Ola launches new vehicle commerce platform

Ola Cars will sell and buy used and new cars

Ola on Thursday announced Ola Cars, its new vehicle commerce platform that will provide a vehicle purchase and ownership service.

Ola Cars will enable consumers to purchase both new and pre-owned vehicles through the Ola App.

It will offer services to customers, beginning with purchase, vehicle finance and insurance, registration, maintenance including vehicle health diagnostics and service, accessories and resale of the vehicle back to Ola Cars. It will be a one stop shop for customers looking at buying, selling and managing their cars.

The company said that it will begin with pre-owned and, over time, Ola will open it up for new vehicles from Ola Electric and other automotive brands as well.

Starting with 30 cities, Ola Cars will soon scale up to over 100 cities by next year.

The company also announced the appointment of Arun Sirdeshmukh as Chief Executive Officer of Ola Cars.

Bhavish Aggarwal, Founder & CEO, Ola said: “Customers are looking for a new way to buy, service and sell their vehicles. They are no longer satisfied with the archaic retail store mode. They want more transparency and a digital experience. With Ola Cars, we are bringing a completely new experience for buying, selling and overall ownership for both new and owned vehicles. I look forward to working with Arun and building this core pillar of our New Mobility vision.”

Sirdeshmukh, CEO, Ola Cars said: “Ola has always been committed to delivering technology driven innovations to enhance consumer’s mobility experience. With Ola Cars, we are completely reimagining not just buying and selling but also vehicle finance, insurance, as well as maintenance - an end-to-end digital-first experience for our customer. We have plans to expand aggressively over the next few months across India and international markets and also launch new verticals in this business including pre-owned 2W and new vehicles.”

Ride hailing aggregator Ola recently launched the S1 and S1 Pro electric scooter in the Indian market.