1979 Buick Skyhawk S(United States)

Buick is one of four General Motors makes that survived the company's 2009 bankruptcy. This surprised many because of the brand's reputation for older buyers, but two recent successful models had brought down the average buyer's age considerably. Buick is also one of the best-selling foreign brands in China, an important emerging market. GM's stated competitor for Buick is Lexus, Toyota's luxury division. The company sees Buick as a premium brand, leaving Cadillac as the luxury marque to compete with German imports.The first model in Buick's renaissance, the Enclave, is arguably the best-executed of GM's large crossovers, which include the Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia. (The Saturn Outlook was discontinued.) It seats seven or eight in three rows of seats. The mid/full-size LaCrosse sedan -- which was developed in the U.S., China and Germany -- has also sold briskly. Buick will continue selling the larger Lucerne sedan into 2011. The newest addition, the midsize Regal sedan, is based on a top-selling European model. Buick plans to expand its lineup with more cars and crossovers.In the wake of its bankruptcy, and pending an initial public offering of stock, Detroit-based GM is privately held predominantly by the U.S. Treasury, which owns more than 60 percent. The Canadian government owns roughly 12 percent, and bondholders from the now-defunct GM (Motors Liquidation Co.) hold about 10 percent. More than 17 percent belongs to a United Auto Workers health care and pension trust that the union accepted in lieu of earlier cash commitments. The UAW will sell its interest to fund the trust once the company goes public.