Volkswagen Passenger Cars India has commenced the Autofest Mega Exchange Carnival 2024, which will be on till 20 July. The company has also rebranded its used car business Das WeltAuto to ‘Volkswagen Certified Pre-Owned’, aligning with the Brand’s global positioning.
The strategic rebranding exercise is aimed at leveraging the strength and trust of the core Volkswagen brand, enhancing the pre-owned car program's visibility and value in the India market. The brand has also opened its first rebranded ‘Volkswagen Certified Pre-Owned’ car showroom in Coimbatore today.
‘Volkswagen Certified Pre-Owned’ will continue to operate its multi-brand pre-owned car business, but with an emphasis on Volkswagen branded models. Through ‘Volkswagen Certified Pre-Owned’ the Brand is aiming at providing refurbishment, certification and warranties, wherever applicable for cars sold through this retail channel. In doing so, the Brand will aspire to create a proposition that sets it apart from industry peers thanks to a frictionless and fully digitized customer journey through the rebranding initiative, the press release noted.
Ashish Gupta, Brand Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars India, said, “With Autofest, customers can avail exciting deals and offers that are available for a limited time period. As we continue to holistically focus on the Indian car market, we are also focusing on offering customers strong residual value in their new Volkswagen cars.”
Gupta added that rebranding their used car business will help them better serve the growing demand for pre-owned vehicles. "We have already witnessed strong demand during 1st half of this year and we expect this momentum to grow stronger during the festive season."
This rebranding also comes at a time of growing demand for pre-owned cars, as consumers increasingly seek aspirational vehicles at more accessible price points. The Brand’s used car business under the erstwhile ‘Das WeltAuto.’ brand name, for instance, has experienced a ten-fold growth in volumes, over the last five years.
Meanwhile, retail sales of pre-owned cars through the channel grew by 12 percent last year, a trend that has continued into the first half of 2024. Tier 2 towns have emerged as a notable driver of this growth, contributing significantly to the increasing demand. The recently launched 6th Edition of Indian Blue Book established the residual value of the Volkswagen Taigun at greater than 81% after 2 years since sale, thereby offering customers a strong re-sale performance.
Currently, Volkswagen India operates 139 touchpoints trading in certified pre-owned cars across the country, with 36 of these functioning as exclusive certified pre-owned outlets. Volkswagen plans to expand this footprint in a phased manner by March 2025.