Buick

Buick (or the Buick Motor Division) is a mid-range luxury car brand headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, formally founded in 1903 by David Dunbar Buick. A subsidiary of the General Motors Corp., Buick was an integral piece in its establishment in 1908 and still serves as one of its key manufacturers, along with other big brands such as the luxury Cadillac and more mainstream Chevrolet.

Buick produced a personal brand record 1,231,941 vehicles in 2015.

Buick is the oldest active American automobile brand, outliving the earlier-founded Oldsmobile. When it comes to reliability, Buick ranks near the top, placing in the Top 10 in Consumer Reports’ brand reliability rankings.

The Buick crest has changed over the years, but the current logo features three shields, or a trishield, with the colors red, white and blue. The crest has reference to the founder, David Dunbar Buick’s, ancestral coat of arms.

Buick’s iconic features go beyond simply the crest. Another signature trait of the Buick is its ventiports. These small vents were originally placed on the front/side portion of the vehicle near the motor to allow for ventilation and to prevent it from overheating.

In addition to allowing extra cooling for the motor, these ventiports paid homage to Buick’s participation in the wartime contributions in supplying engines for aircraft.

Buick’s target demographic is the moderately rich who want a luxury car but won’t yet pay for the extravagance of a Cadillac. Buicks were originally popular among the older generation, as they are a long-standing, reliable brand, but have recently picked up traction with the younger generation.

The company’s advertising efforts have included commercials that portray Buick as an elegant, modern luxury car, debunking the “grandma car” perception by featuring spots of a concierge looking for a Buick and not being able to find it because it’s so chic. Some have compared the Buick to the Lexus ES.

Nascar is now dominated by Chevrolet, but in the late 1980s, Buicks held a large place, also being featured in the IndyCar series and the Indianapolis 500.

Buick was a longtime sponsor of the PGA’s Buick Open from 1958 to 2009. Recently, Buick has become more involved in collegiate sports including the 2016 NCAA men’s basketball March Madness tournament, serving as the official sponsor of the post-game show.