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Buicks with no Buick name, by 2019

Buick insignia
Photo: General Motors
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Daniel Rufiange
Buick lettering to disappear from the brand’s models

The efforts at rejuvenating its clientele continue at Buick. The General Motors division has decided to begin pulling the Buick name from its new models, starting in 2019.

The change is as revealing as it is seemingly minor. In fact there are two ways to interpret the move. Sometimes a name is swept under a rug because of a desire to dissociate from it. Or, it can be motivated by a realization that the design signature, which in this case retains the distinctive and widely recognized tri-shield insignia, is strong enough to ensure that the brand recognition remains healthy.

Your guess is as good as ours.

The change in badging was first noticed by the GM Authority website when it looked at some photos of the upcoming 2019 Buick Envision. Buick has since confirmed that the same alteration will be implemented in other upcoming new models; its representatives did emphasize that the names of models, for example Regal or Envision, would be visible and prominent on the backs of the vehicles.

The decision may be a surprising one, but it is far from unprecedented. Several brands already leave their names off the vehicles, beginning with Audi, Volkswagen and Hyundai. You’ll recall that when the Genesis model was launched by Hyundai in 2015, the automaker’s insignia was absent from the front grille, and only appeared on the trunk.

This past February, Buick sales rose by 1.2% in the United States; in 2017, 29,970 vehicles carrying the tri-shield insignia sold in America, a jump of 2.5% over the previous year.

2018 Buick Envision
2018 Buick Envision
Photo: General Motors
2019 Buick Envision
2019 Buick Envision
Photo: General Motors
Daniel Rufiange
Daniel Rufiange
Automotive expert
  • Over 17 years' experience as an automotive journalist
  • More than 75 test drives in the past year
  • Participation in over 250 new vehicle launches in the presence of the brand's technical specialists