A national franchiser of automotive repair and accessory shops is seeking to open two locations in the Dayton area.

Ohio is a target market for expansion, according to Barb Moran, president of The Moran Family of Brands, which operates 160 franchise after-market auto shops across the country. The brands include Mr. Transmission, Milex Complete Auto Care, Multistate Transmission, Dr. Nicks Transmission, Alta Mere Toys for Your Car and SmartView Window Solutions.

The first Ohio location, a Mr. Transmission shop, is now open in Sharonville north of Cincinnati. Moran said in a telephone interview that her company is looking to add two more Cincinnati-area locations, two Dayton-area locations, and two or three Columbus-area locations.

“We already have locations in Cincinnati, northern Kentucky and Louisville,” Moran said. “It just makes sense to us to open more locations” to the north of the existing shops.

The company has received applications from individuals interested in operating franchise stories in the Dayton area and is reviewing those applications, Moran said. No locations have been selected for the Dayton-area auto shops.

Drivers are hanging onto their cars longer and driving them more miles, which has boosted the automotive aftercare industry to a $300 billion a year enterprise, Moran said. In 2002, drivers shelled out about $900 million for non-warranty auto repairs and maintenance. In 2014, that number is projected to grow to $1.6 billion.

Vehicles are being kept longer — about 11 years, on average — and they’re being build better, Moran said.

“You can get 200,000 miles now on a car, and with the cost of new vehicles, it makes sense to invest in and maintaining existing vehicles,” Moran said.

Moran and her father Dennis founded Moran Industries in 1990 and later expanded the business to include franchised repair facilities with the acquisition of Mr. Transmission. Barb Moran has served as the president and CEO since 1999, and bought the company from her father in 2010, renaming it The Moran Family of Brands in 2011. The company is based in Midlothian, Illinois.