Automotive

Volkswagen Corporate Office

Volkswagen is a German car company with worldwide headquarters in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany.

Volkswagen was founded in 1937 by the Nazi trade union, the German Labour Front. At this time, cars were a luxury item in Germany, with only about 1 person in 50 owning a car. The new company had the goal to make cars smaller and more affordable for the average German.

After the war, Volkswagen became an important piece, both economically and symbolically, of West German regeneration.

Volkswagen entered the U.S. market in 1949 with the VW being briefly sold as the Victory Wagon. Volkswagen of America was formed in 1955.

Volkswagen struggled to expand its product line and finally came out with a hit in the U.S. market with the 1974 release of the Golf.

By 1997 Volkswagen was producing the Jetta, New Beetle, SEAT Toledo, SEAT Leon, Audi A3, Audi TT, Skoda Octavia, Polo, Passat, and Corrado models.

Today Volkswagen has three of the ten top-selling cars worldwide: the Volkswagen Golf, Volkswagen Beetle, and the Volkswagen Passat. The company is a world leader in R&D.

In 2015, the US Environmental Protection Agency stated that VW had been installing incorrect or altered ECUs in 2009-2015 diesel-fueled cars to bypass emissions testing. On 11 January 2017, Volkswagen agreed to plead guilty to the emissions-cheating scandal and to pay $4.3 billion in penalties.

On 23 January 2017, a US judge approved a $1.2 billion settlement in which 650 American dealers, “who, like consumers, were blindsided by the brazen fraud that VW perpetrated,” would receive an average of $1.85 million.

The company is trying to put its past mistakes behind them with new ads featuring electric vehicles in 2019.

Volkswagen Group is the parent company to 12 vehicle manufacturers with operations in 153 countries. It designs, manufactures, and distributes passenger and commercial vehicles, engines, motorcycles, and turbo machinery. It is ninth on the Fortune Global 500.

Volkswagen Group has 549,763 employees, 44.8% in Germany and the rest spread all over the world. This number includes Chinese joint ventures. Volkswagen Group had $140 billion in revenue in 2012.

Volkswagen Group of North America

Volkswagen is a German car company with worldwide headquarters in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany.

History

After the war, Volkswagen became an important piece, both economically and symbolically, of West German regeneration.

Volkswagen entered the U.S. market in 1949 with the VW being briefly sold as the Victory Wagon. Volkswagen of America was formed in 1955.

Volkswagen struggled to expand its product line and finally came out with a hit in the U.S. market with the 1974 release of the Golf.

By 1997 Volkswagen was producing the Jetta, New Beetle, SEAT Toledo, SEAT Leon, Audi A3, Audi TT, Skoda Octavia, Polo, Passat, and Corrado models.

Today Volkswagen has three of the ten top-selling cars worldwide: the Volkswagen Golf, Volkswagen Beetle, and the Volkswagen Passat. The company is a world leader in R&D.

The company is trying to put its past mistakes behind them with new ads featuring electric vehicles in 2019.

Volkswagen Group has 549,763 employees, 44.8% in Germany and the rest spread all over the world. This number includes Chinese joint ventures. Volkswagen Group had $140 billion in revenue in 2012.

Toyota Corporate Office

Toyota is a Japanese automaker with worldwide headquarters in Toyota, Aichi, Japan.

Kiichiro Toyoda started the company in 1937 as a spin-off of his father’s company, Toyota Industries. It was previously a division of the same company beginning in 1933. Toyoda means fertile rice paddies in Japanese, so the company name was changed slightly so as not to be associated with farming.

Kiichiro traveled to Europe and the US in 1929/1930 and became fascinated with the cars and engines he saw. The Japanese government, in need of cars and engines, encouraged Kiichiro to develop and build cars. The first models looked similar to the cars he saw on this travels.

In June of 1950, the company made only 300 vehicles and was on the verge of going bankrupt. A small bank loan, however, along with bank instructions that the company not hire any more workers than necessary took the company out of the red.

Toyota entered the American market in 1957. In the 1960’s the U.S. began to put high tariffs on imported vehicles. In response, Toyota began to manufacture vehicles in the U.S. in the early 1980’s.

In response to the 1973 oil crisis, consumers began to demand smaller cars with better fuel efficiency.

In the 1990’s Toyota began to branch out from this restriction to produce larger and more luxurious vehicles, including several lines of SUVs. Toyota began to produce the world’s first hybrid car, the Prius, in 1997.

In 2014, the company unveiled what many people consider to be one of the strangest looking “cars” ever made, the Toyota I Road. This electric three wheeled, two passenger vehicle which looks more like an enclosed motorcycle, other than the steering wheel. With a top speed of 30MPH, this city friendly car can go about 31 miles on a single charge, and it recharges in 3 hours. Company spokespersons say that they are working on improving the speed and range of the vehicle and hope to have it for sale in 2019.

Today Toyota is the world’s largest automobile manufacturer by production and the world’s thirteenth largest company. The company has over 350,000 employees worldwide and had $228.48 trillion in revenue in 2016.

Toyota Motor Corporation

Toyota is a Japanese automaker with worldwide headquarters in Toyota, Aichi, Japan.

History

In response to the 1973 oil crisis, consumers began to demand smaller cars with better fuel efficiency.

