D'Ieteren
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50°49′19″N 4°21′37″E / 50.82194°N 4.36028°E
D'Ieteren SA (Euronext: DIE) is a company, based in Belgium that is engaged in automobile distribution and vehicle glass repair and replacement (VGRR).[1]
Activities
D'Ieteren is a group of services to the motorist founded in 1805.
D'Ieteren Auto distributes Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda, Seat, Porsche, Bentley, Lamborghini, Bugatti and Yamaha vehicles across Belgium.
Belron (94.85% owned) performs vehicle glass repair and replacement. 2,400 branches and 8,600 mobile vans, trading under 15 different brands including Carglass, Autoglass and Safelite, serve customers in 35 countries.[2]
History
The D'Ieteren venture started in the 19th century when it was founded by master coachbuilder Joseph-Jean D'Ieteren. 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.
D'Ieteren's car rental business commenced in 1956.[citation needed]
The company imports and distributes other makes of the Volkswagen group: Audi, SEAT, Skoda, Bentley, and Lamborghini, as well as Yamaha products.
D'Ieteren acquired Belron in 1999. Belron performs vehicle glass repair and replacement. The company operates in Europe and Brazil under the brand names Carglass and Autoglass (Ireland, United Kingdom, Poland), in North America (Canada, United States) as Belron, in Australia under the brand name O'Brien and in New Zealand under the brand name Smith & Smith.