Who Owns Buick?

Buick is an American auto brand based in Detroit, Michigan. The company was founded in 1899 by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick. Buick received a patent for a valve-in-head engine in 1904 and manufactured 37 vehicles.

Buick increased production to 8,800 by 1908, becoming one of the top competitors for Ford, Maxwell, and Olds Motor Works. In 2023, the brand’s sales surged 61% across the entire portfolio. The Buick Encore GX model posted a 92% sales increase, followed by Envision at 71% and Enclave at 29%. [1]

Buick is America’s oldest active automobile manufacturer and one of the world’s first car brands. The company has been operational for over 120 years. In 2023, Buick topped the JD Power Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) rankings with an 824 score out of 1,000. Buick has topped as No. 1 or 2 in the SSI study nine times in the last 11 years. [2]

Buick has stayed ahead of competitors for over 120 years by refreshing its portfolio to meet consumers’ evolving needs. The company introduced the Buick Encore GX in 2020. Then, it discontinued the Encore in 2022 after the Encore GX became North America’s top-selling Buick model in.

In 2023, Buick launched the all-new Envista SUV based on a Wildcat EV concept that blends a Jet Age ethos with an electric coupe shape. But who owns Buick? [3]

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Who is Buick’s Parent Company?

General Motors (GM) owns Buick. GM is America’s largest auto manufacturer. Founded in 1908, GM serves consumers globally from its headquarters in Detroit, Michigan. GM’s portfolio also includes Chevrolet and Cadillac.

Buick is GM’s premium auto brand, selling vehicles priced above Chevrolet and below the luxury Cadillac division. As of Dec 2023, GM had 163,000 employees. [4]

GM is the parent company of Buick, Chevrolet, and Cadillac. All three are iconic brands founded over 100 years ago. GM also owns GMC, Holden, Baojun, Jiefang, Wuling, and Cruise marques.

In Dec 2023, the company announced its plans to lay off around 1,300 employees at two Michigan factories. The move came after a one-year production delay on the Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV from 2024 to 2025. [5]

GM’s brands offer different car types, including sedans, roadsters, trucks, crossovers, limos, and SUVs. Each brand has several models, like the Buick Encore GX, Chevrolet Silverado, and Cadillac Escalade. In 2023, GM sold 2.6 million vehicles, up 14% from 2022.

Buick posted sales growth across all GM brands with 61%, followed by Chevrolet at 13%, GMC at 9%, and Cadillac at 9%. The parent company sold 75,883 EVs, up 93% from 2022. [6]

GM plans to increase EV production – the Cadillac Lyriq, Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC Hummer EV, and Chevrolet Blazer EV. The company is also launching the Chevrolet Equinox EV, Cadillac Escalade IQ, Cadillac Celestiq, and Cadillac Optiq.

In 2022, Buick requested its dealers to commit $300,000-$400,000 to prepare their stores to sell and service EVs. The investment is too high for some small outlets. Around half of Buick dealers took buyouts in 2023 rather than invest in selling and servicing EVs. As of Dec 2023, GM had about 1,000 Buick stores nationwide, down 47% from Jan 2023. [7]

Image Credit Arthur Hinton — Image Credit: Arthur Hinton

Buick’s Ownership History

David Buick is the original owner and founder of Buick. He incorporated the Buick Motor Company in May 1903 in Detroit, Michigan. The venture was financed by Buick’s friend and auto enthusiast, Benjamin Briscoe. In Sep 1903, Briscoe sold control of the business to James Whiting. David Buick stayed with the company as a manager.

William Durant joined Buick Motor as a controlling investor after James Whiting ran out of capital. Durant used his fortune from the Durant-Dort Carriage Company to introduce the Buick Model C and expand production.

David Buick sold his stock to Durant in 1906 and left the company. Durant founded General Motors (GM) in 1908 and grew GM through strategic acquisitions. He purchased the Elmore plant and all its assets in Sep 1909. This Elmore GM Division employed about 400 workers and produced four cars daily by 1911. [8]

Durant turned Buick into America’s top-selling auto brand within four years. GM launched The Durant Guild as its premium import business in China to celebrate founder Durant and his contribution. In 2023, GM and its Durant Guild venture delivered 2.1 million vehicles in China. The Durant Guild started taking Chinese pre-orders of the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon in 2024. [9]

Buick was the first GM brand. Buick’s owner, Durant, acquired several automakers to serve as GM divisions. Durant was forced to leave the company in 1910 after his acquisition spree incurred massive debt. GM was reincorporated in 1916 during a stock buyback campaign. This event allowed Durant to rejoin GM. In 1916, Durant bought Chevrolet and added it to the GM portfolio. [10]

Durant acquired Oakland, Oldsmobile, and Cadillac, which joined Buick and Chevrolet in the GM. He restructured the five auto brands to target different consumer segments. This move transformed the automakers from rivals to strategic partners. Durant created a common GM-A platform shared by all GM vehicles to cut production costs. GM still uses this approach. In H2 2023, GM announced plans to produce all-electric vehicles based on the all-new Ultium platform. [11]

GM dominated the car manufacturing industry for decades after World War II. GM’s fortunes declined in the 1980s and 1990s due to stiff competition from Toyota and Honda. GM filed for bankruptcy in 2009, becoming majority-owned by the US government.

GM’s old shares were retired post its delisting from the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA). In 2010, the automaker relaunched with an IPO of new GM stocks. [12]

Image Credit Danny Larsen — Image Credit: Danny Larsen

Buick’s Shareholder Structure

Buick is a wholly-owned GM division offering premium sedans, coupes, and SUVs. GM’s shareholder structure includes insiders, institutions, and public investors. As of 2023, GM had 1,140,598,039 authorized shares and 1,137,212,957 free-float shares. [13]

Mary Barra has been GM CEO since Jan 2014. As of Apr 2023, Barra was GM’s largest individual shareholder with 4,168,112 shares. GM President Mark Reuss is the second-largest shareholder with 972,075 shares, followed by GM Executive VP Doug Parks at 375,012.

In May 2023, GM CFO Paul Jacobson bought 31,000 shares for $1.01 million. Jacobson now owns 186,847 shares worth around $6.1 million. [14]

GM’s 2160 institutional owners and shareholders have filed 13D/G or 13F forms with the SEC. They hold 1,23939,066,3 shares. As of Jan 2023, BlackRock Inc. was GM’s largest institutional shareholder, with 136,950,373 shares. BlackRock is a US-based investment, advisory, and risk management provider.

Vanguard Group is GM’s second-largest shareholder with 110,305,628 shares, followed by Capital World Investors at 42,565,796 and Capital Research Global at 24,700,387. Other GM shareholders include State Street Corp, Harris Associates, and Washington Mutual Investors. [15]

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