Cool Cars With YJ: March 2011

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Alfa Romeo (Italian)
Alfa Romeo was founded in 1910 in Milan, Italy by Alexandre Darracq, Cavaliere Ugo Stella and Nicola Romeo. It became a subsidiary of Fiat Group after it was bought over in 1986. Its headquarters are located in Turin, Italy and EuroAutomobile is the appointed official importer and distributor of Alfa Romeo cars in Singapore.

Aston Martin (British)Aston Martin was founded in 1913 in London by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. Ford Motor Company acquired Aston Martin in 1994 until 2007 when it was sold to a consortium of two major international investment houses Investment Dar and Adeem Investment. Today, its headquarters are located in Gaydon, Warwickshire, England and Aston Martin Lagonda (S.E.A) is the local authorised agent.

Audi (German)
Audi was founded in 1909 in Zwickau, Germany by August Horch. It has been a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group since 1964 and its headquarters are located in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. Premium Automobiles has been the exclusive dealer for Audi in Singapore since 1999.

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Bentley (British)Founded in 1919 by Walter Owen Bentley, Bentley was sold to Rolls-Royce Motors in 1931 but owned by Volkswagen Group from 1998 onwards. With its headquarters in Crewe, England, United Kingdom, Bentley has been represented in Singapore by Malayan Motors since 1931.

Bugatti (French)
Based in Molsheim, Alsace, France, Bugatti today was founded in 2000 as a successor to the original Bugatti that was founded in 1909 by Ettore Bugatti. In 1998, Volkswagen bought the rights to produce Bugatti cars and officially incorporated the new Bugatti company in 2000. Today, it is still owned by Volkswagen Group, as a subsidiary of Volkswagen France and its sales agent in Singapore is Malayan Motors (a division of Wearnes Automotive & Equipment).

BMW (German)BMW, founded in 1916, was a merger of two companies. In 1994, it bought over British-based Rover Group (which owned brands Rover, Land Rover, MINI and MG) but sold off all brands in 2000 except for MINI, which it still owns and produces. In 1998, BMW acquired the rights to the Rolls-Royce name and is still the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motors today. Its headquarters are in Munich, Germany and since 1979, Performance Motors Limited (a division of Sime Darby Group) has been the sole distributor of BMW cars and motorcycles in Singapore.

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Chana (Chinese)Chana – Chang’an Automobile (Group) Co. Ltd – was founded in 1862 in Shanghai, China by Hongzhang Li. Today, it is headquartered in Chongqing, China and has three international joint ventures, with Mazda, Suzuki and Ford. Its local authorised agent is TTS Chana Automobile.

Chery (Chinese)
Government-owned Chery was founded in 1997 to improve the economy of Wuhu, a region of China that lacked industrialisation. The first factory bought machines and engine technology from Ford Europe. Headquartered in Wuhu, Anhui Province, China, Vertex Automobile is the local authorised agent for Chery.

Chevrolet (American)
When General Motors was first founded in 1908 as a holding company for Buick, William Durant was in charge. He left the company in 1910 and co-founded Chevrolet Motor Company the next year with Louis Chevrolet, a race car driver. Chevrolet was later merged into General Motors as a separate division. Its headquarters are located in Detroit, Michigan. Starsauto was appointed by General Motors as Singapore’s first Chevrolet dealer in 2003, but with effect from 1 July 2009, Alpine Motors (which was appointed as a Chevrolet dealer in 2006) will be the only Chevrolet dealer in Singapore.

Chrysler (American)
Chrysler was founded in 1925 by Walter P. Chrysler. In 1998 Daimler-Benz purchased Chrysler and its subsidiaries to form DaimlerChrysler AG (now Daimler AG). But two years ago, DaimlerChrysler sold the Chrysler group to American private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management. This year, Chrysler filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and announced an alliance with Italian carmaker Fiat. Today, Chrysler Group LLC is owned by UAW VEBA (67.69%), Fiat S.p.A. (20%), United States (9.85%) and Canada (2.46%). Its headquarters are in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA and Chrysler Jeep Automotive of Singapore (established by Komoco Motors in 1996) is its local authorised agent.

