sites on Pintrest. If it were a European company they would spear no expense doing such things and forget about billions on incentive.
Nice car, no Buick logo – hmmm, that can’t be good. Pictures of my neighborhood – i fell asleep.
Electra, Wildcat, Park Avenue, Rivera…. Buick use to stand for something…. now we have a bunch of marketing people ashamed of the product they push.
But the problem is when the brand name is damaged it then become a liability.
Many see a name and discount the car before even look or drive it.
Let’s face it the Lacrosse is a better car than most yet no one even considers it.
The truth is all those cars were great cars but it was how many years ago?
Today most buyers in this segment were not even alive and only remember the crappy Somersets and Skylark FWD models they were stuck with driving to school oil leaks and rough iron dukes and all.
To day it is more about what have you done lately and convince me you are better. People today generally like what they have so you need to be very compelling to get the to change. Styling is key and value with features others don’t have.
Just look at some of the best selling cars. They have crap for names but yet they sell like crazy.
Let’s not forget how the marketing folks jacked around with the Lacrosse name. First it was the replacement for the Century and Regal. Then it was the replacement for the Park Avenue and Lucerne. Talk about confusing the customer. Then the French meaning ” rip off “
This idea really doesn’t make much sense , if your proud of the product you are trying to sell you will put your name on it . Sometimes the best advertising you can get is to see it , and in this case people may see a Buick on the road that they like and won’t have a clue as to what the tri-shield means .
This move is nuts , especially as they are coming out withe Avenir trim level , not all consumers are as knowledgeable about emblems as we are .
Oldsmobile did the same thing with the Aurora , the only place you saw the divisions name was on the radio . They wanted the car to speak for itself and the company was in dire straits then . The car was well received at the time and was a complete departure from anything else they built .
China may well be the reason why , they love Buick and know what they are . Here in the States the division is in trouble , they sell their S/CUV’s but can’t give away their luxury car and it was brand new . Buick isn’t even on the list of millenial customers . Buick is still considered a car for older folks or doctors and dentists .
I live in a college town and where the Envision is made and never see one on the road or in the parking facility on campus .
They don’t have enough brand identity to rely only on the tri-shield emblem alone . This is a bad move .
As a long time GM MAN OF almost 45 years and owner of many GM CARS. I feel Buick should leave the nameplate ON. i TAKE PRIDE IN SEEING THAT NAME FOR THE QUALITY CAR IT IS.
another dumb move from GM –yes -they did the same to Oldsmobile with the Aurora, i had a 1997 great car put 187K and people asked what brand of car is this –dumb idea to remove the nameplate . as to the remarks that Olds did not have any worthy models i guess you weren’t around in the 40’s ,50’s 60’s 70’s 80’s when Olds was famous for the Rocket 88s –Starfire , Super 88s –1st fwd Toronado — Cutlass Supreme ( some years holding the best selling model in America ) 442 models , Aurora 1st American sport sedan in 1995 –Bravada suv smart track system .. All these models sold better than Buick models –but GM killed Oldsmobile .
The Aurora failed to save olds. The Bravada was a badged engineered Blazer.
The Supremes better years died with the RWD model.
The truth is Pontiac was on the bubble first till they had a resurgence in the 80’s. Then Olds went on the bubble as Buick was still stronger. By the end Chia became a factor that saved Buick while Olds and Pontiac failed.
The truth is if not for China there would be no Buick.
Todays market is very expensive to market and develop models and most companies are good when left to two brands anymore.
The reality is GM hung onto Pontiac and Olds way too long. Hummer should have been a GMC and Saturn was starved to death.
I am a Pontiac guy but the reality is todays market is about maximizing profits. It is all about return on investment not how many models you can sell. Being sentimental does not pay the bills. Harsh but reality.
To the guy that questioned whether Chevy was cool in the seventies?
You bet!
To some it meant “baseball, hot dog, apple pie and Chevrolet”
To others it meant Camero and Corvette
To others it meant street racer with modified parts
To a sizeable amount of people it meant buying from the second largest auto brand in the world (even if it was just the Americas (north, central, and south). If your not old enough, you can be forgiven.
