Buick might be getting a logo makeover

General Motors has finished off an extensive model overhaul for its Buick division, but along with its updated cars, the brand might also be getting a new logo. According to the Detroit Free Press, GM North America President Mark Reuss indicated that the Buick tri-shield logo could be getting a makeover, but offered no further information.

It is unlikely Buick will completely redesign or replace its current logo, but the article seems to indicate that it might return to color; although all chrome now, the logo used to feature red, white and blue shields. Head on over to the Detroit Free Press article to look at some past Buick logos including one from 1904.

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/11/23/b...logo-makeover/

 

A logo is a dangerous thing to mess with. It represents your brand, and in doing so, creates an impression of your company on investors and customers. Several questions have to be answered in selecting a logo, beginning with "How do you want to be known?" You want something that is strong, dynamic, active, yet stable and trustworthy, thus the gravitation toward exotic animals over the years. Wild animals, and predatory beasts generally fulfill the machismo component of a brand signature, and it's why you don't see too many lizards, bluebirds, chickens, or sheep on the car you buy.

Sometimes unfamiliar names can work for you. When Chevrolet introduced the Impala in '58, it sent millions running to their dictionaries. It sounded exotic - and it was, a lithe antelope of the African veldt that was known for its speed and grace. That's fine - except for the fact that the antelope with ridiculously long horns is a prey animal that runs in almost mindless packs, serving primarily to convert savannah grass into lion chow. Well, what the public doesn't know . . .

I suppose it's better than the Marlin (AMC's first abortive attempt at a pony car), the Lark (Studebaker in the early '60's), or the Wasp (Hudson, also the purveyor of the Hornet). Bugs, birds, and fish haven't fared so well. No wonder these companies are out of business. Just as well name your new supercar "Table Lamp" or "Three-hole Punch". Lots of charisma there, too.

Now we see manufacturers sticking with alphanumerics . . . GX 470, 740i, SRX, and any number of confusing, totally lifeless sets of letters and numbers that contribute absolutely nothing to the brand image. Land Rover's Discovery points to new horizons, Chrysler's Viper speaks of a coiled snake prepared to strike, even the Corvette represents a fast, compact and heavily armed warship, but what the heck is a MKZ, a CTS, a IS 250, a MX-5, a 325ix, or an LFA supposed to mean to me? I've seen more exciting figures on my tax return.

Buick, unlike most other companies has been one of the few to stick with names, but in the tradition of the Monaco, Bel Air, Bonneville, and Avalon, we get impressive but excitement-neutral names like Verano, Regal, LaCrosse, and Enclave. What the heck are these supposed to connote, vaguely upscale, semi-exotics? Well, at least Buick's trying.

But, the marketeers will tell you that numbers don't have negative connotations. While true, they don't have anything positive to say about the brand either. It appears that animal symbology has been replaced by alphanumerics, probably linked to the dimming of our souls as we march in lockstep toward mediocrity.

 

I hope they return to the red/white/blue tri-shield. That was the logo on the old Buicks I grew up with (two of which I owned)....and, IMO, better than the all-chrome one they have now.

 

About time.

 

True, the 50s/60s/70s Impala was one of the best selling nameplates of all time for Chevy, but far more people know Chevy from the bow-tie image than that of the ring-antelope.

For bugs, how about the ubiquitous VW Beetle?...a classic People's Car like the Ford Model T. For birds, the Lark/Hawk nameplates (Studebaker) hung on for years until the company went out of buisness in the 1960s. The Buick Skylark/Skyhawk nameplates also succeeded. And, for fish, the Plymouth Barracuda might (?) still be around today if the emission/CAFE rules of the 70s (and, of course, Plymouth's own demise) hadn't come about. In college, I owned one of the early big-glass-rear-window Barracuda's, BTW, and my late father loved them...he had 3 of them before he passed away.



Generally, yes, but don't forget the Chevelle/GTO-based GS350/400 and GSX of the 1960s...and the GNX (Grand National) of the mid-late 1980s.......I'm sure you won't.


Have you driven a Verano? I love to drive mine......exciting name or not. I look forward to it every morning....though it admittedly lacks the winter-traction and cargo-carrying versatility of my former Outback.

 

they have freshened up everything else. Why not the badge??

 

Jaguar recently updated well their Jaguar. Ford restyled it's Pony a bit. Perhaps Buick should start a poll for public opinion

 

A modernized tricolor shield would be nice. And I also miss the naming scheme, but I guess it is safer as everyone wants to sell the same car all over the world. NOVA in Latin America being a prime example. But again, safer doesn't always mean better...

 

Enjoy!


Inside Line reports Buick is planning to bring back some of the more storied names from the company's past, including the Grand National, GNX and the T-Type. Those cars rose to prominence in the 1970s and '80s to become performance legends of their day.

The new models will reportedly make use of the rear-wheel drive platform that currently underpins the Cadillac ATS and all would arrive as sedans – according to an unnamed source familiar with the initiative. Odds are the T-Type and the Grand National would share a driveline, with honest money being on a new twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter V6 as the engine of choice. Word has it the mill will be good for anywhere from 350 to 400 horsepower.

That leaves only the GNX. Inside Line seems to think that machine could get down the road with some help from the all-new GM LT1 small-block V8. The engineers behind the ATS platform have already told us the engine bay is large enough for to accommodate the big eight pot, and since GM is most certainly working on an ATS-V, a slightly less powerful, less luxurious Buick iteration makes some kind of sense. We can't wait to see these things in the light of day.

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/11/26/b...pe-nameplates/

 

I personally never really liked the Buick badge... it needs something to make it pop IMO!

 

This could be epic!!

 

If they in fact do another T-Type, hopefully this time they'll get it right, especially with today's computer-designed frame/chassis and metal-alloys. The 80s-vintage T-Types, from what I remember, had more than their share of squeaks/rattles, body/roof flex, rain/water leaks, ill-fits, and a general lack of roof integrity. Today's unibodies, thanks to a number of factors, are much stiffer/stronger, and body parts are fitted to much more precise tolerances.

 

Imagine a new Grand National with a turbo V6 to do battle with EcoBoost

 

A new GNX with a turbo charged 6? Epic throwback!