Th. Willy AG Auto Center
| Th. Willy AG Auto Center | |
|---|---|
| legal form | Corporation |
| founding | 1927 |
| Seat |
Schlieren Switzerland
|
| management | Daniela Willy (President and Delegate of the Board of Directors ) |
| sales | 155 million CHF (2006) |
| Branch | Automobile trade |
| Website | willy-gruppe.ch |
The Th. Willy AG Auto-Zentrum based in Schlieren is mainly in the automobile trade active Swiss group of companies. It operates agencies for Ford , Fiat , Lancia and Alfa Romeo at various locations . In 2006 the Willy Group generated sales of 155 million Swiss francs.
history
The company was founded in 1927 by Thomas Willy in Lucerne as the first official Ford agency in Switzerland. During the Second World War, there were no new vehicle deliveries from the factory, so Thomas Willy manufactured his own tractors and wood generators . These came onto the market under the name of Willy tractors and were able to celebrate a sales success both in Switzerland and in export.
Over the decades, the company expanded through various takeovers as well as the establishment of its own subsidiaries and the construction of various large garages. In 1969 Willy took over the representation of Fiat and Lancia in Zurich and Bern.
After a fatal car accident in which Thomas Willy and his son Curt Willy were killed in 1976, Sonja Spahn-Willy, daughter of Thomas Willy, and Ulla Willy, widow of Curt Willy, took over the management.
In 1993 the management of the company, which had meanwhile grown into a group, passed to Daniela Willy, daughter of Ulla Willy, in the third generation.