I’m too young. We had an old 74 Malibu coupe but it wasn’t considered cool in a meatless (no hot dogs) & no baseball kinda family
I own an Envision and am proud to let people know it is a Buick.
I think it is a mistake to do away with the Buick name.
When I drive around I am always looking at the name on vehicles as part of my homework
on purchasing my next vehicle. Few people know what all the logos mean on all vehicles.
There are several small SUVs that all look very similar that the name is very important as lots of people do not know the models of each manufacture.
I would hate to see the Buick name removed from the Envision as a Buick Envision owner.
I’m sure this has something to do with China and the “Buick” script being an English name. In time, they may morph into using a Chinese word as their name much like “Datsun” transitioned from using a name which had been created for English-speaking markets back to their actual Japanese name of Nissan. Future “Buicks” could be badged as Ding Wong or something similar.
As far as I am concerned, there’s nothing left of David Dunbar Buick’s company anyway so the name might as well go away too.
What are the dealers going to do? Take the Buick sign down in front of their dealership and just put the logo up in it’s place. Harley Earl must be turning over in his grave.
I wish Chevrolet would eliminate their decal from their cars. It is too large and ugly. You don’t see that decal on the front of the corvette.
The people will still be able to write down encore and do some research to find out where they can go take a look at one.
Complaining about nothing again!
Maybe instead of the Buick nameplate they can replace it with “made in China” for the Envision, and “made in Germany” for the Opel-based Regal wagon and hatchback.
…and Made in Korea for the Encore. And Made in Poland for the Cascada. Buick is the new Saturn; a mere repository for GM products designed and made worldwide. The days of Buick, as an iconic American carmaker are gone. The Great American Road no longer belongs to Buick.
Here, me, a long term, older GM buyer for life, having done much analytical comparison prior to each purchase. I keep vehicles for long timeframes and keep detailed records on operational costs. GM products, treated as a vehicle should be treated, over time, have been great value (I watch neighbor, friends, and family and their vehicle experiences as a comparison). Point here is GM does well, dollar for dollar, in my opinion, and needs to keep ONE NAME on the vehicle (or advertise heavily long term, what a LOGO stands for). The public in America today is very shallow and needs to be lead, if a product is to be successful. Given enough time, tons of exposure, the right words, and manipulating pictures a “MESSAGE” can convince the public to eat “dog food” …. my opinion. SO, KEEP ONE NAME …. or, BUILD an EXTREMELY RECOGNIZABLE LOGO … on each vehicle. Be proud, but humble, about your product GM. ……. (4 GM vehicles in driveway) … gene.
I was just thinking: The artist formerly known as Prince. The carmaker formerly known as Buick. There’s a parallel there.
The parallels between what happened at Oldsmobile and now Buick is concerning . I would not be suprised in the next ten years GM does away withe division . Now they have 3 crossovers that are keeping the doors open and China is Buick’s biggest market .
As the evolution of the automobile continues from the last 100+ years of ICE’s , we are going to see more PHEV’s and EV’s enter the market just look at GM’s future plans , 20 EV’s in the next 5 years . This is an expensive plan and we have seen Mary Barra lately asking for help from our Government ( tax incentives ) which will help the corporation save money and gain a foothold in this new market and keep their assembly plants working at capacity to actually make money .
Doing all of this , GM is to big and won’t need all the divisions they currently have . Building an EV do you really need 4 different types of the same vehicle ? GM wants to be a global giant and China is an emerging market that has it’s own rules on what type of cars are sold now in their country . It will end up being a race for global market share of EV’s and it may even leave behind other automakers that can’t keep up in their own R&D .
It wasn’t long ago that some thought we would have to have a massive change in our highway infrastructure for these cars , and as we see now that isn’t going to be needed .
Just my $0.02 . 🙂
I like it. Then…they can implement a performance line of Buick RWD vehicles that are not as luxury focused and use a Logo with only one shield….and they can make that shield RED…and maybe a touch pointier at the bottom and more angled at the top….but still no brand name on the back of the car……yes.
