Due to the COVID pandemic, which limits restrictions on commercial activity, most large state-controlled cities are classified as red zones – only 15% to 20% of dealerships are open for business.
Although most car dealerships and workshops are in place, the lockdown eliminates it step by step. Workshops open where permitted before sales outlets and showrooms are allowed. According to Ashish Harsharaj Kell, President of the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA), “15% -20% or 3,500-4,000 dealerships are open or still operating”.
Join Hyundai Motor India on May 8 to resume car production. We plan to reopen 250 showrooms and 250 workshops in a phased manner. All Hyundai TouchPoints – showrooms and workshops follow contactless services for customer engagement, ”said Tarun Garg, Director, Marketing & Service HMI.
“We have 300 dealerships across the country and 40% -45% of them are already open or open,” said MKM Sales & Marketing Head Vikai Nakra.
“So far, 70% of Karnataka, Kerala, Goa, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, and Odisha are fully open for business, while other major metros / big cities in central, western and northern India are in the red zone,” FADA added.
Dealerships and workshops will be closed in all red zones. 60% -70% of dealerships and workshops are closed in amber zones due to limited consumer mobility. Dealerships and workshops are only open in green zones, ”says Kell.
Even in the green areas it is not business as usual. “It all depends on local governance,” said Nikunj Sanghi, president of the Automotive Skill Development Council, which runs the Hero MotoCorp and Mahindra dealerships. “Some district administrators classify showrooms as malls that do not allow them to open. Others classify workshops as factories and allow them to operate. So if a workshop is added to the showroom, it will be closed. ”
Users cannot enter the green zone from the red or amber zone because of strict restrictions on the movement of people. Under the circumstances, the dealer is called not to open and not to be infected. “Through the lockdown, dealers have used mobile vans to repair major vehicle damage, such as ambulance, government, utility vehicles, and trucks,” says Sanghi. “Unwanted vehicles are not serviced.”
