5 Year Roadside Assistance is available for free on vehicles purchased from August 1 onwards.

Toyota has introduced a new complimentary roadside assistance program across all models. Under the new scheme, the carmaker will offer 5-years of extended roadside assistance on vehicles sold from August 1 onwards.

Toyota's 5-year RSA program covers vehicle breakdowns and accidents, towing support, jump starts for dead batteries, tyre puncture repairs, assistance in case of low fuel level, and taxi service for distances up to 50 km.

Another feature of the RSA program is the 'Find Me' function, which helps track customers in emergencies. The digitalized process known as 'D-RSA' is said to make it easier for customers to get help quickly. Toyota also offers a 'Vehicle Custodian Service' to provide additional personal support during roadside emergencies.

Customers can avail of the Roadside Assistance Program for 5 years from the date of purchase at no extra cost.

The company claims to have over 100 trained mechanics in 7 cities.

ReadyAssist has launched roadside assistance, fitting and assembling services for bicycles.

According to the company, demand for bicycles is on the rise and with stores being closed due to the lockdown customers are opting to purchase bicycles online. This has changed the way bicycles are delivered, assembled and serviced.

ReadyAssist has more than 5,000 mechanics serving over 16,500 pin codes of the country. By leveraging its existing fleet, the company will provide roadside assistance, fitting and assembling services in 7 major cities including Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Hyderabad and Delhi-NCR.

The company claims to have over 100 trained mechanics in these cities and it plans to cross-train 3 mechanics in every district in the coming months through its in-house training wing called Mecademy.

Hero is offering a free 1-year subscription on the Xtreme 160R, Xtreme 200S & XPulse 200.

Hero MotoCorp has introduced a 24x7 Roadside Assistance Program (RSA) for its customers.

Customers can enroll themselves for the RSA program through their nearest Hero MotoCorp dealership at an inaugural price of Rs. 350 for an annual subscription.

The service can be accessed through the toll-free number or through the Hero Customer App.

Here are the services offered under this program:

• On-call Support
• Repair on spot
• Tow to the nearest Hero workshop
• Fuel Delivery in case of fuel run-out
• Flat tyre Support
• Battery Jump Start
• Accidental Assistance (on demand)
• Key Retrieval Support

Hero MotoCorp is offering a 1-year RSA subscription for free on the Xtreme 160R, Xtreme 200S & XPulse 200.

Ahead of the launch of the MG Gloster, the carmaker has introduced personalized aftersales packages for its customers.

'My MG Shield' offers Gloster customers to customize their ownership package as per their requirements. It offers over 200 aftersales service options including warranty, roadside assistance, maintenance, residual value assurance, accessories and merchandise.

The Gloster will come with a standard 3+3+3 package. It includes 3 years / 1,00,000 km warranty, 3 years roadside assistance and 3 labour-free periodic services. Customers can opt for the 5 years / unlimited km warranty which costs Rs. 35,000 and 5 year roadside assistance which costs Rs. 4,791.

Customers will get a Rs. 50,000 credit to customize the package as per their requirement. The balance amount of Rs. 10,209 can be redeemed against accessories and merchandise. They will have to top up the payment, if their choice exceeds this amount. The amount cannot be redeemed for a cash discount.

Ceat Tyres has partnered with ReadyAssist to offer 24x7 roadside assistance services to its customers.

Prices for the roadside assistance program start at Rs. 200 for a puncture repair at the doorstep. The company is also offering complimentary sanitisation of the vehicle.

In addition to puncture repair, other services provided under this program include battery jumpstart, key unlock assistance, minor on-the-spot repair, emergency fuel delivery and towing service.

Initially, Ceat Tyres will offer its roadside assistance services in Bangalore and Hyderabad. It will be launched in 20 more cities within a month.

To avail these services customers can call on their 24x7 hotline number (9740828080).

KTM is offering free 3 years extended warranty and 1 year roadside assistance on its range of motorcycles. As part of the offer, KTM customers also get a chance to win an iPhone 11 and KTM Merchandise every week. The offer is available to customers who book any KTM model before September 20, 2020.

The standard warranty on KTM bikes is 2 years. The latest offer enables customers to have up to 5 years of warranty without having to spend a single penny. The roadside assistance package with countrywide coverage will be valid for 1 year from the date of purchase. The total cost of the package is Rs. 5,000, but is being offered free of cost to KTM buyers for a limited period.

Earlier this week, KTM had also announced finance offers for the 390 Adventure. These include EMIs starting at Rs. 6,999 for 80% on-road finance and a tenure of 5 years. Customers are also being offered up to 95% finance, reduced interest rates and flexible payment tenures.

Jawa has launched a roadside assistance program in India. It will be offered to owners of the Jawa, Forty-Two and Perak motorcycles. Prices start at Rs. 1,050 for one year.

Jawa will offer roadside assistance in 950 cities across the country. The package covers 24x7 assistance up to a distance of 100 km from the location of the breakdown. It includes free towing facility for 100 km, roadside repairs, puncture repair, extra fuel if necessary, lost key retrieval and medical assistance.

The roadside assistance package can also be purchased by existing Jawa owners, as long as their bikes are less than 3 years old.

The Perak is the newest addition to the Jawa line-up in India. The bobber-style motorcycle is powered by a 334cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, BS6-compliant engine that produces 30 BHP and 33 Nm. The engine is paired with a 6-speed gearbox.

Steelbird Tyres has introduced a puncture repair service called Puncture Doctor. It offers a 24x7, pan-India roadside service to fix flat tyres and is available through a toll-free helpline number.

Puncture Doctor was launched in Kerala and the North East on a pilot basis in December 2018. The flat tyre assistance service will now be available in tier 2 and tier 3 cities as well. The company claims that the service will benefit 2-wheeler riders, especially women. 

Steelbird has partnered with various puncture repair shops in tier 2 and tier 3 cities. It is believed to generate more revenue for these local repair shops.

Skoda has launched Shield Plus - an extended warranty, roadside assistance and insurance package for customers. It is available on all models including the Rapid, Octavia, Superb and Kodiaq.

As part of Shield Plus, Skoda is offering 1 year comprehensive insurance and 3 years of third party coverage for subsequent years. Extended warranty for an additional period of fifth and sixth year or 1,50,000 km (whichever is earlier) is also part of the package.

The carmaker is offering 24x7 roadside assistance to customers for the fifth and sixth year of ownership. Skoda Assist will provide assistance for mechanical or electrical failure, flat or weak battery, flat tyre, fuel exhaustion, mislaid key, breakdown and accident anywhere in the country. 

In 2018, Skoda had introduced 4 year warranty, 4 year road side assistance and optional 4 year maintenance package on its cars. Shield Plus is available for existing Skoda customers who have opted for the 4 year warranty program.

Volkswagen is now offering a standard warranty of 4 years / 1,00,000 km on its cars. In addition to this, the carmaker is also offering free 4 year road side assistance and 3 free services (in 1 year or upto 15,000 km). These will be applicable to all VW models sold in India from January 1, 2019.

Until recently, Volkswagen used to offer a standard vehicle warranty of 2 years / unlimited km. Free road side assistance was also available for up to 2 years, while free service was at 6 months / 7,500 km and paid service was scheduled at 1 year / 15,000 km. According to the company, the introduction of 3 free services has reduced the service costs by 24-44% across the complete VW range.

In 2018, Volkswagen had also introduced new extended warranty packages. It also offers add-on warranty of 1 year / 20,000 km on existing warranty for up to 7 years / 1,25,000 km.