Ford Motor Company

Visteon was not founded by individual entrepreneurs but was established as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Company in January 2000. Ford transferred the assets and liabilities of its automotive components and systems business to the new entity. The strategic decision to create Visteon as an independent company was driven by Ford's desire to reduce its automotive assets and capital requirements while giving Visteon management increased strategic flexibility to pursue non-Ford customers. On June 28, 2000, Ford distributed all Visteon shares to Ford common and Class B stockholders on a pro rata basis, completing the spin-off.

Visteon Corporation was created through a corporate spin-off from Ford Motor Company, one of the world's largest automotive manufacturers. The spin-off was structured as a tax-free distribution to Ford shareholders, who received 0.130933 shares of Visteon common stock for each share of Ford stock they owned. Ford retained no ownership interest in Visteon after the distribution, and the company began trading on the New York Stock Exchange under ticker symbol VC. The newly independent company inherited a full-line automotive supplier business with operations in climate control, interiors, and electronics, employing tens of thousands of workers and generating billions in annual revenue. However, the heavy dependence on Ford for revenue and the structural challenges of the automotive components industry would soon test the company's independence.