Auto AG Group
Swiss transport and commercial-vehicle group with over a century of history in public bus transport, truck sales and service, and vehicle bodybuilding.
Last updated September 26, 2026
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Overview
Auto AG Group (officially Auto AG Holding) is a Swiss transport and commercial-vehicle company headquartered in Rothenburg in the Canton of Lucerne. It traces its origins to 17 February 1918, when the Automobilgesellschaft Emmenbrücke – Münster was founded with its seat in Rothenburg; the company's purpose was the transport of persons, luggage and goods by automobile. Over more than a century it has grown from a local bus operator into a diversified service provider in the Swiss commercial-vehicle and transport sector, active in three main business areas: public transport, commercial-vehicle sales and service, and vehicle bodybuilding. The group operates through several subsidiaries. Auto AG Rothenburg (AAGR) runs regional bus lines in the Canton of Lucerne as well as the Emmen local bus network. Other subsidiaries handle the sale, maintenance and repair of commercial vehicles, including the Auto AG Nutzfahrzeugcenter and Auto SA Ticino. The company has expanded through acquisitions such as Auto AG Oberland (2004), GESER Fahrzeugbau AG (2008), Nater Nutzfahrzeuge (2017) and Garage Nepple AG (2024), and it founded BF Import AG in 2024. It has also acted as a dealer for commercial-vehicle brands including Fiat, Iveco, OM and Bedford. Auto AG Group is headquartered at Stationsstrasse 88, CH-6023 Rothenburg, and operates from eleven locations. It remains a privately held Swiss company. In 2010 it carried more than five million passengers and covered 2.5 million kilometres, equivalent to 62 circumnavigations of the globe. The group marked its 100th anniversary in 2018 and continues to be an important full-service provider in the Swiss commercial-vehicle and transport industry.
History
Auto AG Group was founded on 17 February 1918 as the Automobilgesellschaft Emmenbrücke – Münster, with its registered office in Rothenburg. Its stated purpose was the transport of persons, luggage and goods by automobile. Bus operations on the Emmenbrücke – Münster line (from 1934 Beromünster) began on 15 September 1918 with two buses. From 5 June 1925 the company was permitted to run services through to Lucerne railway station, in exchange for paying 50% of gross receipts to the Lucerne tramway. On 1 September 1925 it opened the Münster – Sursee bus line, but transferred it to another operator as early as 15 May 1927. The company's workshop has been open to third-party vehicles for maintenance and repairs since 1920. The company name changed to Automobilgesellschaft Rothenburg in the 1927 business report and to Auto A.-G. Rothenburg in 1928. A new garage in Beromünster was taken into operation in 1948. On 1 February 1950 a fire completely destroyed the garage and workshop in Rothenburg; a replacement garage was built on the same site and occupied in 1953. On 1 November 1947 AAGR began operating the Luzern – Flugplatz Emmen bus line, later Line 53. On 25 November 1974 the new Emmen local bus service was launched under a concession from the municipality of Emmen, with Auto AG Rothenburg entrusted with its operation. In 1974 the company also discontinued its freight truck operations, which had begun in 1919. In the commercial-vehicle field, the company took on representation of the truck manufacturer OM in 1971, followed by the Bedford brand in 1977. In 1982 the subsidiary Autoro AG was founded as official representative of the Datsun/Nissan brands; the last shares in it were sold in 1990. On 1 May 1985, at the Auto AG Rothenburg general meeting, a new operations building was inaugurated. New parking halls and technical facilities followed in 1993, and office space in 1994. In 1998 a holding structure was introduced by renaming Auto AG Rothenburg as Auto AG Holding, encompassing Auto AG Rothenburg (public transport), Auto SA Ticino and Auto AG Nutzfahrzeugcenter (commercial-vehicle sales, maintenance and repair). Since April 1997 AAGR (from 1998 Auto AG Nutzfahrzeugcenter) has been a local dealer for the Fiat brand; also in 1997 the subsidiary Auto SA Ticino was founded to distribute Iveco vehicles in Ticino. Since 1999 the Auto AG Nutzfahrzeugcenter has also distributed the Iveco brand. From 1999 to 2003 the Auto AG Buscenter in Rothenburg imported Irisbus buses and distributed them throughout Switzerland. Until 2004 Iveco and Fiat commercial vehicles were sold only in the cantons of Lucerne, Zug, Schwyz, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Uri and in Ticino. Auto AG Centro, founded in 2003, began operations in Bern in 2005, and Auto AG Oberland, taken over by the holding in 2004, extended the sales territory to the Canton of Bern. In 2007 Auto AG Centro was renamed Auto AG Schönbühl and the location moved to Urtenen-Schönbühl. On the public transport side, AAGR opened the new bus line 58 Eschenbach – Inwil – Gisikon – Root on 9 March 1992, but dissolved it on 29 May 1999 because passenger frequencies were unsatisfactory. In 2005 the concession for the Emmen bus network was transferred from the municipality to Auto AG Rothenburg. With the timetable change on 7 December 2006, AAGR began operating Line 54 from Waldibrücke station to Inwil; this was discontinued at the December 2017 timetable change and replaced by the new Line 111 Ebikon – Buchrain – Inwil – Waldibrücke operated by Rottal Auto AG. In December 2010 the Emmen bus network was restructured to better align buses with the Lucerne S-Bahn; lines previously designated E1 to E5 became Lines 41 to 45, running radially from or via Sonnenplatz, and Line 53 Luzern – Emmen was rerouted to terminate at the aircraft works instead of Rüeggisingen. In December 2008 AAGR took over the former VBL Line 13, which until the December 2016 timetable change ran extended via Sprengi and Rothenburg to the Wahlingen industrial area. At the 2016 timetable change the Emmen bus network was restructured again, with branches from Emmenbrücke station re-linked as Lines 40 and 46, and Line 53 Luzern – Emmen Flugzeugwerke discontinued. In 2008 the group took over GESER Fahrzeugbau AG. In 2010 it carried more than five million passengers for the first time and covered 2.5 million kilometres, equivalent to 62 circumnavigations of the globe. The groundbreaking for the NuFa-Center Rothenburg took place in 2011. In 2017 Nater Nutzfahrzeuge was acquired, and in 2018 the company celebrated its 100th anniversary. In 2024 BF Import AG was founded and Garage Nepple AG was taken over. Today the group operates from eleven locations and remains active in public transport, commercial-vehicle sales and service, and vehicle bodybuilding.
- 2003
Auto AG Centro founded; Irisbus import and distribution ended.
- 1999
Auto AG Nutzfahrzeugcenter began distributing Iveco; Line 58 dissolved on 29 May.
- 1998
Holding structure introduced by renaming Auto AG Rothenburg as Auto AG Holding.
- 1997
Became local dealer for Fiat in April; Auto SA Ticino founded to distribute Iveco vehicles in Ticino.
- 1994
New office space taken into operation.
- 1993
75th anniversary; new parking halls and technical facilities taken into operation.
- 1992
New bus line 58 Eschenbach – Inwil – Gisikon – Root opened on 9 March.
- 1990
Last shares in Autoro AG sold.
- 1985
New operations building in Rothenburg inaugurated on 1 May.
- 1982
Subsidiary Autoro AG founded as official representative of Datsun/Nissan.
Products and positioning
Full-service provider in the Swiss commercial-vehicle and transport industry, combining public transport operations with commercial-vehicle sales, service and bodybuilding.
Regional bus lines (Lines 50, 51, 52)
Regional bus services in the Canton of Lucerne operated by Auto AG Rothenburg.
Emmen local bus network (Lines 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
Local bus services in Emmen operated under concession.
Commercial vehicle sales and service
Sale, maintenance and repair of commercial vehicles, including Fiat and Iveco brands.
Vehicle bodybuilding
Vehicle bodybuilding through GESER Fahrzeugbau AG.
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