Citroen (French)
Founded in 1919 by André Citroën, the company was taken over by its biggest creditor – French tyre company Michelin – in 1934. Michelin sold off its 49% stake to Fiat in 1968 but Fiat returned it during the 1973 oil crisis. Peugeot and Citroen later merged into one company and in May 1976, Peugeot purchased a 90% stake of Citroën, hence combining the companies to form PSA Peugeot Citroën. Its headquarters are in Paris, France. Locally, Cycle & Carriage has been the exclusive distributor for Citroen motor vehicles since 2006.

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Daihatsu (Japanese)Daihatsu was initially founded as Hatsudoki Seizo in 1907. The name Daihatsu only surfaced in 1951. Toyota Motor Corporation signed a business collaboration with Daihatsu in 1967. Today, Toyota owns 51.2% of Daihatsu Motor. Sin Tien Seng has been the appointed distributor for Daihatsu motor vehicles for Singapore since 1969.

Dodge (American)
Founded as the Dodge Brothers Company in 1900 by brothers Horace and John Dodge to supply automotive parts and assemblies, the brand was sold to Chrysler Corporation in 1928 and is still a part of Chrysler. Its headquarters are located in Auburn Hills, Michigan, United States and Chrysler Jeep Automotive of Singapore (subsidiary of Komoco Motors) is its local authorised agent.

Dongfeng (Chinese)
Founded in 1969 at the command of Chairman Mao Zedong, Dongfeng Motor Corporation was formerly named Second Automobile Works. Today, its headquarters are located in Wuhan, Hubei, China and its local authorised agent is Exclusiv Auto Services.

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Ferrari (Italian)Ferrari was founded in 1947 by Enzo Ferrari as Scuderia Ferrari, which sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before producing road-legal vehicles. During the sixties, the company ran into financial difficulties and was sold to the Fiat Group which took over the sports car division in 1969. Enzo Ferrari held control of the racing division until he passed away in 1988. Today, the Fiat Group owns 85% of Ferrari but Ferrari is operated autonomously with its headquarters in Maranello, Italy. Hong Seh Motors has been the official importer for Ferrari cars in Singapore since 1983 but a new dealer might be appointed by Ferrari soon.

Fiat (Italian)Fiat is an Italian car manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial and industrial group. Founded in 1899 in Turin, Italy by Giovanni Agnelli, subsidiaries owned by the Fiat Group today include Ferrari, Maserati, Alfa Romeo and Lancia. Headquarters are located in Turin, Italy and TTS Eurocars is the appointed sole importer for Fiat in Singapore.

Ford (American)
Ford Motor Company, which has its headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, United States, was founded in 1903 by Henry Ford. Besides Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury, Ford also owns Volvo Cars of Sweden, and a small stake in Mazda Japan and Aston Martin England. Ford’s UK subsidiaries Jaguar and Land Rover were sold to Tata Motors India last year. Regent Motors (a division of Vantage Automotive which belongs to Sime Darby Group) has been distributing Ford vehicles in Singapore since 1981.

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Geely (Chinese)Geely was started by Li Shufu in 1986 as a manufacturer of refrigerators, then a manufacturer of decoration materials in 1989 and motorcycle parts by 1992. In 1994, Geely started manufacturing motorcycles. Automotive production only began in 1998. Its headquarters are in Hangzhou, China and its local authorised agent is Exclusiv Auto Services.

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Hafei (Chinese)Founded in 2006, Hafei (Harbin Hafei Automobile Industry Group Co. Ltd) is a subsidiary of Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation (which is a subsidiary of AviChina Industry & Technology Co. Ltd) with its headquarters in Harbin, China. Hafei Automobile Singapore (joint-venture with Lian Fong Credit Holdings) was established in 2007 as Singapore’s exclusive distributor of Hafei vehicles.

Honda (Japanese)Founder Soichiro Honda started developing and producing small motorcycles for the masses and established the Honda Technical Research Institute in Hamamatsu, Japan in 1946. Two years later, he started the Honda Motor Company. Today, the headquarters are located in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. KAH Motor Co. Sdn. Bhd. was set up in 1969 to expand the Honda automotive business in Malaysia and Singapore.

Hyundai (Korean)Chung Ju-Yung founded the first Hyundai company – Hyundai Engineering and Construction – in 1947. Hyundai Motor Company was later established in 1967. Hyundai bought over rival Kia in 1998 and hence the Hyundai Kia Automotive Group was formed. Today many companies are bearing the name Hyundai but are legally disassociated with the Hyundai Group. The Hyundai headquarters are situated in Seoul, South Korea and Komoco Motors has been officially selling Hyundai vehicles in Singapore since 1986.