WHO is making these rediculous decisions at General Motors?? Senior top management has nothing more important to work on? “Hey boss, I have an idea: lets take the Buick nameplate off of the cars of the division that started GM.” BRILLIANT! Would Audi VW Toyota, Porche, Ferrari. Astin Martin do this? NO. They are slipping backwards again: The no-nothings are back in control.
Regarding branding and such there’s a bigger discussion to be had here. We’ve got —
BUICK — A weak car brand with smaller SUVs, not trucks. More luxury than Chevrolet.
GMC — A strongre brand of truck and bigger SUV brand, not cars. More luxury than Chevrolet.
BOTH BRANDS — have luxury brands within them (Avenir & Denali)
From this perspective I see FOUR brands which should really be TWO brands.
If (as many above) suggest Buick is a kind of ‘meh’ name for selling cars but GMC isn’t… lose Buick. Right? Give the cars that Buick makes to GMC. So that GMC becomes a complete upgrade to Chevrolet.
So say you wanted a fancy Encore. It would be a GMC Encore Avenir. If you wanted a fancy Acadia… it would be a GMC Acadia Denali. No more mention of Buicks… but Buicks offered just the same.
This is presuming consumers LIKE the GMC brand and can imagine GMC cars as a thing. If they can’t, nevermind.
I did my math wrong. It should be one brand (GMC) with perhaps one luxury brand within (Denali). Wouldn’t that really simplify all marketing? And then GM would be known as CHEVROLET, GMC, & CADILLAC.
I will just say in my opinion, GMC – Denali sales are up over the last few years do to the terrible cars and marketing at Cadillac. When you can buy a GMC -Yukon- Denali for less money than a Cadillac- Escalade and lets just say not deal with the Cue, but get ALL of everything else, performance etc. Sedans GM has to many of the same thing only different. This is my take:
Chevrolet :
small / cheap sedans, and hatchbacks, electric or not – FWD.
Midsize / affordable sedans, electric or not FWD with one model RWD sharing RWD platform with Cadillac.
Full size / affordable sedans, electric or not FWD with one model AWD sharing AWD platform with Cadillac.
4 SUVs / Compact, Small, Midsize, Full Size / affordable, FWD and FWD/AWD
Pickups / midsize, 1500, 2500 HD, 3500 HD, 4500HD/ affordable work trucks
GMC :
2 SUVs / Midsize, Full Size / Denali / Upper End / RWD and RWD/AWD
Pickups / Midsize, 1500, 2500 HD, 3500 HD, Denali / Upper End Truck
Cadillac :
Small, Sporty Coupe / RWD / High End ALL Options
Midsize, Sporty, Sedan, Coupe / RWD and RWD/AWD / High End ALL Options
Full Size, Sporty, Sedan / FWD and FWD/AWD / High End ALL options
Full Size, Sporty, Sedan, Coupe / RWD and RWD/AWD / High End ALL Options
Large, Sedan, RWD and RWD/AWD / High End ALL Options
Midsize SUV, Sporty / RWD and RWD/AWD / High End ALL Options
Next Size SUV, FWD and FWD/AWD / High End ALL Options
Full Size SUV, RWD and RWD/AWD / High End ALL Options
I wonder how many people here agree that the Bill Mitchell Buicks of the 60’s and early 70’s were some of the best we have seen. The 65 Riviera is an amazing car.
But did you hear anyone complain that the Riviera did not have Buick on the back in 64-65? Did anyone mistake it for a Cadillac? Even the other cars many had the name of the car large but it only has a small Buick as a lower inset that could not be read from more than 4 feet.
To me the Rivera was proof that if a vehicle is properly designed you really needs no labels to tell you what it is.
We still have the Buick Shields that are very well recognized and often part of the trim.
No need to put Buick, The Shield, Envision and Avenir at some point all on the back of the vehicle.
Anyways this is not the first time a Buick did not say Buick on the back and it worked out well before.
Build a better compellingly styled vehicle, quality at a competitive price and people will buy it emblem or not.
Even worse when they put a Flex fuel emblem on it.
This is ALL senior management has to work on these days? “Lets take the nameplate off of the car that was the first car in the future portfolio which led to the creation of General Motors itself.” This decision after the previous total fail the last time some genius suggested this. (Oldsmobile). Make cars people want (and want to drive) and they’ll buy them even with a nameplate that says: “Acme” on the trunk.
