In a bid to move car ownership more affordable in India, Volkswagen has announced a host of new measures for new car buyers in the country. With effect from January 1, 2019, the German auto giant is offering a four-year warranty as standard on all its cars, along with free roadside assistance (RSA) for four years. Volkswagen's sister brand Skoda Auto introduced 4 year/100,000 km warranty as standard on its cars last year. The automaker has also announced that it has reduced the service cost all its cars and is offering the first three services for free. Volkswagen says the move is to make the cars more value-for-money for customers in India.
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The 4 year warranty is applicable to all Volkswagen cars sold in India
Speaking on this occasion, Volkswagen India - Managing Director Steffen Knapp said, "Volkswagen is determined towards providing the best of our offerings to the value-driven Indian customers. The brand has been taking conscious efforts towards addressing its key requirement of the customer - high maintenance costs. By adopting an India centric approach, there's been an overall reduction in the total cost of ownership while retaining the same quality, safety and value-for-money proposition that is expected of a Volkswagen. Thus, it gives me immense pride in announcing an affordable ownership experience for the aspirational Indian customer."
For all customers purchasing a Volkswagen car this year, the warranty period is now standard at 4 years/100,000 km, as opposed to 2 years/unlimited km. Similarly, the free RSA service is standard for four years instead of the older two years. Volkswagen is also offering three free services up to the first year of purchase or till 15,000 km. Furthermore, the regular service cost has been reduced by 24 per cent from 44 per cent across all VW cars in the country.
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Volkswagen has taken a localised approach for components helping save on service costs
Volkswagen India says it now adopts a more localised approach while retaining global quality standards. The new initiatives have been introduced to address customer concerns related to after-sales and spare parts availability. The automaker has also introduced a standard menu pricing policy across its dealer workshops in the country in order to maintain transparency between the brand and customers. The menu pricing comprises all the costs that a customer could potentially incur depending on the service required by the vehicle.
In 2018, Volkswagen aligned its spare part pricing as per the industry standard, and also introduced a host of service value benefits and extended warranty packages. Owners can further avail an extended warranty up to 7 years or 125,000 km, whichever is earlier, on Volkswagen cars.
