Mahindra First Choice Wheels, a multi brand used cars retail chain and part of Mahindra group, is looking at 30 per cent rise in sales of pre-owned vehicles in the domestic market this year. The company has decided to ramp up its sales and service network, in order to achieve the same.
At present, there are 255 Mahindra First Choice Wheels retail outlets and the company is working on adding 100 more in the country this year. The aggressive expansion plans would take the company’s overall presence to 210 Indian cities, a sharp increase from the present 160 dealerships. Therefore, 50 cities would get a new store that would come handy for the company in achieving its estimated sales targets. As per reports, the Mahindra’s used car business managed to sell 46,000 pre-owned vehicles in the domestic market during the 2012 calendar year. For the current year, Mahindra First Choice Wheels is aiming to sell 60,000 pre-owned cars in the country, on the back of new dealerships.
Speaking his mind on the company’s future plans, Yatin Chadha, Vice President (VP), Retail Business (Franchise and Company controlled outlets) at Mahindra First Choice Wheels, was quoted as saying, “Last year we added 100 new showrooms. Our total is 255 outlets now. We will be adding another 100 this year and our presence will be increased to 210 cities and towns across India.” He further added, “Apart from expanding the network, this year we will also focus on offering new products such as financing schemes or insurance for customers to drive the sales growth.”
Further, expressing his opinion on the potential of used car business in the country, Chadha said, “The Indian total pre-owned car market is around 1.3 million units at present. We sold just 46,000 units last year. We have not even scratched the surface.” Interestingly, Mahindra First Choice Wheels retail outlets sell models ranging from Tata Nano entry level small car to high end Mercedes-Benz vehicles.