GM is heading into a spiral again while the Senior Execs get rewarded with multi-million salaries and bonuses for decisions like this. Amazing
Of course they will spin this as brand perception when in reality it’s GM up to their old decontenting tricks again. Remove a badge here, a glove box light their or a rear seat map pocket or an LED strip in the rear doors. They do this on most every model in it’s second or third model year to recoup costs.
Funny I heard back in the day when they started to remove the hood ornaments that many claimed how are we going to tell all the cars apart?
Many predicted that brands would fail and that management was making grave mistakes.
The truth is that which is worthy to survive will survive on their own merits of desirability, price, quality etc.
If you think five letters on the back of this vehicle will prove its demise than the car has a lot not going for it in the first place.
How many people here refuse to buy a car because it had an emblem on the back?
To be honest I have pulled many off over the years to clean up the clutter.
Again look at the back of the 1965 Buick Riviera. It says Grand Sport on the left if so equipped and it says Riviera on the right. Would it make it a better car if they crammed Buick in there someplace?
Bill Mitchell evidently did not think so.
There is no substitute for great distinctive styling.
Look again, Bill stuck Buick under Riviera in small letters
just curious about how old a lot of you are? when i was growing up it was all about “room room room” the buick’s were very nice put up against other cars of the era. for the most part a family man with three kids and maybe a dog did not have 70,000 for a chevrolet tahoe lets say. today with a home price hitting a million dollars (california) you are looking at a mortgage and car payment it takes both parties working full time just to do as well as are parents did I would never look at a bmw wagon (small) that would have a monthly payment close to our mortgage payment. and yes we make really good money
Typically there are 3 badges; make, model, and trim. Since Buick puts the model and trim together on one side, they felt the need for 2 make badges to balance it out. The Tri Shield and the brand plate. On my Regal GS, I removed the letters since they’re redundant.
I’m jealous of your GS. I’m an Opel “fan boy”, am considering TourX but love this new sportback, too.
I like Buick, too, but only do cars and not CUVs.
Also, I prefer Opel’s meaner, sharper LED front lights.
I’ve been with Pontiac since my first two Grand Ams ( God, I miss those two cars ). Had a G5,G6 and currently a Torrent. All of which I have no regrets owning. Each person has her/his own thoughts/opinions/issues/et al with cars and trucks. Personally, it’s been an honor for me to do business with GM. By the way, just purchased my first Buick, a 2016 Verano ( might have misspelled that, so ‘ opps’ if I did ) . Can’t wait to get behind the wheel for a road trip.
The problem I see with no “Buick” on the back is that someone who is not a “car person” will see one, like it, and head off to the Toyota dealer and buy what they thought they saw. The Toyota three overlapping ellipses logo will look close enough to the Buick tri shield logo for enough people, who won’t even care that they are different.
is Buick getting embarrassed –Put the nameplate on where it should be and be proud of your design and product so people will know what it is another stupid idea from our friends at GM
I’m 42, and the Buicks I’ve owned were excellent cars. I bought my first new Buick as a “young man”, a loaded 2007 Rendezvous, and it was the perfect family vehicle. Everyone who rode in it and gave it a fair chance loved it, and it gave us 9 trouble free years and over 100,000 miles.
You don’t change people’s minds about a brand with logos, clever commercials, or renaming models. You change them with the product itself.
GM will have no trouble selling the Enclave to upper suburbia. It looks phenomenal, befitting a premium brand.
The Envision is tepid, poor exterior styling, needs to look like a mini Enclave.
Encore is fine for what it is, they could pull it up market a couple thousand dollars worth with higher end interior, but otherwise, it’s the gateway drug for Buick.
The cars are good, but not off the charts, and GM won’t make them off the charts great at a loss. Consumers don’t want cars, so there’s no financial reason to.
In short I’d suggest GM:
1. Overhaul Envision ASAP. It needs to stand out in the compact crossover crowd.
2. Plan to move Regal to the Alpha platform once the current Opel derived model runs its course. From there they can create a coupe, a sedan, a wagon, even a return of the Grand National.
