February 16 was a red letter day for Ford India as the carmaker inaugurated 45 new sales and service outlets in 35 locations across India. Raghu Nadathur, director (accounting & internal control), Ford Asia Pacific and Africa, inaugurated two brand-new sales facilities at Wasan Ford, Mumbai and Bhavna Ford at Navi Mumbai.
With these 45 new outlets, Ford India has strengthened its pan-India network to 230 sales and service facilities in over 123 cities. “Ford has started 2012 with a new promise. Adding to our commitment of bringing eight new products to India by mid-decade, we are focused on augmenting the customer experience with our world- class service initiatives,” said Michael Boneham, president and managing director, Ford India (pictured here).
The carmaker has over 40 percent of its sales and service network in Tier II and III cities. Of the new sales and service outlets, 20 will offer full 3S (Showroom, Sales and Service) facilities, while 14 will be service workshops, providing a full line of aftersales services and 11 standalone sales showrooms.
The sales and service network expansion follows the global preview of the all-new EcoSport during the Auto Expo. Ford India’s aggressive aftersales focus has seen it introduce a new sales and service centre every 10 days.
“From sales and service expansion to localisation to affordable spares and child parts strategy, Ford has redefined what consumers want and desire – offering peace of mind and convenience. Today Ford dealerships are located across the length and breadth of India and offer world-class aftersales service plans at a competitive cost. As we broaden our portfolio, we are committed to growing closer to customers through our sales and service network,” said Nadathur.
New facilities have opened in New Delhi, Noida, Rohtak, Sonepat, Panipat, Kanpur, Lucknow, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Alwar, and Bikaner in the North; Rourkela, Agartala, and Kolkata in the East; Bangalore, Chennai, Kochi, Coimbatore, Gulbarga, Hyderabad, Belgaum, Thanjavur, Tirupur in the South; and Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Goa, Jabalpur, Indore, Sagar, Solapur, Bhillai, and Jamnagar in the Western region.
Global standards
The newly-inaugurated showrooms are new Brand@Retail dealerships built to Ford’s global standard to improve the ownership experience and ensure a long-term association with the Ford brand. These outlets offer Ford spares, accessories, insurance and extended warranty.
Initiatives such as Quick Service, a vehicle servicing process that allows routine service to be performed in less than 90 minutes, are available across 90 dealerships and will help enhance the ownership experience. Ford is also adding a fleet of more than 10 mobile service vans across India to help customers reduce their travel time for routine services and minor repairs.
The aggressive sales and service network expansion is in line to support Ford’s global plan of increasing worldwide sales by nearly 50 percent by mid-decade to eight million vehicles a year. Of that figure, 60 to 70 percent is expected to come from the Asia-Pacific and Africa region. As is known, Ford is investing around US$ 1 billion to build new vehicle manufacturing and engine plants in Sanand, Gujarat. Ford has also announced an investment of US$ 72 million to expand its existing powertrain facility in Chennai. There's also the latest investment of $142 million in Chennai to support the manufacturing launch of the EcoSport, bringing the carmaker’s total investment in India to over US$ 2 billion.