Multibrand workshop chain GoMechanic hires ex-Ashok Leyland official to lead EV strategy

Delhi-based technology-enabled workshop chain, GoMechanic today announced that the company has inducted Suyash Kumar, who was the e-mobility business lead for Ashok Leyland to drive it’s EV strategy and plan.

Kumar will be responsible for building an integrated EV strategy for GoMechanic and building the right talent/capabilities in the company to ensure effective delivery. In September 2019, the start-up signed an exclusive services and maintenance partnership with Revolt Motors. GoMechanic says it is making major infrastructure renovation at its workshops to accommodate dedicated EV servicing bays.

During his first role at Ashok Leyland had worked in the after-sales and marketing function after which he had a brief stint in consulting . In his second stint at Ashok Leyland he served as eMobility Business Lead from 2017 to 2018.  An Indian School of Business alumnus, he earned his degree in Marketing and Strategy in 2017.

Kushal Karwa, co-founder, GoMechanic said, “We were looking at someone to anchor our EV strategy which is a critical and integral part of our plan to be ahead of the curve when it comes to EV maintenance, servicing and related areas in India. Suyash was consulting with us for some time post his stint at Ashok Leyland and the extensive progress made, convinced us that it is time to move further. We are excited to have him on-board to exclusively drive this critical new initiative for us.”

Suyash Kumar, Head – EV, operations and expansion, GoMechanic said, ”The stint at Ashok Leyland provided me substantial insights into the EV industry and specifically around the EV ecosystem. I believe EVs make practical sense for India and with the push from the government that we see today, EVs adoption will be quick. The opportunity to make GoMechanic a pre-eminent player to go to for anything related to the EV ecosystem, is exciting and huge. GoMechanic provides the largest network of touch points across cities, and thus this gives an opportunity to increase utilisation of this available real estate for all EV ecosystem like charging infra, maintenance and network touch points for vehicle manufacturers like Revolt.”

Founded in 2016, GoMechanic is a brainchild of two IIM-A graduates — Kushal Karwa and Amit Bhasin. The company is a leading company which offers technology-enabled vehicle service centres, offering a seamless service experience at the convenience of a tap. The company says its asset-light model with centralised bulk procurement of spare parts from OEM’s, zero real-estate overheads and technology-driven efficiency, results in significant savings which are passed onto the customers. GoMechanic has over 150 car repair workshops across Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and now Chandigarh, Mohali, and Panchkula. The company claims that it currently services over 1 million cars and is targeting 10 million customers by 2021.