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Old 1st September 2008, 12:57   #1
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Grand Honda Shuts down. EDIT: New Dealer in Pune Crystal Honda.

The second Honda dealer that started operations recently in Pune is shutting down!

Today, as I was on my way from Pashan to office, I drove in to take their quick opinion on a few things with my NHC. I was thinking of making them my default service station as Deccan Honda is far away and roads that lead to them have gone missing in last few weeks

I was told by security at Grand Honda that the dealership is closing down!
I insisted to talk to someone in the staff and a service advisor came out and told me that they are shutting down, they have in fact submitted all the tools to the management and there is no one to attend the cars. All the engineers are searching for another job and would leave as soon as they get one (or even if they don't get one, they have to stop coming to office by end of this week!!!).

Reason for closing down: losses!

Sad to see that many aspiring young men who joined Grand Honda to make a new beginning had come from Maruti and other service centers and have a real problem in their life. Loosing a job is a really a depressing situation for anyone and all the festive mood of the Ganesh Chaturthi in their homes must be really ruined...

I hope all of them will come out of this fast and get a better job.

Last edited by anandpadhye : 1st September 2008 at 13:00.
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Old 1st September 2008, 13:05   #2
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I wonder how come a Honda dealership is losing money and that too one which had started operation recently. I am sure there seem to be other reasons for it.

Anyways, it is sad to know that people would be losing jobs.
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Old 1st September 2008, 13:22   #3
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that's shocking and real sad.
just when there was a glimmer of hope that the monopoly of the existing dealer would end soon.
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Old 1st September 2008, 14:08   #4
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Really shocking to hear this.

Lots of dealerships are on this stretch like Chevy/Audi, Tata, Mitsubishi and M&M dealer is also on cards. Wonder what makes this dealership owner take such a hasty decision. Is it for moving to another brand or total shutdown of facility.
Pune really needs alternate dealer to Deccan Honda, Hope Honda finds another dealer soon in the city. Will wait & watch.
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Old 1st September 2008, 14:13   #5
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Ichibaan Honda, one of the first honda dealerships in Bombay is shutting shop too.

There must be some drastic steps that Honda has taken for dealers to run away in recent times.
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Old 1st September 2008, 14:21   #6
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Yup, something is definitely amiss here. Arya Honda, the showroom at worli, doesn't have any Honda cars on display either. They've also taken off all the Honda logos last week.

Ichibaan was the Mumbai leader in Honda sales. For them to give up a high-seller brand in favour of a new brand (VW) is really saying something.
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Old 1st September 2008, 14:27   #7
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Just a guess, but could it be Honda cracking down on dealers that have a bad service reputation. In Bangalore and Delhi at least, Honda dealers are quite pathetic, and maybe it is the company waking up to the fact that poor customer support is driving away prospective customers.

If that is the case, it really augurs well for the entire auto industry in India as other manufacturers are bound to follow suit.
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Old 1st September 2008, 14:31   #8
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OH two big honda boys Ichibaan and Arya moving away from Honda?? Thats very very strange.

And Anand are you referring to newly open show room on Highway? Is that Grand Honda? I saw that show room recently and thought came to me that 'will there be such a show room for mitsu' ever here.
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Old 1st September 2008, 14:45   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1000Horses View Post
I saw that show room recently and thought came to me that 'will there be such a show room for mitsu' ever here.
Well there is. A newly opened showroom on your left when you get off the expressway.

If Ichibaan and Arya are closing down, there definitely seems to be something cooking. I am sure they can't have these kind of volumes from VW or any other premium cars for them to give a dealership like Honda away
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Old 1st September 2008, 14:56   #10
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Grand Honda shutting down . If I am correct the Grand Honda is (or was now) owned by B U Bhandari group. They are highly successful dealers of TATA and I personally know Bhandaris to vouch for their good businees acumen and ethical practices. So bad reputation in their case is out of question and so is possibility of making losses with brand like Honda. Considering two other big dealerships also closing down, there has to be something at Honda's end which is turning away good dealers from them. Surprising though!
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Old 1st September 2008, 14:56   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1000Horses View Post
OH two big honda boys Ichibaan and Arya moving away from Honda?? Thats very very strange.

And Anand are you referring to newly open show room on Highway? Is that Grand Honda? I saw that show room recently and thought came to me that 'will there be such a show room for mitsu' ever here.
Yes, that really Grand and pleasing showroom indeed is (was) Grand Honda.

BTW, don't know about Honda cracking down on bad dealers, etc (very unlikely in my opinion)...but Grand Honda was very very new dealership. They did not have enough opportunity to get themselves any bad name in the market for Honda (at least I have not heard any incident).
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Old 1st September 2008, 15:22   #12
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Recently, 3 dealerships switched the sides in Bangalore. Cauvery of Ford Motors, Lathangi of Mitsubishi and Garuda of GM. The Cauvery moved from Ford to Honda, Lanthangi from Mitsubishi to Ford and Garuda from GM to MSIL.

I feel, these switching over is happening as the dealers might be getting more profits or they want to get associated with the brand which has more reputation in the market. Not sure about your case though...
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Old 1st September 2008, 16:14   #13
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Arya Honda was a new dealership too, barely 2 years old.
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Old 3rd September 2008, 11:01   #14
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News Confirmed - I live close to it. Drove in the morning to check if they can get my water-logged-civic fixed. They tell me they're packing up.

Sad to see a dealership closing down so early.
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Old 3rd September 2008, 14:21   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by snaronikar View Post
Recently, 3 dealerships switched the sides in Bangalore. Cauvery of Ford Motors, Lathangi of Mitsubishi and Garuda of GM. The Cauvery moved from Ford to Honda, Lanthangi from Mitsubishi to Ford and Garuda from GM to MSIL.

I feel, these switching over is happening as the dealers might be getting more profits or they want to get associated with the brand which has more reputation in the market. Not sure about your case though...
All these 3 (Cauvery, Lathangi and Garuda) belong to the same owner (in names of different family members) - which is why the switchovers is a cordinated gameplan and not exactly a coincidence.
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