Quick Lane Store No. 600 Opens in California

After posting the biggest profit in the past ten years, American auto maker Ford is moving ahead with its expansion plans, not only with the car manufacturing sector, but also with its other businesses. One of its most important such businesses, Quick Lane Tire & Auto Centers, reached an important milestone this week, after the car maker opened the 600th location in California, at Elk Grove Ford in Elk Grove.

To properly mark the event, Ford also announced a major overhaul of the 599 other stores. Quick Lane operators will be aided to update and refresh their stores. The move, of course, is intended to maintain a clean image of one of Ford's most important businesses.

"We are very pleased with our strong growth of Quick Lane and want to continue our momentum by delivering branding elements that will help keep our Quick Lane facilities looking fresh and inviting to consumers," said Frederiek Toney, president of Ford's customer service division globally.

Ford's Quick Lane operation, through which the car maker provides routine maintenance and servicing (mostly brake repairs and tire replacements) for all makes and models, is also one of the biggest tire supplier in the US. In 2010, the chain of Quick Lane stores were responsible for the sale of 1 million tires from 11 brands (including Goodyear, Michelin and Continental), whose value amount to $570 million.

“We are very pleased with the continued strong growth of Quick Lane," Toney added. "As more customers are keeping their vehicles even longer, vehicle maintenance becomes even more important."