How to sell a car in rural India

Rural India accounts for as much as 40% of all passenger vehicles sold in the country, but there’s no one way to reach potential buyers, as the contrasting approaches of two leading automotive companies demonstrate.

The digital way 

Mahindra & Mahindra has announced a partnership with CSC Grameen eStore, an initiative developed during the pandemic with Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) the digital focal point for rural communities in 700,000 villages.

These VLEs will effectively become touchpoints for Mahindra & Mahindra, explaining product features and sharing purchase intent with the company that can then be followed up by authorised M&M dealers. 

The hands-on way 

Tata Motors, meanwhile, is taking a more traditional approach with its ‘Anubhav’ showroom on wheels. It will deploy more than 100 mobile showrooms across the country with the aim of enhancing brand awareness in rural India and offering a one-stop shop for potential buyers of its New Forever range, including test drives and financing. 

Tata Motors believes this will make its vehicles more accessible while also reducing dependence on brick-and-mortar facilities. 

Final thought idea

There’s no reason why both schemes shouldn’t work, but the KPIs and timescales will be different for each. 

Sourced from The Hindu, Pitch [Image: Photo by Tatamotors.com]