AutoForum Wiegers GmbH Gütersloh

Late 1960s. In the initially small company called “Autohandel & Autolackiererei Wiegers” on Waltgeristraße in Herford, people screw and do handicrafts. Motorists young and old meet here. “And then we also sold cars. At the time, I didn't even know how to fill out a contract. Together with my first customer, Gabriele Krömker, we somehow managed to get the sales contract right. I can remember exactly the amount for the MINI I sold: 4,450 DM. What a price! ", Peter Wiegers and his wife Gisela look back on the early years. And to his first customer, whom he will meet again around 40 years later ... pw120120The first few years as a self-employed person are difficult, but are mastered with diligence and commitment. “The basis for our success was certainly the dealership agreement with HONDA on November 7, 1979. At first we were laughed at for the Japanese vehicles, but this attitude quickly changed. Today everyone knows the particularly high quality of a HONDA automobile, ”says Peter Wiegers. What follows is steady expansion. In addition to Herford, four other HONDA locations are being built in Bielefeld, Gütersloh, Porta Westfalica and Osnabrück. Years later, from 2009, a new, up-and-coming brand joins them: ŠKODA. First in Herford, Bielefeld and Porta Westfalica - and a year later in Gütersloh. "Bienvenidos - SEAT drove up" wrote the chronicle in September 2011. The autoforum Wiegers in Osnabrück welcomes you as the new trading partner of the modern and sporty SEAT brand. In the spring of 2013, the trendy automobiles of the modern brand of the Volkswagen group will also arrive at the Wiegers location in Gütersloh. The new SEAT brand has been very well received both in Lower Saxony and in Gütersloh in East Westphalia. "The power to surprise" has been the name of a new advertising slogan in the Wiegers Group since October 1, 2015: KIA is the fourth house brand! "Kia is a very up-and-coming brand with a sustainable growth strategy and fits perfectly into our brand portfolio," said Christian Wiegers happily on the occasion of the three new dealer agreements for the three locations in Herford, Bielefeld and Gütersloh. The official start of sales and the start of KIA service activities was on December 1, 2015. The success story of the Wiegers group of companies is not only written by company founder Peter Wiegers and his wife Gisela, who has been with us from the very beginning, but also by his son Christian in addition to the many competent employees. The business graduate and today's managing director decided to join the family business in 1991. “Christian officially asked for a personal appointment - at 10 o'clock in the morning. I was amazed and at a loss at the same time: An official appointment with my son !? ”, says Peter Wiegers. "He just wanted to tell me about his professional decision: his entry into the automotive business." Christian Wiegers' professional career is now based on well-founded, "automotive" legs. For five years - until 1997 - he studied automotive economics at the University of Bamberg (with the renowned Professor Wolfgang Meinig). The following year he went to California as a “business graduate” to one of the largest Honda dealers at the time. “At the Auto Nation Group we were 21 salespeople. Well over 1,000 new Honda vehicles were sold there each year. That was impressive - and instructive at the same time, ”says the married father of three children, who has been successfully managing the Wiegers Group with his father since 1999. Today, around five decades after it was founded, Peter, Gisela and Christian Wiegers always look forward, but also like to look back. Like a few days ago at the company's headquarters in Herford. Important visitors were announced: Brigitte Krömker, the first customer, visited the dealership. "Brigitte, you haven't changed at all," said Peter Wiegers, delighted at seeing you again. "May I offer you a coffee - or should I show you the new ŠKODA Superb Combi right away ..." said Peter Wiegers. Just like in the old days ...