ABSTRACT
Lionel Kaufmann was behind the wheel of his shiny Mercedes sports car driving on the highway on his way back from a visit to one of the dealerships of Grupo Kaufmann. As a third-generation member of the Kaufmann family he has been preparing for a leadership role in the family's business in the Auto Industry in Chile all along. In 1958, Kaufmann sold 250 small buses to the city, contributing to decongest the traffic of passengers in Santiago. Subsequently, Walter Kaufmann made great efforts to weave a cohesive network of representatives throughout the country, facilitating the penetration of the "Mercedes-Benz" brand. Don Walter Kaufmann had started working with Mercedes-Benz in Germany at age twenty six before the war started. Walter and his wife came to Chile with their two sons, Miguel and Cristobal. The automotive industry worldwide was fast approaching drastic changes which the traditional car manufacturers had to deal with.