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Jaguar (British)
Jaguar was initially formed as the Swallow Sidecar Company in 1922 by two motorcycle enthusiasts Sir William Lyons and William Walmsley. The Jaguar name was given to the entire company only in 1945. In 1989, Ford Motor Company bought over Jaguar but sold it off just last year to Tata Motors along with Land Rover. Its headquarters are in Coventry, England and its local authorised agent is Malayan Motors.

Jeep (American)
Founded in 1941, Jeep has been owned by Chrysler Group LLC since 1987 with its headquarters in Toledo, Ohio, United States. Locally, it is distributed by Chrysler Jeep Automotive of Singapore.

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Kia (Korean)
Founded in 1944, Kia Motors was bought over by Hyundai in 1998 when the Hyundai Kia Automotive Group was formed. Its headquarters today are in Seoul, South Korea. In Singapore, Cycle & Carriage started officially distributing Kia vehicles in 2000.

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Lamborghini (Italian)Lamborghini is based in Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy and was founded in 1963 by Ferruccio Lamborghini. In 1998, Audi AG (a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group) bought over Lamborghini. Locally, Lamborghini cars are exclusively distributed by EuroSports Auto (Lamborghini Singapore).

Land Rover (British)
Land Rover was first formed as a marque of the Rover Company in 1948. Then in 1978, Land Rover Limited was established. The Rover Group was taken over in 1994 by BMW and was sold to Ford in 2000. Last year, the business was sold together with Jaguar to Tata Motors India. The Land Rover headquarters are in Gaydon, Warwickshire, England and its local distributor is Vantage Automotive.

Lexus (Japanese)
Lexus is the luxury division of Japanese carmaker Toyota Motor Corporation and was first introduced in 1989 in the United States. Its headquarters are located in Toyota, Aichi, Japan. Borneo Motors officially distributes Lexus vehicles along with Toyota vehicles in Singapore.

Lotus (British)Colin Chapman founded Lotus in 1952 but General Motors bought over it in 1986. In 1993 however, General Motors sold Lotus off. Three years later, a majority share in Lotus was sold to Proton, a Malaysian car company. Lotus has its headquarters in Hethel, Norfolk, England and is officially distributed by EuroSports Auto in Singapore.

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Maserati (Italian)Maserati was founded in 1914 in Bologna and is currently owned by Fiat (since 1993) with its headquarters in Modena, Italy. In 1999, Hong Seh Motors was appointed sole distributor for Maserati cars in Singapore.

Mazda (Japanese)
Mazda started off as Toyo Cork Kogyo in 1920 by Jujiro Matsuda in Hiroshima, Japan and was later renamed to Toyo Kogyo in 1927. Ford Motor Company started investing in Mazda since 1979 but sold off most of its stake last year. Today, it has its headquarters in Fuchu, Aki, Hiroshima, Japan. Mazda Motor Singapore is the local authorised distributor of Mazda vehicles, parts and accessories.

Mercedes-Benz (German)
Founded in 1881 by Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz, Mercedes-Benz manufactures passenger cars, buses, coaches, and trucks. It is currently a division of the parent company, Daimler AG (formerly DaimlerChrysler AG), after being previously owned by Daimler-Benz. Its headquarters are in Stuttgart, Germany now. In Singapore, Cycle & Carriage acquired the automotive franchise for Mercedes Benz in 1951 but in 2000, Cycle & Carriage became the exclusive dealer and Mercedes-Benz Singapore (a division of Daimler South East Asia) is responsible for sales, marketing and aftersales activities.

MINI (British)The original Mini was produced from 1959 to 2000 by the British Motor Corporation and its successors. When the last of the original Mini production was sold, the Mini name ‘reverted to BMW ownership’. BMW Group started manufacturing the new Mini (marketed as MINI) in 2001. The new BMW MINI is technically unrelated to the original Mini but what remained are the ‘classic transverse 4-cylinder, front-wheel-drive configuration and its iconic bulldog stance’. Locally, Trans Eurokars (holding company for Eurokars Group of Companies) took over as exclusive distributor of MINI cars in Singapore in 2006 from Performance Motors.

