Ather to expand operations using dealer network

After being reluctant for over two years to partner with retail dealers for its sales and service operations, Ather Energy now seems to have changed its mind. The company is now inviting dealer partners to set up Ather experience centres in Tier 1 cities to expand its network across the country. 

Electric vehicle start-up Ather Energy has been looking to expand its sales network in the country for quite a while, but it never really set the ball rolling. You see, at the moment, Ather has only two outlets – or Ather Space, as its called – in the country (Bengaluru and Chennai). And these experience centres are company-owned. In simpler words, Ather didn’t want to partner with retail dealer partners, for the EV maker believed that it’s an unwanted ‘layer’ between the company and its customers. So, it handled everything on its own. Now, however, Ather seems to have changed its mind, and it's going to expand the operations in the country by partnering with dealer partners.

In a statement released by Ather, the company says that in the next phase, Ather is planning to take Ather Space across Tier-1 cities like Hyderabad, Mumbai, New Delhi, and Pune. And to do this, they’re inviting dealer partners to set up its experience centres in these cities.

Of course, Ather will design the retail space and experience for its dealer partners, meaning it’ll work on the same principles as its two existing outlets. Which means, these experience centres will allow prospective consumers to test ride and get hands-on experience of the Ather 450. Alongside the new experience centres, the company is also expected to set up charging infrastructure, or Ather Grid, in the aforementioned cities.

All in all, this is good news for people waiting for Ather scooters across the country. With Ather joining hands with dealer partners, it’s expected that the process of expanding its sales and service network will speed up. And this means that those who aren’t in Bengaluru or Chennai won’t have to wait too long to get their hands on Ather products.

Also read, 

Ather to set up new EV plant in Tamil Nadu 

Interview with Tarun Mehta, CEO, Ather Energy