Date:12/01/2003 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2003/01/12/stories/2003011200371500.htm

Business

Maruti relaxes sale terms for used cars

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI JAN. 11. Maruti True Value, the second-hand car outlet of Maruti Udyog, will henceforth sell vehicles that are up to seven years old and have run up to one lakh km. Thus far, Maruti True Value had been selling cars that were up to four years old and had covered less than 60,000 km.

Simultaneously, it has also kick-started an exchange programme under which Maruti car owners can get their old cars replaced by brand new ones.

These moves, it is felt, will have far-reaching fallout on the market for new and pre-owned ones. These have opened up choices for Maruti owners and may well entice them to go in for upgraded vehicles.

Maruti True Value is serving through 16 outlets across the nation and has a customer base of around 4,000.

By opting to increase the vehicle age limit for second-hand selling, Maruti is hoping to make the four-wheeler (even it means a second-hand one) affordable to people pining to own a car. This move, it is stated, may even trigger some churnings in the two-wheeler industry.

Maruti, it may be recalled, has set up four new business initiatives. The objective of this exercise is to offer total mobility solutions and services under a single roof.