The new service allows customers to subscribe to a car for a chosen tenure, offering all the benefits of ownership without the hassles of one
In recent times, the automobile industry of India has become extremely competitive. Manufacturers have been offering a lot of deals, discounts, and attractive finance options to lure customers into their dealerships. Recently, carmakers have also started to offer lease and subscription services, which offers more flexibility than an outright purchase. Hyundai had launched a similar service last year, and Tata Motors has introduced the same for the Nexon EV a while back.
Maruti Suzuki has also recently announced its car subscription plan for the Indian market, in partnership with ORIX Auto Infrastructure Services India. The new subscription service is only offered in Delhi NCR (Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gurugram) and Bengaluru at the moment, but there are plans to expand it into other cities across India soon.
Currently, Maruti is offering the following vehicles under the subscription plan – Swift, Dzire, Vitara Brezza, Ertiga, Baleno, Ciaz, and XL6. The monthly fee starts as low as Rs. 14,463 (Swift LXi for 48 months), and customers can choose between various plan tenures, ranging from 12 months to 18 months. The service also includes scheduled maintenance, zero-dep insurance, and 24×7 roadside assistance, the cost of which is included in the monthly fee.
Mr. Shashank Srivastava, Executive Director (Marketing and Sales) Maruti Suzuki India Limited, had this to say about the new programme: “The comprehensive Maruti Suzuki Subscribe initiative offers customers the multiple advantages and peace of mind from botheration of maintenance costs and insurance renewal. The programme is especially focussed to bring convenience to the individual customers.”
“Besides flexibility of tenure, it offers nil down payment and includes registration costs, insurance and its renewal as well as routine maintenance. Additionally, the roadside assistance service brings total peace of mind to the customers. Progressively we aim to offer Maruti Suzuki Subscribe in 40-60 cities in the next 2-3 years,” he added.
Interestingly, customers can also choose between a car with a white numberplate (registered under the owner’s name) or a black numberplate (registered under ORIX). At the end of the subscription tenure, customers can choose to return the car, extend the service, upgrade to a different car, or buy the car by paying the balance amount (based on market price). You can also choose to end the service prematurely (except during the lock-in period), by paying a penalty.