China Loves Buick. Why Doesn't America?

For a company with more than 120 years of history under its belt, Buick is barely a blip on most people’s radar. For decades, it’s been the third or fourth option among newer, shinier alternatives from Japan and Korea. Even in GM's own portfolio, Buick is second fiddle to Cadillac.

But ask your grandad about Buick—he’ll probably flash back to some sultry, 17-foot-long, pastel-colored land yacht, cruising down the road with his best gal (your grandmother, of course) in the passenger seat.

It’s hard to believe a brand with such a rich heritage has faded so far into the background. Sure, Buick has made strides in recent years with actually good SUVs like the Enclave and Envista, and its recent sales reflect that. But in the larger scope, the company truly hasn’t been a top contender for decades.

In China, though, it’s a much different story.

Buick Electra GS concept

The history of how Buick became popular in China is well-told; presidents and emperors throughout the 1940s and 1950s used Buicks as a way to prominently display their wealth and influence, and that tradition stuck when the brand was reintroduced in the region in the 1990s. But the fact that Buick still flourishes 75 years after its initial introduction is no small feat.

China remains Buick’s biggest market, with nearly a dozen models on sale currently and more than 10 million cars sold there over the last three decades. In 2024, a down year, Buick still sold nearly 400,000 vehicles in China—more than double what it did in the US.

But if you know the Chinese auto market well, you know that GM hasn’t done it alone. In fact, it legally can’t. In 1997, GM inked a deal with SAIC (formerly the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation) to sell co-developed Buick vehicles locally—an even 50/50 split.

SAIC is a state-owned auto manufacturer, meaning the Chinese government has a large say in which vehicles are (or aren’t) produced there. It’s one of four state-owned automakers alongside FAW Group, Dongfeng Motor Corporation, and Changan Automobil, which each have their own local partnerships with familiar auto brands.

China remains Buick’s biggest market, with nearly a dozen models on sale currently and more than 10 million cars sold there over the last three decades.

That partnership spawned the first GM product in the region in 1999—the Buick Regal. The GL8 minivan, the first GM product built exclusively for China, followed shortly thereafter.

Even though the Regal was discontinued in the US in 2020, it lives on in China with a recent update for 2023, while the GL8 minivan remains a hugely popular option with over 2 million units sold since 1999. Dozens of other Buick models, meanwhile, have come and gone since.

More impressive, though, is what Buick has introduced in recent years; China’s unrelenting EV push has spawned stylish vehicles like the E5 SUV and L7 sedan. Recently, Buick even introduced the retro-futuristic Electra Orbit concept, which likely won’t yield a production car, but it looks awesome nonetheless.

Buick Electra Orbit Concept

Looking at Buick’s Chinese subsidiary from afar—a hugely successful auto brand with dozens of body styles and multiple powertrain options—it makes you wonder: Why isn’t Buick this much of a powerhouse in the US?

The short answer is relatively simple, as is the case with so many automotive joint ventures in China. Over the last few decades, the Chinese government has invested billions of dollars into auto manufacturing, with a focus on streamlining production, leading on electrification, and hiring hundreds of thousands of employees. The same can’t be said of the US.

Some of the specifics are… messy, with ethical questions surrounding labor practices, the lack of free market competition muddying the waters, and a single, benevolent ruling class lording over most funds. But on the surface, at least, China’s auto boom is driven largely by the government’s all-in investment in auto manufacturing.

"Buick's success in China is built on a powerful blend of brand heritage, global standards of quality, and deeply localized innovation," Executive Director of Communications for Buick and GMC Global, Sean Poppitt, tells Motor1.

"By consistently aligning with the values of Chinese consumers and investing in next-generation technologies, Buick has sustained its relevance in a highly competitive and fast-changing market."

Buick GL8 Encasa

One of Buick’s biggest drivers of success in China is the market’s unwavering demand for electric vehicles, something that can’t be said of the US. In 2024, 25 percent of all new vehicles sold in China were completely electric, with 50 percent of the total market consisting of either BEV or PHEV vehicles.

In fact, Buick’s electric lineup in China is growing so rapidly that it created an entirely new sub-brand just to keep up: Electra. Yes, the same "Electra" name that once graced the backsides of Buicks in the US now plans to pump out Chinese EVs at a record pace.

'Buick's success in China is built on a powerful blend of brand heritage, global standards of quality, and deeply localized innovation.'

Electra showed its first concept car, the Electra GS, at this year’s Shanghai Auto Show. Soon, it has plans for an entire EV lineup consisting of sedans, SUVs, and, of course, a new minivan dubbed the Encasa, set to launch later this year.

Electra models will utilize Buick’s new Xiao Yao EV platform, the first locally developed underpinnings designed for Chinese-market vehicles. It will offer battery-electric and plug-in-hybrid configurations, and support the multiple body styles already mentioned.

While the US stalls on self-driving technology, Buick’s new Xiao Yao platform was designed specifically with autonomy in mind. The new platform offers LiDAR, millimeter-wave radar, and cameras.

Buick Electra GS concept

"As China’s auto industry shifts toward electrification, Buick has introduced its new energy sub-brand Electra and the advanced super-integrated architecture Xiao Yao, demonstrating a strong commitment to innovation, adaptability, and sustainable mobility," Poppitt notes.

Now compare that to Buick in the US.

The company doesn’t have a single electrified vehicle in its lineup—not even a plug-in hybrid. The best driver-assistance technology in GM’s portfolio—Super Cruise—isn’t even available on every Buick model. And sedans have long been gone from the lineup with the death of the LaCrosse in 2019 and the Regal in 2020.

That’s not to say Buick is a dying brand, though. In fact, the company has had its fair share of success recently, driven largely by SUVs like the Envista and Envision, which are both on pace for record sales in the US in 2025.

Buick has experienced 10 consecutive quarters of growth, and for a brand once synonymous with an older clientele, the average age of its buyers has dropped by three years since 2020—all while that figure for the rest of the industry rises. Last year, Buick even surpassed Cadillac with over 180,000 units sold compared to its Big Brother’s measly 160,000 units.

Buick Envista ST

"Buick has undergone a remarkable transformation in the US," Sean Poppitt notes. "In both regions, success is driven by a deep understanding of customer needs—whether it’s premium yet affordable SUVs in the US, or innovative, multi-generational MPVs in China."

Still, 180,000 units is a relative drop in the bucket. Even if Buick is simply responding to the needs of the American buyer, as company spokespeople tell us, the automaker still lags behind the competition in many respects—powertrain, efficiency, technology, etc.

Alternatives like Hyundai, Kia, and Mazda, by comparison, have blown by Buick with double, triple, and quadruple the amount of annual sales. Mazda had its best year ever in 2024, with more than 424,000 units sold. Kia nearly hit 800,000 cars, while Hyundai surpassed 836,000 units.

Sure, the logic of why Buick’s lineup looks so drastically different between the US and China makes sense; American buyers are about as likely to flock to an electric minivan as Chinese buyers are to a V-6-powered three-row crossover. Plus, decades of manufacturing outsourcing means that home-grown advancements in technology like electrification and autonomy are harder to come by in the US than they are in China.

But the contrast still can’t be overlooked. If Buick really wants to be a competitor in the US, it should take some notes from China.