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Valvoline Inc. (/ˈvælvəliːn/ VAL-və-leen) is an American retail automotive services company. It licenses the name for a number of Valvoline-labeled automotive oil, additives, and lubricants. It also owns the Valvoline Instant Oil Change, Great Canadian Oil Change and Valvoline Express Care car repair chains. As of 2023[update], it is the second largest oil change service provider in the United States with 10% market share and over 1,650 locations.[4][5][6]
 | |
| Formerly |
|
|---|---|
| Company type | Public company |
| Industry | Chemical manufacturing and distribution, car repair |
| Predecessors |
|
| Founded | September 6, 1866 in Binghamton, New York, U.S. (as the Continuous Oil Refining Company) |
| Founder | John Ellis |
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
Key people | |
| Revenue |  US$1.62 billion (2024) |
| US$367 million (2024) | |
 US$212 million (2024) | |
| Total assets | US$2.44 billion (2024) |
| Total equity | US$186 million (2024) |
Number of employees | 11,500 (2024) |
| Subsidiaries |
|
| Website | valvoline |
| Footnotes / references [1][2][3] | |
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Dr. John Ellis, the inventor of a petroleum lubricant for steam engines, founded Valvoline in 1866, in Binghamton, New York, as the "Continuous Oil Refining Company". In 1868, Ellis renamed his Binghamton Cylinder Oil to the more memorable Valvoline. The next year, he moved the Continuous Oil Refining Company to Brooklyn. With his son and son-in-law, Ellis renamed the company to "Ellis & Leonard" and relocated to Shadyside, New Jersey. Valvoline received commendations by Charles F. Chandler and others at the Paris Exhibition of 1878.[7] By the 1890s, Valvoline oil was associated with winning race cars.[8] During the early 20th century, Valvoline was the recommended motor oil for the Ford Model T.[4]
In 1949, Ashland Inc. purchased the Freedom-Valvoline Company.[9]
By 2016, Ashland's Valvoline subsidiary accounted for about 37% of the parent company's annual revenue.[4] Valvoline completed an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange on September 22, 2016,[10] ahead of Ashland spinning off Valvoline as an independent company on May 5, 2017.[1]
On August 1, 2022, Saudi Aramco announced the acquisition of Valvoline's lubricant unit for US$2.65 billion.[11][12]
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Valvoline is an official recommended fuel and motor oil for all General Motors marquees including Chevrolet, Buick and Cadillac and also all-Honda Motor Company group brands including Honda and Acura for automobiles only as well as Honda for motorcycles only.
Valvoline sponsored a number of auto races to market its motor oil, including the SCCA National Championship Runoffs and Bommarito Automotive Group 500. Valvoline also sponsored the first woman to compete in both the Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500, Janet Guthrie, NASCAR Cup Series driver Mark Martin (1992-2000), CART driver Al Unser Jr. (1988-1993), and NASCAR teams RahMoc Enterprises, and Ginn Racing and Hendrick Motorsports (since 2014).[2]
In Australia, Valvoline owns naming rights to the Sydney Speedway[13] and sponsors the Australian Sprintcar Grand Prix. It also sponsored the 1994 Australian Manufacturers' Championship.
Since June 2020, Valvoline sponsors La Liga association club Sevilla FC as a global partner, with their logo appearing on the sleeves of match kits.[14]
Since July 2023 Valvoline is currently sponsoring the Aston Martin Formula One team as an extension of the team's existing partnership with Aramco, and the partnership will be upgraded to lubricant supply role from 2026 season onwards due to Honda engine direct partnership.[15]
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