Mitsubishi (Japanese)
Since it was founded in 1970 as the automotive division of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation has formed several alliances with foreign partners. For instance, a significant stake of the company was sold to Chrysler Corporation in 1971 and held for 22 years, and DaimlerChrysler was a controlling shareholder from 2000 to 2005. Today, the Mitsubishi headquarters are in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and Cycle & Carriage has been retailing Mitsubishi vehicles in Singapore since 1977.

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Nissan (Japanese)
The company was founded by Kenjiro Den, Rokuro Aoyama, Meitaro Takeuchi and Yoshisuke Aikawa in 1932. It first marketed vehicles under the name Datsun; the Nissan name was only used from the 1930s onwards. In 1999, Nissan entered an alliance with Renault, which owns 44.4% of Nissan as of 2008. It also manufactures the luxury brand Infiniti. Its headquarters are at Chūō, Tokyo, Japan and Tan Chong Motors (TCIL) is the exclusive distributor of Nissan motor vehicles in Singapore.

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Opel (German)
Founded in 1863 by Adam Opel, the company was acquired by General Motors in 1929 but this year, the global financial crisis forced General Motors to transfer its Opel assets to a separate company majority-owned by a consortium led by Sberbank of Russia (35%), Magna International of Canada (20%), and Opel employees and car dealers (10%). General Motors kept a 35% minority stake in the new company. Its headquarters are in Russelsheim, Germany. In Singapore, Auto Eurokars (under the Eurokars Group of Companies) has been the appointed exclusive distributor for Opel automobiles since 2002.

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Perodua (Malaysian)
Perodua, which stands for Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Berhad (meaning Second Automobile Manufacturer Limited Corporation in English), is Malaysia’s second car manufacturer after Proton. Founded in 1993, shareholders of Perodua today are UMW Corporation Sdn Bhd with (38%), Daihatsu Motor (20%), MBM Resources Bhd (20%), PNB Equity Resources Corporation Sdn Bhd (10%), Mitsui & Co (7%) and Daihatsu (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (5%). Its headquarters are in Serendah, Selangor, Malaysia and in Singapore, Perocom Auto is the exclusive distributor for Perodua cars.

Peugeot (French)Founded in 1882, Peugeot bought a 30% share of Citroën in 1974 and took over it completely in 1975. Both brands joined to form PSA (Peugeot Société Anonyme) Peugeot Citroën but kept separate identities although sharing engineering and technical resources. Peugeot had control of Maserati briefly before selling it off in May 1975 due to financial reasons. Autofrance, a subsidiary of Vantage Automotive, is the authorised distributor for Peugeot in Singapore and recently celebrated its 9th anniversary.

Porsche (German)
Porsche has always been closely related to Volkswagen because the first Volkswagen Beetle was designed by Ferdinand Porsche, who founded Porsche in 1931. In 2005 Porsche acquired a 19% stake in Volkswagen AG and by 2008 Porsche increased its shares in Volkswagen to 36%. As of January this year, Porsche owned slightly more than 50% of Volkswagen and plans to increase the stake to 75% before the end of the year. But a recent turn of events saw a reversal of their initial intention – Porsche ran up heavy debts trying to take over Volkswagen and as of end July, was seeking external help for funds to prevent Volkswagen from taking over. Its headquarters are in Stuttgart, Germany. Stuttgart Auto (owned by Trans Eurokars which is under Eurokars Group of Companies) has been the sole importer and authorised distributor for Porsche in Singapore since 1985.

Proton (Malaysian)
Proton, which stands for PeRusahaan OTOmobil Nasional (meaning “National Automobile Enterprise” in English) is Malaysia’s national car manufacturer. It was formed in 1983 as instructed by Malaysia’s former Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. In 1996 Proton acquired a 64% share in Lotus, hence owning it. Its headquarters are in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and it is distributed locally through Proton Singapore.

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Renault (French)
Renault was founded in 1899 as Société Renault Frères by Louis Renault, his brothers Marcel and Fernand, and his friends Thomas Evert and Julian Wyer. Ten years ago, the Renault–Nissan Alliance was formed with Renault to hold a 44% stake in Nissan and Nissan to hold a 15% stake in Renault. Other subsidiaries owned by Renault include Automobile Dacia and Renault Samsung Motors. Its headquarters are in Boulogne-Billancourt, France. Wearnes Automotive became the exclusive importer and distributor of Renault vehicles in Singapore in 2006.

