Ashok Leyland to ramp up dealership to 500

Ashok Leyland, the flagship vehicle manufacturer firm of the Hinduja Group, is planning to increase its dealership to 500 across the country by end of 2013. The company currently has around 440 dealers even as it looks to add 60 more this year.

To begin with, Ashok Leyland has begun ramping up its dealership in Gujarat by launching new ones in Rajkot, Jamnagar and Morbi in Saurashtra regions. The company is planning to open three more new dealership in Gujarat at Vadodara and Ahmedabad.

Speaking at the Rajkot outlet inauguration Rajive Saharia, Executive Director - Marketing, Ashok Leyland said, "We are rapidly increasing our dealership network across the country and targeting to add 60 new outlets and with this our dealership network will increase to 500 by end of this calendar year."

According to the company between April and December 2012, Ashok Leyland's market share increased by 3% due to expansion of dealership network in large number in past two years. The company has opened over 200 new outlets in past two years.

"This marks an important step in our efforts to spread our network in the western part of the country. Gujarat is truly vibrant with robust industrial and agricultural activity with the result there is an increasing demand for freight movement across the state. Rajkot, for instance, is one of the main trade hubs in Gujarat with an ever-increasing number of large and small scale industries, primarily forging and machinery and is well connected by all the state highways," said Saharia.

At Rajkot, the company appointed M/s. Eagle Autopearl Pvt. Ltd. as their new channel partner with the inauguration of a new sales, service and spares outlet. Eagle Autopearl's sales and service will cover the whole of Saurashtra including the seven districts of Rajkot, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar, Surendranagar, Junagadh, Porbandar and Amreli.