Sorting out the car purchase conundrum

Startup Showcase

Purchasing a car is a huge investment for many, in terms of both money and time spent. One has to look at multiple factors before effecting the purchase and often buyers are left grappling with questions on the perfect fit in your parking slot or checking out the best variants. A test drive on the vehicle involves going through multiple car vouchers and going to the showroom multiple times.

In an earlier era, this meant a lot of time and money was spent in figuring out the basic logistics. Getting a fair price for an existing car was also a chore as was choosing a car that all members of the family would find comfortable based on usage and other factors.

These were the issues that car e-tailing platform CarPal aims to solve. The Chennai-based company runs operations in Chennai and Bengaluru and aims at making the process of buying a car, right from the planning stage to the purchase and ahead, a hassle-free affair.

“Car buying is still considered as an activity conducted offline. We wanted to change that completely. On the CarPal app and platform, we offer multiple options for the customers to choose from and also offer them the choice of customising their vehicles. We also offer finance options and can help customers pick a car based on their specific needs and budget, all this online,” says CarPal founder Vignesh Ramakrishnan.

Vignesh, a mechanical engineer used to actively blog about cars and had initially launched the CarMatch app, that essentially shortlisted cars, depending on the needs of customers. In an attempt to scale up the business, he launched Carpal. “We see it a one-stop destination for everything that is related to purchasing a car, from getting proper value for your old car to helping customise the cars based on the customer’s preferences,” he said.

Vignesh claims that CarPal helps cut down on the time spent to decide and purchase a new car from the usual 45 days to only about 10 days on the platform. He points out, “When we started out in 2016, we found that there were multiple companies in the space for used cars and accessories, but none of it existed in the new car’s space.”

Vignesh says that CarPal’s car-buying platform comes as a natural extension to the mobile app CarMatch that assists car buyers in understanding the best car options based on their preferences and budget.

On making money in the business, Vignesh says, “We are equipped and supported by multiple strategic partnerships and collaborations and works on a pre-set pricing strategy with car dealerships that results in smarter pricing of products for car buyers while also working with other used car dealerships and finance providers to provide every form of support for allied services revolving around car buying.”

The company is also working on a premium service. “We don’t hold any charges. However, as a car buyer, you can request a test drive or a vehicle booking through our website. If you require an expert for consultancy, the customer can sign up for CarPal Genius to get an expert help to decide your best option,” points out Vignesh.