Mahindra First Choice hopes to expand used-car dealership network

Mangalore: The multi-brand used-car marketer, Mahindra First Choice, is planning to increase its dealerships by 100 during 2013-14.

Addressing presspersons on the sidelines of the inauguration of a dealership in Mangalore, Yatendra Chada, Vice-President, Retail (Franchisee), Mahindra First Choice Wheels Ltd, said the company has around 260 dealership outlets in the country. Around 100 more outlets would be opened during the current financial year, he said.

The company, which aims to expand the number of outlets to 500 in the next three years, wants to ensure its presence in each district in the years to come, he said.

At present, the company has a presence in 162 towns. This would be increased to 200 towns during the current financial year, he said.

To a query on its presence in Karnataka, Chada said the company has around seven dealership outlets in the State. It wants to have a total of 12 such outlets by the end of this fiscal, he said.

The company sold around 46,000 used cars during 2012-13, recording a growth of 35 per cent over the previous fiscal. It achieved this growth in spite of a slowdown in the economy, Chada said.

During the current year, the company wants to reach the target of selling around 60,000 used cars, he said.

Mahindra First Choice offers warranty on the cars it sells. In its ‘Warrantyfirst’ scheme, components concerned are covered for 12 months or 15,000 km, whichever is earlier. In its ‘Certifirst’ scheme, the warranty covers the car’s engine and transmission for six months or 7,500 km, whichever is earlier, he said.

Desmond Miranda and Praveen Pinto, Partners of Car Square (the authorised dealership of Mahindra First Choice), were present on the occasion.