Is Buick the oldest car company?
No. Buick is not the oldest car company. Founded in 1903, it is among the early American automakers, but many brands and firms with roots in the 19th century predate Buick. How we define “oldest”—by founding date, when cars were first produced, or by the continuity of a current brand—changes the answer.
Buick's place in automotive history
Buick Motor Company was established in 1903 by David Dunbar Buick in Detroit and quickly became a cornerstone of General Motors after the company’s 1908 acquisition. While it ranks among the earliest American car brands still associated with a major automaker, it does not hold the title of the oldest car company in a global or universal sense.
Older car manufacturers that predate Buick
To illustrate the broader history of the industry, here are several carmakers with roots that go back before Buick’s 1903 founding. These examples show how the patient arc of automotive history stretches well before Buick.
- Benz & Cie. — founded in 1883 by Karl Benz; built what is widely regarded as the first practical automobile in the 1880s; later merged with DMG to form Mercedes-Benz in 1926.
- Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) — founded in 1890; produced early automobiles and engines; its legacy continues as part of Mercedes-Benz after the 1926 merger.
- Opel — founded in 1862 as a sewing-machine manufacturer; began automobile production in 1899 and remains a long-standing European carmaker.
- Peugeot — traces its corporate roots to 1810 as a metal-working family business; began automobile production in the late 1880s/early 1890s and remains active today under Stellantis.
The dates above illustrate that Buick’s 1903 founding sits after a number of European firms had already launched car production by the end of the 19th century. Buick is indeed an early American company, but not the oldest in the global automotive landscape.
What counts as "oldest"? Definitions and criteria
Different ways of defining “oldest”
The title can shift depending on the criterion used: the founding date of the parent company, the date of the first car produced, or the continuity of a brand's identity. For example, Benz & Cie. (1883) and its successor Mercedes-Benz trace their roots to some of the earliest automotive experiments, while Opel’s roots reach back to the 1860s and Peugeot’s lineage extends even further to the 1810s. Each definition yields a different claimant to the “oldest” label.
Ultimately, Buick is not the oldest car company by most common historical measures. It is a venerable and early American brand, but several other firms established decades earlier have shaped the industry’s lineage.
Summary
In brief, Buick is not the oldest car company. While it is among the earliest American automakers, older entities—such as Benz & Cie. (1883), DMG (1890), Opel (1862), and Peugeot (originating in 1810 with car production in the late 1880s/early 1890s)—predate Buick by substantial margins. The question of “oldest” depends on which definition you apply, but Buick’s founding year places it behind these early pioneers in most common assessments.
