Buick City

Flint's 235-acre complex known as Buick City was in operation from 1904 until 1999. The facility was demolished in 2002.

Buick City was a massive automobile manufacturing complex in the northwest of Flint, Michigan. Elements of the 235 acre (951,000 m²) complex dated from 1904, but it became known as Buick City in 1984. The complex was closed on June 29, 1999 and demolished in March 2002. It was the last Buick plant in Flint, long a center of automobile production. The final cars built at Buick City were the Pontiac Bonneville and the Buick LeSabre.

The plant originated with Buick before the formation of General Motors. Other elements were built by early manufacturers and suppliers like Fisher Body. GM employment in the city peaked in 1978 at 77,000, with Buick City workers reaching a high of 28,000 in the 1980s.

The Buick City concept represented a failed attempt by General Motors to ramp up production volume in response to Japanese manufacturers. However, the experiment wasn't without its successes: The 1989 Buick LeSabre built in Buick City was ranked the top car in the J.D. Power and Associates rankings for that year; it was the first American built car to show up on the list. In 1999, the year the plant was closed, Buick City won the Platinum Award. As of 2006, it was the only General Motors plant given this award.

On July 31, 2007 it was reported that a major shipping company wants to turn the old Buick City site into a shipping mecca. The company would utilize I-75, I-69, I-475, and the railroad. The shipping center could bring 600 new jobs and spur multiple small businesses around the center.

Cultural references

• Old 97's have a song set in the area called Buick City Complex.
• The failure of auto manufacturing in Flint was lamented in Michael Moore's documentary film, Roger & Me.

See also

• List of GM factories

External links

• Demolition photos
• Friends of Buick FAQ
• JD Powers and Associates from Answers.com

References

• "General Motors closes Buick City complex in Flint, Michigan". World Socialist. http://www.wsws.org/articles/1999/jul1999/auto-j02.shtml. Retrieved on 2005.