To bolster aftersales and attract more customers, Volkswagen India has introduced an array of service initiatives. They revolve around reducing ownership costs, facilitating services with increased transparency and enhancing accessibility. The company says there’s been a reduction of up to 11 per cent in spare part costs, while the price of engine oil (petrol) is down by approximately 32 per cent. It goes on to mention that benefits through the Service Value Packages account up to 24 per cent.

Besides bringing the costs down, Volkswagen has also introduced new features such as Service Cost Calculator and Service Cam. The former is accessible via the brand’s official website and, as the name suggests, helps calculate the exact cost for a service or repair job. On the other hand, the latter is a gateway for the customer to learn about any additional repair jobs that the vehicle requires via video recording. That is carried out while the technician is inspecting the car inside out.

The German brand has also ensured that its aftersales services are more accessible. It has expanded the Volkswagen Assistance and Mobile Service Units fleet to cover almost 80 per cent of the country. Those are for customers who seek door-step service facilities, such as a small repair job, vehicle health inspection or maintenance jobs. The Mobile Service Units help the carmaker serve customers located in remote areas.

Courtesy of the new service initiatives, both Polo and Vento models are now 23 – 25 per cent economical from a periodic maintenance cost perspective. Of course, the savings are variant dependent. Not just those two cars but even the previously-available models like the Jetta, Ameo, Passat and Polo GTI have benefitted from reduced maintenance costs. Volkswagen says that the upcoming Taigun SUV will also benefit from these services. In addition to introducing the Taigun, the brand will also launch the Tiguan facelift and the 2021 Tiguan Allspace. Expect bookings to open for both those models soon.