Auto major Mahindra & Mahindra seems to be enjoying a solo ride with the Logan better than in the company of a joint venture partner.
After buying out its partner Renault's stake in Mahindra Renault Pvt Ltd in April last year, the Indian firm has been able to significantly increase the mileage of the sedan in the domestic C-segment in the last few months. It dropped the Renault badge and changed the name to Verito in April this year.
New variants
Now, the company has bigger plans for the Verito, taking initiatives to hasten the launch of two new variants — a refreshed model and a sub-four metre one — by this fiscal. For the moment, the company will continue to roll out the Verito with Renault engines, with plans to localise the engine at a later date.
Last month, the Verito sedan clocked sales of 1,510 units, as against 563 in June last year, and gaining, in the process, a market share of 5 per cent in the domestic C-segment market.
Southern market
“We have completed the pan-India launch of the Verito. The South, especially Tamil Nadu, has emerged as a strong market for the brand. In Kerala, the brand has more than doubled its market share,” Mr Arun Malhotra, Senior Vice-President, M&M, told Business Line .
The jump in sales was backed by an exclusive ‘grow up to the Verito' campaign, featuring the ‘Verito man'. The company will be expanding the campaign to other media, including digital and radio.
He said the company was working on launching two new versions of the car, but was not willing to give a timeframe for their launch. “While one will be a refreshed version, the other one will be a smaller car that will be sub-four metre in length,” he said.