Skoda Auto India to expand retail network to 100 cities by August

Skoda Auto India, which launched its new Kushaq midsize SUV on June 28 and bagged over 2,000 orders in the first week, is fast expanding its retail footprint in the country.

Following the launch of the Kushaq, the first product from Volkswagen Group’s India 2.0 project, priced between Rs 10.49 lakh for the base 1.0 TSI Active variant and Rs 17.59 lakh (ex-showroom) for the top-spec 1.5 TSI AT Style variant, Skoda Auto India has increased its dealer network by almost 15 percent.

Now the company has announced that the brand will be present in more than 100 cities across India by August 2021. This will be its largest coverage in India since it entered this market in 2001. With this, Skoda Auto India will have more than 170 customer touch-points including sales and after-sales facilities.

The rollout of the network expansion strategy is a result of the carmaker’s accelerated effort over the past year in identifying the right dealer partners. The increased network reach will also support the brand’s three-pronged strategy of launching new products, introducing new services and building on its promise of customer centricity.

Skoda Auto India says following the launch of the Kushaq, there have been more than 200 dealership applications by potential partners who want to partner the brand in India. This includes a mix of new dealers, and also existing dealers.

Zac Hollis, Brand Director – Skoda Auto India, said, “The launch of Kushaq stands testament to a new era for Skoda Auto in India. On the back of this world-class SUV, we had a clear vision of taking the Skoda brand to new and emerging markets across the country. We will be present in more than 100 cities from the coming month. Enhancing the ownership experience is a key pillar of our growth strategy and increasing our network presence is one of the important pillars to meet this objective.”

The 100 cities that Skoda Auto India will be present in by August 2021 will include new markets like Sangli, Bhilwara, Faridabad, Panchkula, Navsari, Vapi and Hardoi, amongst others. This will enhance the brand’s existing presence in over 90 cities which includes Patiala, Sirsa, Ghaziabad, Alwar, Aligarh, Siliguri, Bhavnagar, Satara, Ahmednagar, Belgaum, Shimoga, Kannur, Alleppy, Dindigul, Karur, Nellore, Bhimavaram and many other tier II-III cities, apart from all metro and most state capital cities.

Image source: Santosh Dandge