Freudenberg’s aftermarket arm Corteco to expand India biz

Germany-based auto component supplier Freudenberg’s aftermarket arm Corteco has chalked out plans to expand its business in India.

Corteco is the global brand of Freudenberg for the independent aftermarket and it has established its 100 percent subsidiary in 2013 in India to market Freudenberg’s aftermarket products.

Speaking to Autocar Professional at ACMA Automechanika New Delhi, Sanjeev Ahuja, managing director of Corteco India, said the company has appointed 16 distributors thus far in India. The network will be expanded to 40 distributors by 2016 as to cover the length and breadth of the country.

Currently the company has been offering its products primarily for high-end brand cars from Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Skoda, Nissan and Volkswagen.

“We have more than 20,000 products in our global product portfolio but currently we are pitching only around 500 products for the Indian market,” he said.

The company’s main focus is in the areas like anti-vibration, sealing technology and cabin air filters. Currently the company’s products will suit around 20 percent of vehicles (high-end range) in India.

Going forward, he said, the company aims to increase its India product portfolio to 2,000 numbers in 2016  and 4,000-5,000 numbers in the next five years when the company starts to cater to the entry level and middle range of vehicles in the country.

This is the second time that Corteco India has participated in ACMA Automechanika New Delhi and the visitor response has been quite high, added Ahuja.

It may be noted that more than half of all new cars in India are fitted with Freudenberg original filters. In India, Corteco offers a broad range of filters that efficiently protect the air-conditioning system and the passengers from outdoor pollutants.