From 2019 onward, no Buick vehicle will carry the "Buick" nameplate at the vehicle's rear. The global brand wants to move towards a consistent badging strategy globally, apparently meaning no "Buick" badges at all.
GM Authority first reported the news last Friday, but a Buick spokesperson confirmed the strategy with Motor Authority. The refreshed 2019 Buick Envision is the first Buick to ditch its namesake badge.
The brand also told Motor Authority that research suggested the Buick tri-shield badge, now finished in red, silver, and blue, is recognizable enough on its own That would mean in China, where five times as many Buicks are sold as in North America.
The spokesperson suggested that removing the "Buick" nameplate badge from its vehicles also opens up prime real estate for a new badge: Avenir. Buick launched Avenir as its own sub-brand akin to GMC's Denali in 2016 and boast exclusive concept car-inspired trimmings, such as the wheels, grille, and more luxurious interiors. The Enclave was Buick's first Avenir-branded vehicle, followed by the LaCrosse Avenir.
"As we continue to build out the Avenir brand within Buick it opens up the space for a potential rear “Avenir” badge, but we’re not confirming any official move on that at this point," Buick said in a statement.
The 2019 Envision is the first to lose the Buick nameplate badge, but every 2019 Buick model will eventually lose the badging as well. From then on, only the vehicle's model name itself and tri-shield badge will be present at the rear.