Rolls Royce (British)
Rolls Royce was founded in 1904 by Henry Royce and Charles Stewart Rolls. In 1998, the owner Vickers decided to sell Rolls-Royce Motors. BMW was its most likely buyer then, as it already supplied engines and other parts for Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars. However, BMW’s final offer was outbid by Volkswagen. Eventually, BMW continued supplying engines for the cars and could only use the names from 1998 to 2002. But from 2003 onwards, BMW could name their cars “Rolls-Royce” and Volkswagen’s former Rolls-Royce-Bentley division could only build cars under “Bentley”. Owned by BMW today, Rolls Royce’s headquarters are in Goodwood, England. Rolls Royce Motor Cars Singapore (under Eurokars Group of Companies) is the local authorised agent for its cars.

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Saab (Swedish)Saab was founded in 1947 by Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget. General Motors bought 50% of Saab in 1989. But earlier this year, Saab duly entered administration (equivalent of US Chapter 11 bankruptcy). Recently, it was reported that Koenigsegg and a group of Norwegian investors signed a letter of intent with Saab to take over the brand from General Motors. The sale is expected to close in June or early July. Saab’s headquarters are in Trollhättan, Sweden. Locally, Trans Eurokars (under Eurokars Group of Companies) started in Singapore in 1991 as the distributor for the brand.

Skoda (Czech)Skoda was founded in 1895 as Laurin & Klement by Václav Laurin and Václav Klement. Since 1991, it has been a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group. Its headquarters are in Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic and its local authorised agent is Harvest Automobiles.

Spyker (Dutch)The modern supercar manufacturer Spyker is not related to or controlled by the previous Spyker that went bankrupt in 1929. The new Spyker was founded by Victor Muller and Maarten de Bruijn in 2000. Headquartered in Zeewolde, Netherlands, Spyker established itself in Singapore through Hong Seh Motors late last year.

Ssangyong (Korean)SsangYong Motor Company was founded in1954. The debt-ridden company won court protection from creditors and has been under court receivership since February. Its Chinese majority owner, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp (SAIC), was ordered to ‘give up management control’. Headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, Motorway Ssangyong is its local authorised agent.

Subaru (Japanese)
Subaru is a division of Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI) which was established in 1953. In 1968, Nissan acquired a 20% stake of Subaru but upon its alliance with Renault in 1999, the 20% stake was sold to General Motors. Toyota Motor Corporation then purchased 9% of FHI shares in 2005 from General Motors. General Motors later divested its remaining 11% stake by selling them on the open market. Today, FHI is in a partnership with Toyota Motor Corporation (which owns 16.5% of FHI). Its headquarters are located in Ōta, Gunma, Japan. In Singapore, Motor Image (subsidiary of Tan Chong Motors) has been bringing Subaru cars into the local market from more than a decade ago.

Suzuki (Japanese)Suzuki was founded in 1909 by Michio Suzuki as Suzuki Loom Company which built weaving looms. Today, it is headquartered in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan and locally franchised by Champion Motors (owned by Inchcape) since 1977.

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Toyota (Japanese)
Toyota started in 1933 as a division of Toyoda Automatic Loom Works and produced cars under Kiichiro Toyoda. Toyota Motor Corporation was later established as an independent and separate company in 1937. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Borneo Motors (owned by Inchcape) has been the exclusive importer and retailer for Toyota in Singapore since 1967.

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Volkswagen (German)
In 1933, Adolf Hitler teamed up with Ferdinand Porsche to create the “people’s car”. The Volkswagen factory was then built in 1938 to manufacture this car which went on to be the Volkswagen Beetle. Today, subsidiaries of Volkswagen Group include Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, Škoda and Scania.
Volkswagen established its own retail operations in Singapore in February 2007, combining sales, aftersales and financial services in one centre. This is the first car manufacturer in Singapore who took on the retail business directly, instead of appointing an authorised agent.

Volvo (Swedish)
Volvo was originally formed in 1927 as a subsidiary company to ball bearing maker SKF. It was not until 1935 when Volvo was on the Swedish stock exchange that SKF sold most of its shares. Today, the company is a subsidiary of Ford Motor Company (since 1999). Headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, SM Motors was established in 1979 and is the sole distributor of Volvo cars in Singapore.

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Zotye (Chinese)Zotye Auto (Zotye International) was established in 2005 and belongs to Zotye Holding Group. Headquartered in Shanghai China, its local authorised agent is Exclusiv Auto Services.