Draft:Bigmotor

BIGMOTOR Corporation (株式会社ビッグモーター) is a Japanese used car and vehicle repair company.

Founded in 1978, it is the single largest used car chain in Japan, employing over 6000 people across over 300 locations throughout Japan as of May 2023. .

The company has been the subject of repeated scandals such as fraudulent insurance claims, abuse of staff, routinely overcharging customers and intentionally damaging customers' cars to drive up repair prices.

Overview
The company operates "one-stop shopping" outlets, mainly in western Japan, that handle 100% of all automobile-related matters in-house, from sales to purchase, vehicle inspection, repairs, sheet metal painting, non-life insurance and leasing.

On 25 April 2005, the company took a stake in Hanaten (headquartered in Joto-ku, Osaka), a long-established used car dealer in the Kansai region, and brought it under the group umbrella; since October 2013, the shop names of Hanaten directly-owned shops, excluding franchise shops, have changed from '8710' (Hanaten) to 'BIGMOTOR'.

On 1 March 2016, all Hanaten franchise shops were converted to 'BIGMOTOR' and Hanaten ceased to exist.

Actor Masahiko Nishimura and staff members Nao Omori and Ryuta Sato have been used as commercial characters after commercials featuring them. Some radio commercials are narrated by Jihide Kabira, and many are broadcast mainly as FM radio spot commercials.

History

 * January,1976 - Kaneshige Auto Centre was founded in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture.
 * May,1978 - Reorganised and incorporated as a joint-stock company (establishment).
 * February,1980 - Company name changed to BIGMOTOR CO., LTD.
 * April,1993 - Newly established "Big Body Shimonoseki", a plant specialising in sheet metal painting.
 * March,1994 - "Big Version", a new sales outlet specialising in foreign cars, established.
 * October,1995 - Acquired M.A.C. Ltd. and took over its business as a wholly-owned subsidiary.
 * April,1997 - Sheet-metal paint specialist Big Body Tokuyama is newly established.
 * November,2001 - Yamaguchi Vehicle Inspection Designated Plant moved to Okayama and Yamaguchi Plant moved to Okayama.
 * August,2003 - Viking Ltd. changed its name to Big Kyushu Ltd.
 * October,2003 - M.A.C. Ltd. changed its name to Big Shikoku Ltd.
 * January,2013 - Three companies - Big Shikoku Co Ltd, Big Kyushu Co Ltd and Big Assist Co Ltd (wholly-owned subsidiary) - were merged.
 * November,2015 - Head office relocated to Minato-ku, Tokyo.
 * January,2016 - Hanaten becomes a subsidiary. (The company was subsequently liquidated on 1 October 2018 following the conversion of its shops into big motors and the liquidation of its business).