Volkswagen India announced it pre-owned car business Volkswagen Das WeltAuto in January 2012 during the Auto Expo 2012 in new Delhi India. On November 6th 2012, Volkswagen India has finally rolled out its Pre-Owned business with 15 Das WeltAuto dealerships across India. It started its operations by inaugurating its first dealership in Mumbai. Das WeltAuto is the globally used business name for VW Pre-Owned car business and the same name has been used for the Indian operations as well. The company plans to expand the dealerships to 21 by the end of 2012.
These pre-owned cars outlets will help to provide a convenient point of sales of the used cars with assurance and peace of mind as the cars will be thoroughly tested and made fit before handed over to the customers. Volkswagen will deliver a premium experience to the pre-owned car buyers though its Das WeltAuto outlets. The interesting fact is that these dealerships will sell multi-brand used cars from various car makers in India and not only restricted to the Volkswagen cars.
Mr Arvind Saxena, Managing Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Volkswagen Group Sales India Pvt. Ltd. during the inauguration of the dealership said
“We believe that every customer is important even if it is a pre-owned car buyer and we are committed towards providing our customers the same experience that of a new car. At Das WeltAuto. we have stringent systems and processes that ensure every pre-owned car undergoes a 160 point checklist which is part of our standard protocol ensuring a hassle free driving experience”
We would wait and watch on how the venture progresses in India in coming years. Having organized and certified pre-owned cars business is always a welcome step as it is very difficult to find good quality used cars in India in the open market. The open market poses lot of uncertainties and lack of reliability when buying used cars. Ventures like the Das WeltAuto, Mahindra First Choice, Maruti True Value etc. offer buyers to go for used cars which have been inspected by experts and re-furbished and repaired properly before selling.
