In few months, Mahindra and Ssangyong will have common dealerships in the overseas markets to sell cars of both the brands side by side. This is a very strategic move by the company and will help both the brands expand in countries like Europe, Africa, Latin America and South-East Asia. The idea behind the common dealership is that Mahindra wants to increase its share of global volumes and corresponding revenues for the brand to 20% by 2016. Currently the figures stand at around 5%.
“We should see joint dealerships in a few months time in some overseas markets, though there will be a clear demarcation of the two brands. We’re looking at how to use each other’s channel – a plan is in the works but not been finalised yet. We’re looking at all options on the table as we work on the integration of Ssangyong with the Mahindra brand. Ssangyong will help the Mahindra brand make inroads into markets such as Europe, where it has good presence. On the other hand, Mahindra will support Ssangyong in markets such as Africa. With the help of Genio platform products and the XUV 500, we now have a product portfolio with which we can be competitive in most markets globally. It gives us the opportunity to participate in relevant segments.”Mr Pravin Shah, Chief Executive, International Operations (Automotive and Farm Equipment Sectors), Mahindra, said.
Currently Ssangyong exports to about 35 countries other than North America. Mahindra also has third party assembly facilities in Egypt and Brazil apart from wholly-owned distribution arms in South Africa, Australia and Europe. Apart from this, Mahindra also has started building new models like the Genio Pickup and the XUV500 which have been designed keeping the global market requirements in mind. Mahindra has plans to launch the XUV500 by January-March 2012 to markets of Europe, Australia, Chile and Brazil. The Genio pickup will also be introduced in Australia, Chile and Brazil.
