Paul Vasquez, The Man Who Brought The First Motorcycle From Colombia
Autoco, which introduced the first motorcycle in the country 83 years ago, through its 500 stores continues to be the sales leader among its competitors. Auteco, the brand whose name is credited with the first motorcycle in Colombia 83 years ago, has been the sales leader among its competitors for over 80 years. Paul Vasquez, who trained as an engineer in England and returned to his Medellin in 1941 to set up a spare parts and accessories shop for the few Ford and Chevrolet cars operating in the country, set up the company in 1941 and brought the first motorcycles to the country. After a trip to Japan in 1972, engineers from Antioquia brought back documents signed by Kawasaki executives to be the sole seller of their motorcycles in Colombian territory. With the rise of Vasquez and other companies bringing a flood of motorcycles to Colombia, Auteco began to look for cheaper brands that could be more attractive than the Japanese ones, taking the lead from the pioneer Auteco. Since 2006, no one has been able to take away the leadership it has achieved due to its extremely low cost. Auteco has been in the hands of three companies, including Kymco, KTM, Adventure and SpeedMotorcycle.
公開済み : 2年前 沿って Nation World News Desk の Auto
Autoco, which introduced the first motorcycle in the country 83 years ago, through its 500 stores continues to be the sales leader among its competitors.
Auteco, the brand whose name is credited with the first motorcycle in Colombia, began in the last century as a small car parts store with a gas station in Medellin in the early 1940s.
The brand, which is a Colombian flagship today, was also the first brand to take street motorcycles to the country. Today it has more than 500 sales centers, two huge production plants and its register has billed more than 800 billion dollars in recent years.
All this money started in the mind of Paul Vasquez, who trained as an engineer in England and returned to his Medellin in 1941 to set up a spare parts and accessories shop for the few Ford and Chevrolet cars operating in the city. Returns. years, while the world’s economies were collapsing around World War II, started by Hitler’s Nazi Germany.
While the parts business was doing well, Paul Vasquez got the idea to bring the motorcycle to the country, a vehicle that at the time was known only to a few people traveling to the United States and Europe.
(The war ended in 1945. Paul Vasquez traveled to the United States and put on board a ship the first motorcycles to enter through the port of Barrenquila. It was a batch of then-competition from the now-defunct Indian brand Harley-Davidson, but a bit cheaper. Sielgard. This was the start of Paul Vasquez’s million-dollar business that had been running for 82 years.
After Indian marketing, he brought other brands like Excelsior and Monarch, but there were few customers. The price of these motorcycles was very high and it was not easy for most Colombians to buy them.
A decade later, in 1954, business boomed when Paul Vasquez received a license to represent and assemble the Italian Lambretta motorcycle, which became fashionable among young people and motorcycle enthusiasts. At that time, the first motorcycle assembly plant was born in the country. Vasquez placed it in Itagui, where it remains today. This motorcycle was a national symbol and thus Paul Vasquez became the first king of Colombian motorcycles.
After a trip to Japan, in 1972 engineers from Antioquia brought back documents signed by Kawasaki executives to be the sole seller of their motorcycles in Colombian territory. He also obtained permission to collect them in his already vast company in Itagui. He boom Interest in motorcycles grew and, above all, increased investment from businessmen who saw a future for the business of riding on two wheels.
Valle del Cauca businessmen Joaquín Losada Salcedo and Jorge Herrera Barona appeared on stage, receiving representation from Japanese Honda. The other player who gained significant recognition was the industrialist Alejandro Echavarría of Fenalca SA, who held the overall representation of the Japanese brand, Yamaha. With the rise of Vasquez, these companies brought a flood of motorcycles to the country, favored by boys and adventurers looking for a vehicle that was fast and, above all, cheaper than cars.
To compete with the rise of Japanese motorcycles invading the market, the company from Antioquia began to look for cheaper brands that could be more attractive than the Japanese ones, taking the lead from the pioneer Auteco. Thus, they have managed to acquire a good portfolio of motorcycles which has kept them afloat in the battle for customers.
Due to its sales, Bajaj remained the crown jewel of Auteco for many years. This Indian-origin motorcycle is one of the best-selling motorcycles in its country, currently and for several years, number one in Colombia. Since 2006, no one has been able to take away the leadership it has achieved due to its extremely low cost. Bajaj was an Autoco brand until 2019, when Guatemalan businessman Richard Campolo took over distribution and assembly for Colombia from the Vasquez family company.
The company was already in the hands of the founder’s sons, the five Vásquez Restrepo brothers, Auteco took over the representation of very well sold brands in the country, such as Kymco which arrived in 2003. KTM, Adventure and Speed Motorcycles became part of Auteco in 2012.
The production of electric motorcycles and bicycles coincided with the construction of a second production plant, which was built in 2016 in the business area of Mamonal in Cartagena. Two years later the sports brand Husqvarna entered the portfolio. TVS is the most recent acquisition of Auteco and has been representing it for four years.
In 2019, Auteco was split into three companies: Auteco Mobility, Synergix and Soulreach from where they manage all work fronts under the tutelage of Vásquez Restrepos, who sits on the board of directors to lead the company, which was inherited by his father. It will remain the king of motorcycles in Colombia, despite the fact that it was the only two-wheeler to be brought into the country.
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トピック: Colombia