Nissan To Improve Its Aftermarket Services In India
The Indian arm of Japanese auto major Nissan Motor on Friday (2 June) said that it is working to improve its sales and aftermarket services in the country to become a popular choice for non-urban consumers.
Arun Malhotra, MD, Nissan Motor India, said, “Right now we are present in 160 cities. We want to take that number to 300 very soon. Improving aftermarket services is one key area where we are working thoroughly and a lot has happened so far.”
When asked how the company is planning to increase its reach in rural India, where it is far behind from established players like Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai, Malhotra said that the company is not lagging a lot behind in the rural market but they are not in a spot where they should have been.
“Things have improved in many states when it comes to sales and services facilities. For example, we have more than half a dozen outlets in the north eastern state of Assam,” Malhotra said on the side-lines of the new Micra launch.
The carmaker also said that its two spare parts production units are ensuring that parts are easily available to dealers and service stations. Getting spare parts of some brands has been a major reason why consumers opt for the very established brand and Nissan is not one of them. Apart from Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai and Mahindra & Mahindra, rarely any carmaker has fast aftermarket service across India.
On improving its market presence in the Indian market, the company said that it will launch 8 cars in the next 4 years. Four of them is likely to come from the sub-brand Datsun while the other four will be from Nissan. The company had recently launched the facelift of its compact SUV Terrano, which is doing a modest 500-600 units per month.
Exports Saving The Brand
Launched in India in 2010, Micra was the first made in India car for Nissan. Owing to high competition from the likes of Maruti Suzuki Swift and Hyundai i20, Micra managed to find only 80,000 buyers in the domestic market.
However, it is the export market which continues to sustain the brand. The company has shipped more than 7 lakh units in over 100 countries so far. Nissan India, like other foreign players (Ford, General Motors etc), relies heavily on international markets to sell its made-in-India cars.
Nissan has an alliance with French carmaker Renault and it jointly manufacture vehicles in the Chennai plant. The Renault Nissan Automotive India has invested around Rs 5000 crore at the facility and has an annual capacity of 4.80 lakh units.
