“Financial impetus needed for new CV purchase to pick up pace” – Veejay Nakra, CEO (Automotive Division), Mahindra & Mahindra

He has a new title following his name but he is not new to the volatility of the automotive segment. In this candid interaction with MOTORINDIA’S N Balasubramanian, Veejay Nakra, CEO (Automotive Division), Mahindra & Mahindra Limited, opens up on how his company has weathered the pandemic-triggered lockdown while getting manufacturing facilities ready, preparing for the BS VI changeover, dealing with changing consumer preferences and exploring new opportunities for the small, medium and heavy commercial vehicles

- N Balasubramanian

Could you please give us an update about the Mahindra & Mahindra dealerships and production facilities and how the company has handled the entire pandemic and lockdown?

It has been 90 days after the pandemic actually hit us. This period has been different, interesting and challenging for everyone, not just for Mahindra & Mahindra but the entire industry. Had we done this interaction earlier, my answers would have been a bit different, but today, 90 days down the road, we are a lot more optimistic, pleasantly surprised and delighted to see how things are turning out. No doubt, we have had our fair share of challenges based on the demand and supply side. But yes, now, 90 days later, as we stand, 85% of our commercial vehicle dealers are up and running and 90% of our workshops are operational. The vehicles are already coming in for servicing.

There is some pent-up demand because of the lockdown in terms of service. So, we are seeing those customers coming back to the workshops. On the supply side, all our plants are now operational. The supply chain is geared up to react faster than what we had anticipated. As far as production is concerned, whether it is the ‘Supro’ or ‘Jeeto’ or the ‘Bolero’ pick-up or the city pick-up, we are producing all of these products and have already started dispatching them. They are now available at our dealerships in the BS VI format. Even the ‘Blazo’ and ‘Furio’ range of ICVs are back into production and are being dispatched. Thus, the wheels have started churning and demand has already started trickling in. It implies that business is slowly moving back to normalcy.