D'Ieteren
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
D'Ieteren SA is a company, based in Belgium that is engaged in the automobile distribution, short-term car rental, and vehicle glass repair and replacement businesses. [1]
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[edit] Activities
D'Ieteren undertakes three activities:
- automobile distribution in Belgium of Volkswagen, Audi, Seat, Skoda, Bentley, Lamborghini, Porsche and Yamaha ;
- short-term car rental in Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia with Avis Europe plc and the Avis and Budget brands ;
- vehicle glass production and distribution in Europe, North and South America, Australia and New Zealand with Belron s.a. and CARGLASS and AUTOGLASS.
[edit] History
The D'Ieteren venture started in the 19th century when it was founded by master coachbuilder Joseph-Jean D'Ieteren. The D'Ieteren company kept pace with the evolution of the transport industry, developing from a craft business to an industrial and commercial operation.
The company started to manufacture car bodies at the beginning of the 20th century, with production being exported. Later, it moved into the assembly and importing of cars and trucks.
After the Second World War, D'Ieteren obtained the exclusive import rights for Studebaker (1945), Volkswagen (1948) and Porsche (1950). The car rental business commenced in 1956, with the hire of Volkswagen Beetles on the Belgian market. In 1958, D'Ieteren obtained the Avis licence for Belgium.
In 1956, D'Ieteren took on the production of the Piatti scooter, but with the small car market beginning to boom in the mid 1950s, scooter sales were on the decline, so the Piatti came a few years too late.
The company imports and distributes other makes of the Volkswagen group : Audi (1974), Seat (1984), Skoda (1992), Bentley (2000) and Lamborghini (2001), as well as Yamaha products (1975).
D'Ieteren acquired Belron in 1999. Belron is the world leader in the vehicle glass repair and replacement market. The company operates in Europe under the brand names Carglass and Autoglass, as well as in Canada, the United States, Brazil, Australia under the brand name O'Brien and New Zealand under the brand name Smith and Smith.
