Skoda drives into pre-owned car market as demand for owned vehicles soars

Skoda Auto India on Wednesday announced company’s entry into the used car market. Zac Hollis, Brand Director at the firm said the entry is part of the INDIA 2.O project. It is also aimed at riding on the growing trend of owning personal vehicle in the post Covid-19 era.

“There is a desire to own personal mobility, that’s why we are getting into the segment. It’s also part of the India 2.O project,” said Hollis.  

Skoda is the last among the passenger vehicle makers to launch the certified used car programme. The used car market in India  has been growing at more than 1.5 times that of new cars. Most of the carmakers including Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai Motor India, Mahindra and Mahindra, Honda Cars, Toyota have been selling the pre-owned cars under varied brands for several years.  

The used cars from Skoda will come with manufacturer backed warranty that spans over a timeframe of up to 24 months or 150,000 kilometres (whichever is earlier). The designated programme will also house automobiles that do not don the ŠKODA badge and can be purchased, nonetheless, with a warranty that spans over a timeframe of up to 12 months or 15,000 kilometres.

To begin with, Skoda has commenced selling pre-owned cars in nine cities Mumbai, Delhi (NCR), Coimbatore, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Hyderabad, and Goa. It will be followed by a nationwide rollout in the subsequent phase, over a timeframe of the next 12 months.