Maruti and Tata likely to gain: Uber plans India expansion with 2 lakh cabs

New Delhi: The two Indian auto giants, Maruti Suzuki and Tata Motors are on the verge of cashing in on a tremendous sales opportunity, all thanks to the San Francisco based taxi-hailing company Uber Technologies. As a part of a ‘major’ India expansion plan, Uber is planning to purchase as many as two lakh passenger cars over the next two years to be used as cabs for multiplying its operations in India as per a report in The Economic Times. Now, as both Maruti Suzuki and Tata Motors are already on-board with Uber through pacts that allow both companies to be used for vehicle purchase, finance solutions and driver skill programmes, both of them are likely to bag orders for the same. This move, whenever materializes, will be a big boost for the Indian automobile industry as we will not only witness a hike in car sales, but it will also create jobs within the ecosystem. Once this deal is inked, it can surely be one of the largest single-buyer orders from any company in the country. Uber will take this up through its leasing unit Xchange Leasing which will be doing the rounds of purchase for the cars. However, Uber India didn’t share any details on this strategic investment. But, as per the plan, they are looking to reach out to million drivers to come on board as a part of its UberSHAAN initiative in managing their potential fleet over the next two years. All in all, this comes as a great news for the entire auto fraternity as we see the fleet-market reach newer heights and open up opportunities for the common man as well.