Skoda India’s director of sales, service and marketing Zac Hollis thinks that his brand needs to raise its game under India 2.0 project after observing new rivals
Skoda India announced the appointment of Zac Hollis as director – sales, service and marketing late last year and he took charge on 1st of November 2018 after heading the brand’s sales in China. He replaced Ashutosh Dixit and plays a significant role in implementing the India 2.0 strategy for Skoda. Volkswagen Group will be making a hefty investment of one billion euros over the next three years for its future prospects domestically.
The India 2.0 project spearheaded by Skoda will see heavily localised content into the upcoming vehicles from next year onwards as the India-spec Kamiq based on MQB A0 IN platform could be showcased at the 2020 Auto Expo in February. While Skoda is wary of the competitive pricing the mid-size SUV requires to be a success locally in the hotly contested segment, it is keeping an eye out for the new rivals as well.
Zac Hollis’ latest tweets do indicate that Skoda is indeed observing the market along with the new competitors like MG and Kia. He reckons the Seltos is “very good with plenty of features” and thinks it will be a winner for the South Korean auto major. Consequently, he states that Skoda needs to raise its game under the India 2.0 strategy.
He says that the Kia showrooms have a plain design and are not finished but they have been opened for just a couple of weeks with more work certainly in progress. The sister brand of Hyundai is beginning its operations with 265 touchpoints in 160 cities across the country. While crediting the design of the dealerships and the fresh corporate image MG brings on to the table with British heritage, he thinks the Hector is “very Chinese in design and quality”.
The sales personnel “sold heavily on cool connectivity features” but he was disappointed by the fit and finish of the Hector. Kudos to Hollis for openly stating his opinions on the rivals as Skoda prepares to mount a fresh assault in 2020 while Volkswagen won’t be left out of the equation either as India-spec T-Cross is also waiting in the pipeline.
The replacements of the Skoda Rapid and Volkswagen Vento could arrive in 2021. Under the three-prong strategy, VW is overhauling its retail setup by establishing compact showrooms and increasing touchpoints for better access to the customers.