As the country begins to come out of the lockdown in a gradual manner, auto manufacturers have been among those who’ve resumed operations. Suzuki Motorcycle India resumed dispatch of two-wheelers from its facility on May 18th and as of May 22nd, 50% of its dealerships are now open.
Since the bikemaker resumed operations, 5,000 new vehicles have been sold and 50,000 vehicles have been serviced as of May 21, 2020. Adhering to social distancing norms and safety measures, Suzuki has charted-out detailed precautionary guidelines for the dealerships ensuring continuity and smooth functioning without compromising on the wellbeing of workforce and customers.
Going forward, Suzuki Motorcycle India plans to re-open the remaining dealer network, while adhering to social distancing norms, implementing safety measures and introducing newer processes to limit human interaction. Commenting on the restart of operations, Mr Koichiro Hirao, Managing Director, Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt. Ltd. said, “We are pleased to resume our retail and dispatch services in almost all parts of the country except those in containment zones as per the Government directives. We have prepared extensive Standard Operating Procedures for the dealerships which include frequent sanitization and practising social distancing. We can assure our existing and potential consumers that it is entirely safe to enter the showrooms to buy new vehicles and get the existing ones serviced. Our utmost priority is to adhere to various preventive measure in order to maintain a safe operational environment across functions. We thank our customers for their continued love and support for the brand in these challenging times as well. In addition, for the convenience of our customers, SMIPL also plans to introduce various customer-friendly initiatives allowing easy ownership and extending support to our dealer partners.”
On the product front, Suzuki Motorcycle India has updated its range to conform to the new BS6 norms. Their current portfolio includes the Access 125 and Burgman Street in the scooter range. The motorcycle range includes the Gixxer 150 and 250 in fully-faired and streetfighter style, along with the Intruder. Prices for the BS6-compliant V-Strom 650 XT adventure tourer will be announced in the coming days.