Skoda To Have 130 Touchpoints In India By June 2021

Skoda Auto India is gearing up for its India 2.0 Project, which will see the brand bring in a range of new models. As part of the preparation, the company is also working on expanding its network in India and it plans to add over 30 new touchpoints in the next six months alone. Speaking to carandbike, Zac Hollis, Brand Director, Skoda Auto India said, "We started the year with 65 customer touchpoints in India. That will go to 100 by the end of this year. That's the target the guys have, and we are almost there now. I think we are at 94, at the moment, so we are almost at 100, and then by the end of June, we'll go to 130."

But that won't be it. Earlier this year, at the launch of the Skoda Karoq, Hollis had said that by 2025, the company will have over 200 touchpoints, in 150 cities, across India. Back then, the Czech carmaker also announced that it plans to achieve an annual sale of 1 lakh cars by the end of 2025.

Skoda Auto India also plans to achieve an annual sale of 1 lakh cars by the end of 2025

Talking about getting the right dealer partners for its expansion plan Hollis added, "But it's not only the expansion, of the dealer network that's important, it's also making sure we have got the right partners going forward, ready for India 2.0. So, we are recruiting financially strong partners with the right focus on customer satisfaction and customer-centricity. Not only that, we are also making sure that our existing partners also have that right focus on customer-centricity and customer satisfaction. And I'll go as far as to say, we have parted company with some of our long-term partners this year because of a high level of customer complaints. We have to make sure we have the right partners with the right attitude, going into India 2.0."

The production version of the Skoda Vision IN-based SUV is expected to go on sale in 2021

Skoda currently has four models in its line-up - Rapid, Octavia RS 245, Karoq, and Superb facelift. Come 2021, and we'll see a range of other models come in like - the BS6 Kodiaq, the next-generation Octavia sedan, and of course, the long-anticipated production-spec version of the Vision-IN Concept, which will be based on the company's new MQB A0-IN platform. These, of course, are part of Skoda Auto Volkswagen India product offensive for the Indian market, which was exclusively revealed on carandbike, last year.