Maruti Suzuki NEXA completes 1 year, 1,00,000 cars sold and 150 outlets opened
NEXA, the premium automotive sales channel of Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL), completed one year of operations today. Launched in July 2015, NEXA aims to sell the premium vehicles in the carmaker's portfolio and offer consumers as well a premium buying experience. Present cars sold through NEXA are the S-Cross and Baleno, both of which have accounted for more than 1,00,000 units of sale in the 1st year of its operation. In the same time-frame, the NEXA channel has also expanded its team of Relationship Managers to over 3,500. Maruti Suzuki's premium retail chain is now open across 94 cities in India through 150 centres. Going forward, the company plans to expand this number further to 250 outlets by March, 2017.
While the S-Cross has not managed to be a great success, the Baleno made a great debut and continues to command a waiting period till date. With more models slated to join the NEXA showrooms in the coming years, Maruti Suzuki expects 15% of the company's sales to come from it. In the first year itself, NEXA accounted for about 10% of the total domestic sales by Maruti Suzuki. The company also claims that the NEXA initiative has been successful in bringing new customers to the brand and that 51% of NEXA customers were not Maruti Suzuki customers at the point of making the purchase.
Celebrating NEXA’s first anniversary, “NEXA has been created to address the needs of a new and growing segment of Indian customers. These customers are well travelled, digitally savvy and frequently experience five-star hospitality. They value personal touch and pampering in their purchase and ownership experience. Over half (51 per cent) of the customers who bought cars at NEXA were not customers of Maruti Suzuki at that point, indicating that through NEXA, we are able to attract new categories of customers.”
Elaborating on the road ahead for NEXA, R S Kalsi, Executive Director, Marketing & Sales said “To further enhance the purchase and ownership experience, we plan to provide customers enriching experiences beyond the showroom as well. We will curate new experiences around fashion & lifestyle, music and travel. These experiences will touch the lives of customers through international music festivals, fashion/styling sessions and long distance drives. Rather than limit ourselves to selling cars, our aim is to forge relationships over the period of ownership.”