The second year decides everything
Launching a new vehicle brand is straightforward: import units, open a showroom, discount aggressively and sell the first batch. Surviving the second year is harder, because by then the first customers need parts, warranty work and a workshop that knows the vehicle. Most failed programmes fail on after-sales, not on the product.
Territory structure
Decide early whether you want a single national importer or several regional dealers. A single importer concentrates responsibility and simplifies parts logistics but limits geographic coverage. Multiple dealers cover more ground but require someone to hold central parts stock and enforce consistent pricing. In most markets, a national importer with sub-dealers is the practical middle path.
Stock planning for the first year
Two mistakes are common. Ordering too narrow a range means you cannot answer common customer requests and lose sales to a competitor with more variety. Ordering too broad a range ties up capital in slow-moving variants and creates a parts problem across too many platforms. A reasonable first year covers two or three models with a small number of high-demand configurations, then adds variety once the demand pattern is real rather than assumed.
Parts, before the first sale
Parts strategy is the single strongest predictor of survival. Before delivering the first vehicle, have on the shelf: service parts for the first two service intervals, the most commonly damaged body panels and lighting units, brake and suspension wear parts, and at least one of each high-failure electrical component. Air freight for a single missing part costs more than stocking twenty of them, and a customer waiting six weeks for a part tells everyone.
Workshop capability
Technicians need model-specific training, diagnostic equipment compatible with the vehicle, and the service documentation in a language they read fluently. For electric and range-extended vehicles, add high-voltage safety training and insulated tooling; without them the workshop legally cannot touch the traction system. Book training with the first order, not after the first breakdown.
Warranty that is actually operable
Agree in writing before launch: warranty period and mileage, what is covered and excluded, the claim procedure and evidence required, how long claim decisions take, whether parts are replaced free or credited, and who pays labour and at what rate. A warranty that exists on paper but cannot be claimed in practice damages the brand more than having no warranty at all.
Positioning and pricing
Deep discounting to buy first-year volume sets a price expectation that is hard to escape and destroys residual values, which in turn hurts the next year's sales. Position on specification and total cost of ownership: equipment level at the price point, running cost for electric models, and warranty backing. Customers remember the price they paid; the market remembers what the vehicle is worth two years later.
What we provide to dealer partners
- Territory and volume planning based on the model mix that fits your market
- Launch stock recommendation with configuration mix
- Parts package sized for the first service intervals and common damage repairs
- Technician training, including high-voltage certification for electric models
- Service documentation, diagnostic tooling access and warranty procedure
- Marketing assets and specification sheets for local adaptation
If you are evaluating a dealer or distributor programme, tell us your market, your existing facilities and your target annual volume, and we will put together a proposal covering vehicles, parts, training and warranty terms.