(February 16, 2013) GANGTOK, India — Ford India has inaugurated its first-ever dealership in Sikkim, Saharsh Ford in the capital city of Gangtok. With the launch of two brand new dealerships at Gangtok and Himmatnagar, Gujarat, in the same week, the company reaffirms its strong commitment to push further into tier II and III towns of India making its services and offerings more accessible.
 
Saharsh Ford will include separate facilities for showroom and service centers. Both the sales and service centers are located on the main Siliguri-Gangtok road for providing easier access to customers. The new showroom in Gangtok is in line with the Blue Oval’s aggressive expansion plans to reach closer to its customers in India.
 
Vinay Piparsania, executive director, marketing, sales and service, Ford India inaugurated the new dealership along with Sanjay Bajla, dealer principal of Saharsh Ford.
 
Speaking at the inauguration of the new facility, Piparsania said, “We have always endeavored to offer our customers the best experience with Ford; and in this New Year we are excited to bring our first ever dealership to Sikkim. Expanding our sales and service network to more cities and towns is a significant part of our expansion to give our customer ease and convenience.”
 
“We are pleased to enter new boundaries and are sure our new customers in Sikkim will be excited to experience Ford’s range of dependable, fuel-efficient and fun-to-drive cars,” he added.
 
The showroom is spread across an area of 2,500 square feet, while the workshop spreads over 12,000 square feet and will cover the nearby districts in Sikkim. The showroom is built according to Ford's global standard of Brand Retail to improve the ownership experience and ensure a long-term association with the Blue Oval.
 
Sanjay Bajla of Saharsh Ford, said, “We are very proud to be the first Ford dealership in Sikkim and are looking forward to bringing the best products to our customers here. The state-of-the-art dealership is equipped to provide world-class ambience and unmatched service to our customers. A dedicated team of trained technicians equipped with the latest service tools and diagnostic equipment, state-of-the-art body repair shop and computerized facilities will attend to every need of the customers.”
 
With 260 sales and service outlets across 138 cities in India and over 40 percent of the sales and service network in tier II and III cities, Ford’s pan-India expansion will enable customers to enjoy world-class products and services from Ford along with best-in-class cost of ownership experience. In line with its aggressive expansion plan for India and in a bid to make ownership of a Ford vehicle more convenient for customers, the company plans to take the total number of sales and service touch points to 500 by mid-decade.