Look at most (if not all) of the new Chevrolets. Trunk lids, lift gates and tailgates have model name (Impala, Malibu, Volt, Bolt, Silverado, Colorado etc.), Bow Tie and trim level (LS, LT, LTZ etc.). The word “CHEVROLET” is nowhere to be seen. Must be a GM thing to not acknowledge the specific brand. How long before the Corvette will just be some combination of letters and numbers with no reference to Chevrolet or Corvette. I think some of the foreign manufacturers are doing the same thing.
And the bow-tie has grown to gigantic size. Wife’s ’15 Impala compared to her ’08 for example. Buick, also somewhat.
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i grew up with Buick. My family had a 1964 Black Buick Special wagon with a red interior. It was our last new car w/o AC.
My dad was a salesman so he always bought wagons. We also had a 19665 Buick Sportwagon light green with a green interior. I remember driving away from the dealer after taking delivery sitting in the third seat looking through the raised sky roof. We had two used Buicks, a 1956 sedan, maybe it was a Buick Special and a blue metallic 1962 LeSabre. Also over the years a 1971 Lemans Sport Coupe, Castillan Bronze & Beige with a 350 2 barrel V8, a 1971 Catalina Wagon with the second largest V8 avaialble. That was a great car lasted 140,000 miles or so. The Lemans was not that well built but great to drive. Also a 1967 Dodge Monaco, white with the wood panel decal and a gold interior that had front bucket seats. That was a great car the green 1970 Monaco wagon that followed wasn’t so great. Additionally a 1971 Mark 3 Black with Saddle Leather and a cursed 1973 Charger, Gold, with Gold interior and half Black vinly roof. That was the car my Dad was killed in. Also a 1975 Ram passenger van with a raised roof. Anyway the point is that leaving the Buick name off the cars is a stupid move. GM should be proud of Buick and display its name. Buick used to be strictly made in the USA but now Buicks come from all over . I would like to see at least one Buick built here maybe the Envison? I am a 2 time Saturn owner and I could spend hours writing all the stupid moves the “old” GM made regarding Saturn. I do mean stupid. The same with Pontiac. Hopefully GM will not do to Buick what it did with Saturn and Pontiac.
I really like the Encore and again hopefully GM will not screw that up with the redesign. I pray that the new 9 speed transmission is not as troublesome as the F/C version. I expect Chrysler products to screw up and GM ‘perhaps Ford to do a better job overall. My ION is not the dung heap Car & Driver stated it to be. It may not be the most elegant and exciting car but it was a F/C or Ford small car it would have been scrap heap material by now. I have looked a lot of cars and if I were able to purchase one I would look at either a certified Trax or Encore. At this time I would keep my ION if I were buying one of those. It has very low miles, still runs great & isn’t worth a warm bucket of spit when trading it in. I have seen IONs at higher prices on the used car market than I expected. Selling a 13 year old car privately will not bring in much more tahn a dealer.
I will not be buying any more NEW (or used) Buicks (or other products from “Global Motors”), Had new 1980 Regal, 1986 LeSabre Estate Wagon, 2008 Lacrosse Super, and currently my wife drives a 2015 Enclave. Bought a very slightly used 1974 Corvette from a neighbor in October 1974. Since then, with the exception of a new 2002
Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited, we have purchased 14 NEW GM vehicles. The most recent ones are a 2017 GMC Yukon Denali (Special Ordered) and a 2019 Corvette convertible. These are the last new GM vehicles I will buy! (I only bought the 2019 Corvette because I already currently own 2 other Corvettes (1963 Convertible and 1974 Coupe) and the 2019 is the last true “folding top” convertible and last front engine Corvette.) Otherwise NO NEW GM products!
As far as Buick, the 2019 Enclave is the only new Buick assembled in the US (from “Global” parts)! The Envision was designed and is built in China! The Encore was designed in Korea and is built in Korea and China! The Regals are “badge” engineered Opels built in Germany by French automaker Groupe PSA (Peugeot S.A. and Citroën) in PSA assembly plants. (Not even made by GM). Likewise for the former Cascada Convertible, only it has been built in Poland by PSA in a PSA factory.
I will produ