Kerala company judged best Maruti dealer in country

Kochi, Aug 10 (UNI) The Kerala-based Popular Vehicles and Services Ltd. has been adjudged by Maruti Suzuki as the number one 'Platinum Plus' dealer in the country, company director Francis K Paul said today.

Addressing a press conference here, Mr Paul said that of the 275 Maruti dealers in the country, only three had been declared as 'Platinum Plus' and among these three also, Popular had been adjudged the best.

He said the evaluation was based not only on the volume of sales but nearly 100 parameters including sales and service quality, spares, finance and management systems.

Mr Paul said Popular had sold more than 100,000 Maruti cars and serviced more than one million since getting the dealership in the early 1990s.

The company operates five authorised dealerships and 12 service centres across Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It has also got Maruti True Value outlets and a Maruti driving school, which was opened in March this year.

Mr Paul said Popular will invest Rs ten crore in Kerala this year, mainly on strengthening its services segment.

Its sales turnover was seeing a nearly 20 per cent annual growth.

It had sold more than 17,000 units last year and was expecting to sell 20,000 this year. Alto was among the fastest selling Maruti models at the moment, he said.

The hike in interest rates by banks on vehicle loans had not affected car sales, Mr Paul added.

As an 'Onam' special, the company planned to open about 50 new special outlets for a period of one month in small Kerala towns, targeting first-time car buyers.

''The aim is to let the car buyers even in smaller towns get access to Maruti vehilces at their doorstep,'' he said.

UNI ARC VV PAG1430