Mahindra launches online sales platform amid coronavirus pandemic

Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) on Friday said it has launched an integrated online platform that will provide end-to-end sales experience for prospective buyers amid the coronavirus pandemic. Under the new initiative -- Own-Online, a customer can finance, insure, exchange, accessorize and own a company vehicle, in four simple steps, from the comfort of their homes, the auto major said.

"With our pre and post-purchase online solutions already in place, reimagining the car purchase experience was a logical next step for us," M&M CEO – Automotive Division Veejay Nakra said in a statement. In recent times, online has been a preferred purchase channel across categories, and going forward, the online purchase of vehicles is set to gain more traction, he added.

"We are ready to lead this change in automotive retail by providing many industry-first experiences to our customers," Nakra noted. Under the initiative, the customers can personalize their vehicles, instantly generate an exchange, get finance and insurance quotations and make booking payment, making the car ownership journey end-to-end and online in the true sense, the company said.

M&Ms pan-India network of over 270 dealers and 900 plus touchpoints is integrated with the Own-Online platform through back-end technology and process cohesion, it added. Dealerships have upgraded their procedures and processes and are trained to minimize physical contact, it noted.

Besides, the company is also taking additional precautions across the customer interaction processes such as test drives, document collection, and vehicle delivery to ensure high hygiene standards are maintained, it said.