Ola Electric to open sales, service network to dealer partners in strategic retail shift

Ola Electric will open its sales and service network to dealer partners across India, marking a strategic shift in its retail model after operating through company-owned stores since the launch of its first products five years ago, Founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal announced on Thursday.

Ola Electric will open its sales and service network to dealer partners across India, marking a strategic shift in its retail model after operating through company-owned stores since the launch of its first products five years ago, Founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal announced on Thursday. Sharing the development on social media platform X, Aggarwal said the company would gradually transition its company-owned stores to focus on brand and product experience, while dealer partners would drive local sales, service and expansion over the coming months.

"We're opening our sales and service network to dealer partners across India today," Aggarwal said. He said the company had initially adopted a company-owned retail model to build awareness about electric vehicles, establish the brand and create what he described as India's largest electric two-wheeler customer base of more than 10 lakh.

According to Aggarwal, the company decided to change its approach as the electric vehicle market has matured and customer acceptance has increased. "Auto retail has a lot of local nuances and as the industry has matured and EV acceptance has risen, we are now evolving our approach," he said.

Aggarwal added that the company had spent the past month engaging with dealers across the country and said the response indicated strong interest in partnering for sales and service operations. He also said the company expects to build meaningful on-ground scale over the next few months ahead of the festive season. As part of the transition, Aggarwal announced that BVR Subbu, former President of Hyundai India and an earlier member of Ola Electric's board, will rejoin the company as a senior advisor to support the execution of the new retail strategy.

The company said its dealer network will support sales and after-sales services for its product portfolio, which includes electric scooters, motorcycles and energy products. The shift marks a change in Ola Electric's distribution strategy, with the company moving towards a dealer-led sales and service model while retaining company-owned outlets for customer engagement and product experience. (ANI)