Maruti to open its first Nexa service center in Gurugram, 60 more by end of year

GURUGRAM: Two years after launching Nexa as an outlet for its premium products, Maruti Suzuki is all set to open its first service centre under the same brand name. The first of these will open in Gurugram and the company says it has plans to open another 60 by the end of year.While cars like Baleno, Ignis, S-Cross and - more recently - Ciaz are sold at Nexa outlets, the Nexa service centres can be accessed by all Maruti Suzuki customers. The company says the primary reason for opening service centres under the Nexa brand is to offer a more premium post-sales experience to car owners. Partho Banerjee, vice president - sales and dealer network, told TOI Auto that Nexa customers have shown interest in having service centres based on the lines of the existing showrooms. "This is not something we wanted but something which came from the (Nexa) customers. When we launched Nexa sales outlets, 50 per cent people coming in did not even consider Maruti. But we managed to change that and the service center is only going to be an extension of the same," he said.Banerjee claims that the experience of getting a car serviced here would be like sitting in an airport lounge. "Bookings are made electronically, there is a reverse-timer for timely delivery, updates are sent through out official app and the waiting lounges themselves would help car owners take care of their work while their vehicles are serviced," he said.The Nexa service centres, therefore, claim to be paperless and would employ environmentally-friendly practices like dry-wash system, LED lighting and exhaust extraction system installed in the workshop. For the customers, the company says it will also have KIY (Know It Yourself) videos in the waiting area showing best measures to take care of vehicles. The option of accessing live feed of the car being serviced as well as live chat with service manager will be offered through the official app. The price of it all? "It would be marginally more than what Maruti service centers charge. But our research has shown Nexa customers don't mind paying a little extra for the services given to them in return," said Banerjee.