Johnson Controls Corporate Office

Warren S. Johnson founded the Johnson Electric Company in 1885 to manufacture, install, and service temperature regulation systems. Warren S. Johnson was a professor at the State Normal School in Wisconsin who had invented and patented the first electric thermostat in 1883.

Between 1885 and 1911 while Johnson was in control of the company, he delved into many different areas, including steam and gas powered automobiles and wireless telegraph communication. After his death in 1911, the company decided to focus solely on temperature controls for nonresidential buildings.

The company was renamed Johnson Controls in 1974.

Johnson Controls has continued to invent and innovate throughout their history. In the 1950s they introduced the Pneumatic Control Center, which allowed for monitoring and operating of all the temperature and control devices in a building.

In 1972 they introduced a microcomputer dedicated to building control. In 1980 they added digital control technology to this microcomputer.

In 1989 they entered the facilities management business. In 1990 their sales exceeded $1 billion for the first time.

During the 2000s they have continued to expand globally through acquisitions.

Today Johnson Controls offers products and services to optimize energy and operational efficiency of buildings, automotive batteries, electronics, and interior systems for automobiles. They have 170,000 employees in more than 1,300 locations across six continents. Their revenue for 2012 was $41.955 billion.

Johnson Controls

The company was renamed Johnson Controls in 1974.

History

In 1972 they introduced a microcomputer dedicated to building control. In 1980 they added digital control technology to this microcomputer.

In 1989 they entered the facilities management business. In 1990 their sales exceeded $1 billion for the first time.

During the 2000s they have continued to expand globally through acquisitions.

AAMCO Corporate Office

Robert Morgan and Anthony A. Martino founded AAMCO in 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The name comes from the initials of Martino’s name plus Co for company. Martino liked this as, not only did it use his initials, but it also placed his business higher in the yellow page rankings of its day, since those were done alphabetically. The original name of the company was AAMCO Auto and Truck Repair. Quickly realizing the complexity and failure rate of automatic transmissions of the times, Martino quickly decided to drop the “Auto and Truck Repair”, and focus solely on transmissions, where the company would stay focused until 2007.

After 2007, the company again realized that, with the modern transmissions of today being more reliable, they should include more car care options. The name of the company is now AAMCO Transmissions and Total Car Care.

AAMCO is a transmission-repair company that operates as a franchise, with the first franchise opening in New Jersey in 1963.

Morgan and Martino also founded MAACO, an auto body shop franchise. Martino eventually ended his affiliation with AAMCO to manage MAACO.

Morgan was the first CEO of the company and was succeeded by his son, Keith Morgan.

In 2006, American Capital, Ltd. bought AAMCO Transmissions.

In January 2017, American Driveline Systems, the franchiser of the AAMCO and Cottman Transmission & Total Auto Care brands, was acquired by Transom Capital Group.

AAMCO ranked near the top in the Entrepreneur site of the top 500 Franchises in America in 2023.

In September 2022, a former black executive of AAMCO filed a discrimination lawsuit.

The company now has more than 500 franchises across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, 5,000 employees, and $450 million in revenue in 2022.

AAMCO

History

AAMCO is a transmission-repair company that operates as a franchise, with the first franchise opening in New Jersey in 1963.

Morgan and Martino also founded MAACO, an auto body shop franchise. Martino eventually ended his affiliation with AAMCO to manage MAACO.

Morgan was the first CEO of the company and was succeeded by his son, Keith Morgan.

In 2006, American Capital, Ltd. bought AAMCO Transmissions.

In January 2017, American Driveline Systems, the franchiser of the AAMCO and Cottman Transmission & Total Auto Care brands, was acquired by Transom Capital Group.

AAMCO ranked near the top in the Entrepreneur site of the top 500 Franchises in America in 2023.

In September 2022, a former black executive of AAMCO filed a discrimination lawsuit.

The company now has more than 500 franchises across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, 5,000 employees, and $450 million in revenue in 2022.

Dodge Corporate Office

Dodge was founded by the Dodge brothers in 1900 as a supplier of parts for Detroit-based automobile manufacturers.

The Dodge brothers died suddenly in 1920, and in 1925 the company was sold to Dillon, Read, and Company. It was sold again to Chrysler in 1928.

During the oil crisis of 1973, the Dodge line came to be seen as inefficient and had to be downsized along with other Chrysler brands.

Over the past decades, Dodge has become well known for their trucks, including the popular Dodge Ram.

The new Dodge Challenger Hellcat, capable of speeds in the 200 MPH range, is causing some people to question if these cars should be banned.

Today Dodge vehicles are available all over the world, with big markets in Argentina, Asia, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, and Europe.

Dodge

Dodge was founded by the Dodge brothers in 1900 as a supplier of parts for Detroit-based automobile manufacturers.

The Dodge brothers died suddenly in 1920, and in 1925 the company was sold to Dillon, Read, and Company. It was sold again to Chrysler in 1928.

During the oil crisis of 1973, the Dodge line came to be seen as inefficient and had to be downsized along with other Chrysler brands.

History

Over the past decades, Dodge has become well known for their trucks, including the popular Dodge Ram.

The new Dodge Challenger Hellcat, capable of speeds in the 200 MPH range, is causing some people to question if these cars should be banned.

Today Dodge vehicles are available all over the world, with big markets in Argentina, Asia, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, and Europe.