In August 2020, Renault India confirmed that it added seventeen new touchpoints from April to July this year. That’s despite facing difficulties during the lockdown and unlocking phases. Now, the count has risen further with the addition of thirty-four new sales and service outlets. The company added those in the last two months. The new facilities are spread across thirteen states – Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh and West Bengal.
With the latest numbers included, Renault India expanded its touchpoint count by over ninety in less than a year. As things stand, it has over 415 sales and 475 service outlets, including 200+ Workshop On Wheels across the country.
So, why such an aggressive approach? The strategy is linked to the word growth. Renault India has been adamant in increasing the presence in tier 2 and 3 markets. In September 2020, the company recorded 8,805 sales. That’s the highest in the current calendar year. The company has also managed to increase its market share from 2.5 per cent in 2019 to 3.2 per cent in 2020.
Renault India says that has received “strong demand” for the Triber, a “good response” for the recently launched variants of the Kwid and witnessed “much excitement” around the turbocharged Duster. The company is also seeing a surge in demand from rural markets.
All those numbers do paint a good picture for Renault India. And, that’s only with three products in the portfolio. Soon, however, that will change as the company is working on landing itself in the hotly contested subcompact SUV space. That will happen sometime next year with the Kiger. The model in question will share its bits and pieces with the recently unveiled Nissan Magnite, which goes on sale early next year. Do you think Renault India is on the right path, one which helps it carve out a larger market share for itself?