Motor Werks 35th Year
The Motor Werks name has been a dominant part of luxury automobile retailing since the early 70s. The company began with the Mercedes-Benz and BMW franchises on Cook St. in downtown Barrington where the Cadillac and Saab franchises are sold.
Motor Werks' indoor mall opened in 1987 as one of the first such concepts of its kind. Today that facility houses Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Porsche, Infiniti and Honda sales and service.
In October 2003, Mercedes-Benz of Hoffman Estates, a Motor Werks company, opened on Golf Rd., three miles west of Woodfield Mall. The area is renowned as the retail epicenter of Chicago’s northwest suburbs with 31 new car franchises located within Hoffman Estates and neighboring Schaumburg. This separate Mercedes facility specializes in new car sales, service and leasing, as well as pre-owned vehicles from $6K to $60K.
Also in 2003, Motor Werks was named one of a handful of luxury car retailers to sell the Maybach franchise, the ultra-luxury class vehicles from Daimler-Benz. Motor Werks also achieved Porsche Premier Dealer status, awarded by Porsche Cars North America for outstanding sales and service achievements among the country’s most elite retailers.
Motor Werks Partners Paul Tamraz, who acquired the company in 1980, and Jim Hub, the dealership's General Manager, have grown the business to rank among Crain's Chicago Business Top 100 Privately Owned Companies in the Chicagoland area. 2004 sales were $349-million, with nearly 6,000 new and certified pre-owned vehicles sold. The company employs 341 staff members.
With its nine total franchises, Motor Werks frequently heads the list of Illinois franchised automobile dealers in total number of new car registrations in the State. More than half the company’s clientele are repeat customers.
Additional growth and expansion plans are in the works through 2007.
Mr. Tamraz and Mr. Hub were formally trained in marketing and accounting, respectively, and each have more than 30 years of automotive sales, finance and management experience in the Chicagoland area.
