The Hindu Business Line : Maruti set to deal in pre-owned cars of other makers

INDIAN automobile major Maruti Udyog Ltd is all set to deal in `pre-owned' cars from other manufacturers at its True Value outlets. The company is likely to start buying other makes of second-hand cars from next month.

Disclosing this to Business Line on the sidelines of a press conference in the city, Mr G.C. Dwivedi, General Manager-New Business, Maruti Udyog Ltd, said the company would, in all probability, launch this service on September 1. The company is, in fact, running a pilot of this project in Bangalore at the moment, he added.

While the company will buy cars produced by other car manufacturers, it will not sell them under the "True Value' label, he emphasised. This would not be possible as there are several technical problems including those related to the availability of spare parts, he explained. Instead, the company would auction these cars, he said. This is the practice it follows for all its own `pre-owned' vehicles that are too old to be sold at the True Value outlets, he added.

However, customers will be able to trade in their car — irrespective of its make — for a Maruti vehicle, he said. Sellers would be assured of a `good price' as the company has a scientific system to determine the value of a car, Mr Dwivedi explained. This system can be used to determine the value of any car irrespective of its make, he pointed out.

The company has so far sold some 11,000 cars under the True Value brand, said Mr Dwivedi. Approximately 60 per cent of these are the Maruti 800, while the Zen accounts for around 30 per cent, with the Esteem making up the remaining 10 per cent, he said.

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