Volvo to ramp-up dealership network in India

Mumbai: Automobile major Volvo Auto India plans to ramp-up its dealership network in the country from seven to 12 by end-December, a top company official said.

"At present, we are covering seven cities through our dealers and are planning to increase the number of dealers to 12 by end of 2010," Volvo Auto India Managing Director Paul de Voijs told reporters here today.

The company has dealers in Chandigarh, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Chennai and Pune. It would be appointing new dealers in Bangalore, Kolkata, Goa, Ahmedabad and Coimbatore, Voijs said.

Volvo Auto India is the domestic arm of Sweden-based Volvo Car Corporation. The company today unveiled the upgraded version of its Volvo S80 car with diesel engines and additional features.

"With the new S80, we are placing the bar at the highest level when it comes to exclusiveness, quality and driving properties," Voijs said.

The new S80 has D5 Twin-Turbo engine and is available in nine colours. The car is priced at Rs38.79 lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai) and Rs 37 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

Currently, the company sells two models -- the Volvo XC90 and Volvo S80 -- in India and is planning to expand its product portfolio.

"We are planning to launch two new models -- the Volvo XC60 and S60 -- in the next two years in India. The XC60 will be launched in 2010 and S60 will be unveiled by the end of 2011," Voijs said. Volvo in India has sold over 300 cars so far.

"We are not in number games. We have come to India for the long-term," he said. The Swedish company started its operations in India as a division of Ford Motors in 2007. Later in 2009, Volvo Cars separated from Ford and renamed the wholly-owned subsidiary as Volvo Auto India.

Source: Indiacar.com Source : DNAindia.com (2/3/2010)