Mr. Arvind Saxena shares Das WeltAuto plans with Indian Autos Blog

Indian Autos Blog was present in Mumbai yesterday when Volkswagen India launched its pre-owned car business in India. Called as the ‘Das WeltAuto’, the plans to launch the business was shared way back at the 2012 New Delhi Auto Expo.

The business has commenced with 15 dealerships across the country.

Here are some high points from the event

• The operation has commenced with 15 outlets.
• The pre-owned cars will be sold from existing VW dealerships. The idea is to provide a one-stop-shop for both new and pre-owned car buyers.
• Das WeltAuto will sell pre-owned cars from VW as well as other manufacturers.
• The key USP will be Assurance, Trust, Dependability and Transparency.
• The cars will be thoroughly checked with 160 key points in mind.
• VW will provide one year warranty on every pre-owned car sold.
• VW plans to reach 21 dealers by year end and 50 dealers by next year.

We caught up with Mr. Arvind Saxena, the newly appointed MD of Volkswagen Passenger Cars, and he was more than happy to share his plans about Das WeltAuto.

What are your expectations from Das WeltAuto?

We are expecting that at least 25% of business of Volkswagen dealers should come from the Das WeltAuto.

How will Das WeltAuto compete with Maruti TrueValue and Mahindra First Choice and the unorganized market?

I don’t see the unorganized market as a competition because we are providing the trust, assurance and hassle-free ownership.

As for the organized competitors, we are trying to give one of the best quality cars to the customers. The 160 check points make sure that the car that we are giving out in the market is tested and is in very good condition. Then the cars are reconditioned to make sure they come to a level of quality.

As we feel very confident about our cars, we are the only one in the market who will give one year warranty. Most competitors give a 6 months warranty.

How are you sourcing your used cars?

Mostly, we are looking at trade-ins when people buy a Volkswagen car. But if a customer wants to sell his car to us, he is more than welcome.

Will there be any free services offered on the cars sold?

No free services will be offered.

The 160 check points list – is it an international standard of Das WeltAuto?

Yes, it is part of the global operation. There are a few things that we adopt for local conditions.

While doing your 160 checkpoints, are you upgrading the parts?

If the need be, we will most certainly upgrade the parts. For example - If the car is running on old tyres, we will give it new tyres. It depends on the condition of the car.

Do you have plans to take your inventory online?

At some time in the future, we will definitely take our inventory online.