Skoda Auto India elevates Vishal Bhat as head of sales

ETAuto Desk ETAuto Desk | 07-23 00:20

Vishal Bhat
New Delhi: Vishal Bhat, previously head of aftersales and service at Volkswagen and Skoda India, has taken charge of sales for the Skoda brand, sources told ETAuto. With nearly 15 years at the Group, Bhat will now oversee the critical sales function as Skoda gears up for the launch of its much-anticipated sub-4-meter SUV in early 2025.

Ravichandran P is now going to replace Vishal Bhat as new head aftersales and service. He has served in Skoda Auto Volkswagen India for more than a decade where his former role was head of Dealer Development.

According to sources, the past three to four years have seen Skoda go through three different brand directors, sales heads, and marketing heads. The Czech car brand has been without a head of sales and marketing since April 2024.

Bhat aims to elevate Skoda's sales volumes

Bhat, a VW Group veteran, aims to elevate Skoda's sales volumes. Monthly sales have dipped below 3,000 units, leading to annual sales of about 36,000 units. Skoda hopes the new small SUV will help double annual sales to 100,000 units by 2026, supported by an expanding network footprint.

Bhat’s primary responsibility will be managing the declining sales volumes and expanding Skoda’s footprint. Skoda Auto India ended FY24 with 44,000 units sold, holding a market share of 1%. The brand has relied on CBU and parts and components models to maintain interest.

Vishal Bhat - the auto veteran

Bhat was promoted in 2023, he oversaw aftersales business and services for both Volkswagen and Skoda. Prior to this, he managed aftersales and service solely for Volkswagen. Over the past two decades, he has focused mainly on aftersales and service departments.

Before joining VW Group, he worked for Maruti Suzuki and Hero MotoCorp. Bhat holds a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Mumbai and a management degree in marketing and sales from Narsee Monjee.

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