Think of famous American brands that have disappointed in recent years and Buick will likely be right up there alongside Chrysler. Under the stewardship of General Motors, Buick has fallen from the ranks of luxury American automaker to afterthought in the minds of most buyers. Over the last decade, most Buick products have been rebadged Opels, but after Opel was sold to Groupe PSA and eventually became part of Stellantis, GM has had to refocus Buick, producing new models in-house like the Encore GX. But with a new era of electrification inbound, there's no better time than now to reform the brand into something new.

The start of any good relaunch is a new logo, and it seems that's exactly what General Motors has in mind, as CarBuzz has discovered a trademark filing for what is almost certainly the new face of the Buick brand.

In response to the finding, the carmaker said: "Buick has no announcements to make in relation to speculative reports regarding a logo change." But we suspect that it will have soon.

The Buick tri-shield logo dates back to 1959, with a single shield design used as far back as 1937. In its current form, it's been tweaked mildly but kept similar since 1990. However, according to a trademark filing with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the tri-shield design is due for a shake-up. The logo has also been trademarked in New Zealand.

Depicting three shields standing separately and side-by-side, as opposed to staggered diagonally within a roundel, the trademark, filed on March 16, 2022, pertains to multiple fields ranging from keychains and eyewear to mugs, golf tees, clothing, and umbrellas. But the important categories under which the design, described in the filing as "a mark [consisting] of three shields," are for "Motor vehicles, namely, automobiles" and "Electronic key fobs for automobiles." The design is simplified and could be used in a backlit two-dimensional format.

There's no indication when the brand will officially announce the new logo, but with a new Regal replacement expected in 2023, that could be the first model to showcase the new logo. It's likely to roll out across the brand's other SUVs around the same time, but we also expect the announcement to coincide with new models and a new electrification strategy. Earlier this year, Buick teased a new electric vehicle as part of GM's Super Bowl advertising campaign. Bearing similarities to the Electra concept, this could be the flagship model of Buick's electric future, and it could have a new logo to go with it.

Trademark filings in Canada suggest that the Electra will come to North America, which would make this vehicle the ideal launchpad for the brand's new face.