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| Company type | Division of FRAM Group |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Division of UCI–FRAM AutoBrands |
| Founded | 1911 |
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
| Parent | FRAM Group IP LLC |
| Website | http://www.autolite.com |
Autolite orAuto–Lite is an American brand ofspark plugs and ignition wire setsheadquartered inCleveland, Ohio. Autolite products are sold in theUnited States,Canada,Mexico, andAustralia. Until 2011, the Autolite brand was a part ofHoneywell's automotive Consumer Products Group, along withFRAM and Prestone. Since then, it has been manufactured and marketed by FRAM Group. Autolite has been the official spark plug ofNASCAR since April 2000.
The origins of Autolite are traced to 1911, whenElectric Autolite was founded. The company producedgenerators to power early day buggy lamps. In 1927, Electric Autolite acquired the Prest–O–Lite Battery Company, which produced automotive batteries, fromThe Union Carbide Corporation. In 1934, an Autolite facility inToledo, Ohio was the site of theAuto-Lite strike. In 1935, Royce G. Martin, President of the Electric Autolite Company, decided the company should enter the business of manufacturingspark plugs. Robert Twells, a ceramic engineer, led the development team. In 1936, the first spark plug was produced at theirFostoria, Ohio plant. A few months later, the company sold their first spark plug. Electric Autolite's products were expanded further to includestarter motors,ignition systems, and wire and cable products. Autolite had secured supply contracts with leading car manufacturers such asChrysler,Studebaker, andPackard.
In a 1940 promotional film, Autolite featured stop motion animation of its products marching past Autolite factories to the tune ofFranz Schubert'sMilitary March. An abbreviated version of this sequence was later used in television ads for Autolite. AnnouncerHarlow Wilcox turned the ad's tagline"You're always right with Autolite!" into a national catchphrase.
In 1961, theFord Motor Company acquired the Autolite trade name, an Ohio spark plug factory, a Michigan battery facility, limited distribution rights, and the services of several employees.[1] Autolite products became standard original factory equipment in Ford vehicles. A federal antitrust lawsuit was filed against Ford, which dragged on through the remainder of the 1960s, ultimately being decided in 1972 by theSupreme Court against Ford, which was forced to sell its Autolite-related assets to theBendix Corporation by 1973. At that point, Ford replaced the Autolite brand with theMotorcraft name worldwide for its original factory equipment, which is still in use by Ford to this day.
In 1963, what remained of the Electric Autolite company merged with theMergenthaler Linotype Company, and the Eltra Corporation was formed. The former Autolite portion (not sold to Ford) then became the Prestolite Motor and Ignition Company, laterPrestolite Electric. In 1973, theBendix Corporation had purchased both FRAM and Autolite. In 1980, the Eltra Corporation was acquired byAlliedSignal Corporation, which was itself acquired byHoneywell in 1999. Bendix was acquired by Allied in 1983, thereby bringing the former Ford property (Autolite) back to its original parent (the remnant of Electric Autolite in Eltra) under Allied (under Honeywell). In 2011, Honeywell sold its automotive Consumer Products Group to Rank Group, which introduced FRAM Group, a manufacturer of small, replaceable auto parts, and several other companies to take over the operations and the transfer of ownership of the acquired trademarks.
In September 2025, Autolite's current parent company,First Brands Group, filed forChapter 11 bankruptcy after substantial losses in revenue, listing assets between $5 billion and $10 billion and liabilities between $10 billion and $50 billion.[2]
On January 26, 2026, First Brands announced that it would be winding down its Autolite, Brake Parts, Inc., and Cardone subsidiaries after being unable to secure funding and complete a sale for the three companies.[3]
Most Autolite spark plugs are manufactured inChina, whereFRAM GROUP OPERATIONS LLC Imports fromSHANGHAI SWEET AUTO PARTS CO LTD in through thePort of Oakland;[4] some are made in FRAM Group's factories inGreenville, Ohio, andAlbion, Illinois, USA.