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Friday, 20 April 2007 |
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Owned by General Motors, Buick is one of this country's oldest brands,
with a rich tradition of innovation that dates back to the turn of the
century. Aimed at traditional American luxury-car buyers, Buick cars
tend to place a priority on a plush ride rather than sporty
performance. Although historically known for catering to retirement-age
customers with its full-size sedans, the automaker's lineup now
includes SUVs and minivans designed to bring younger buyers into the
showrooms of Buick dealers.
The company was founded in 1903 by David Dunbar Buick, a
Scottish industrialist. He built his first car in 1904; called the
Model B, it had a two-cylinder engine with an advanced-for-its-time
overhead-valve cylinder head design. In 1907, Buick unveiled its first
four-cylinder production car, dubbed the Model D. The following year,
the Flint, Michigan-based Buick Motor Company was bought by William C.
Durant as part of a new company called General Motors. By 1914, all
Buick cars were built with six-cylinder engines and purchased primarily
by upper-class professionals, thus earning the nickname "doctor's
cars."
The manufacturer proved itself a trailblazer in the early 1920s when it
introduced four-wheel brakes. This technology had been seen before on
custom-built cars, but Buick was the first to figure out how to
successfully apply it to mass-produced vehicles. Eight-cylinder Buick
cars emerged in the 1930s and became immensely popular; these advanced
engines received steady improvements for several years. The '30s also
saw Buick's introduction of the industry's first rear turn signal to
use a flasher.
Models such as the Estate Wagon and the ever popular
Roadmaster kept Buicks happily ensconced in driveways all across the
nation in the 1940s. In 1948, Buick introduced Dynaflow, the first
torque converter-type automatic transmission offered in U.S. passenger
cars. The 1950s and 1960s witnessed Buick continuing to zoom ahead of
the curve; it was among the first to offer vehicles with power brakes
and steering, and 12-volt electrical systems. The marque was also
behind the introduction of the first American V6 passenger car engine.
Buick made its name as a manufacturer of stately land barges, such as
the Electra 225, but by the '70s and '80s, the automaker had downsized
its offerings to meet changing demand. For 1977, Buick unveiled a
lineup of smaller, revamped luxury and full-size sedans. In the Reagan
years, compact and midsize sedans secured a firm foothold in the
automaker's lineup.
Today, Buick specializes in plush sedans, SUVs and even offers
a minivan. As is the case with some other GM brands, however, it is
struggling to find a secure niche against increased globalization and
competition. In an ideal future, it will be able to attract younger
customers with new products without abandoning its rich heritage or
alienating its traditionally loyal customers.
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