Comments
“Rich people buy new cars, intelligent people buy second-hand cars,” says Jagdish Khattar, Chairman and Managing Director, Carnation Auto India, a multi-brand car service chain and dealer in pre-owned cars.
Khattar smiles — it must have been tough to keep a straight face considering that he once held the top post in the country’s largest manufacturer of cars, Maruti Udyog.
“I am a changed man,” he says, and why not? He now uses a three-year-old car that has done about 13,000 km.
When a buyer can get a car in good condition for a price one-third less as compared with a new one, there is something to be said for buying a pre-owned car, he says.
At an informal interaction following the inauguration of a Carnation India franchise for pre-owned cars recently, Khattar says the scope for the used cars market is huge.
As organised players expand their presence more people will look at buying pre-owned cars just for the cost benefit they offer.
Auto hub concept
Carnation Auto has opted for the franchise route to expand its presence after setting up nearly a dozen company-owned and operated outlets.
The company is keen on the auto hub concept with all-under-one-roof including service, repairs, spare parts sales, insurance and other facilities.
Carnation India is looking at over 10 outlets in each major city as `visibility enforces customer confidence,’ he said.
balaji.ar@thehindu.co.in
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.