Buick City
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Buick City was a massive automobile manufacturing complex in 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 of 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 factory represented a failed attempt by General Motors to ramp up production volume in response to Japanese manufacturers. Its creation was inspired by Toyota City.
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[edit] 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 and Me
[edit] See also
[edit] External link
[edit] References
- General Motors closes Buick City complex in Flint, Michigan. World Socialist. Retrieved on May 10, 2005.