Honda to upgrade sales network as it gears up for its new SUV next year

Japanese automaker Honda along with its dealer partners plans to invest around Rs 260 crore to upgrade its dealerships across India to make them more premium as it gears up to drive in its new SUV in the market next year, as per a senior company official.

Honda currently sells its premium range of cars including City, City e:HEV, Amaze, Jazz and WR-V in the domestic market. Currently, Honda is celebrating 25 Years of City in India across all outlets.

Honda's dealer network in the country currently comprises 330 facilities in 242 cities.

"With COVID situation improving a lot, we have renewed our focus on revamping the entire sales network and putting it on a fast track. There are still some challenges about capacity and time, but our effort is to maximise the number of revamped outlets this year and next year," Honda Cars India Vice-President (Marketing and Sales) Kunal Behl told PTI in an interaction.

The automaker and its dealers have already invested Rs 100 crore to revamp over 100 outlets highlighting its new corporate identity.

"The investment in collaboration with our dealer partners in the remaining network will be around Rs 260 crore," Behl stated.

The move to make the outlets premium is to cater to the changing customer outlook and also coincides with the company's upcoming product push in the sports utility segment starting next year, he added.

The revamp of facilities will include changing the look and face of the dealerships and providing a more premium retail experience to customers, Behl said.

"The customer behaviour is fast evolving and it is our continuous endeavour to provide them the right buying environment and ambiance at the dealership," he added.

A fully integrated digital workshop management system is also an integral part of the revamped dealerships, he added.

Honda has recently introduced its new brand campaign “A Honda Goes Beyond”

The new campaign is targeted to connect with brand enthusiasts and a new generation of customers by showcasing Honda values of offering Innovative and Futuristic Technology products. Every Honda car is designed keeping superior customer experience at the core, to help people make their lives better today and into future. The campaign stresses how Honda is forever determined to meet and exceed the expectations of its customers, and therefore the brand promise of ‘A Honda Goes Beyond’.