Skoda aims to double sales network in India, to take up mainstream brand positioning

Czech car maker Skoda Auto aims to double sales network in India to over 100 locations by 2021 with plans to position itself as a mainstream brand and shed the niche tag going ahead, a senior company official Friday said.

The company's wholly-owned arm Skoda Auto India, which on Friday entered into a partnership with ORIX Auto Infrastructure for leasing services, currently has presence in 54 locations across India.

"We need to get business ready for 2.0 India strategy and for that we are working on four key areas that include reduction in cost of ownership, improvement in service experience, change in perception that Skoda is expensive to own," Skoda Auto India Director - Sales, Service, and Marketing Zac Hollis told PTI.

The company is also working on increasing brand awareness as well as expansion of network for new set of products that are expected to start rolling out from 2021 onwards.

"We are currently represented in 54 cities in India and we need to go over 100 cities. We need to improve the accessibility of the brand from sales and service perspective as part of the India 2.0 plan," Hollis said.

When asked about the time frame for expanding the sales infrastructure, he added: "By 2021 to coincide with the launch of two new new products by 2021-22."
When asked about the company's preparedness for the upcoming BS VI emission norms, Hollis said: "We are currently evaluating engine types that are well suited for India."