TotalEnergies Forays into Online-to-Offline Segment in India with VehicleCare and Automovill

TotalEnergies Marketing India Private Limited (TEMIPL) has inked partnership agreements with two Online to Offline (O2O) automobile service aggregators in India to enhance customer touchpoints across multiple channels. The service aggregators are VehicleCare and Automovill based in Gurugram and Bengaluru respectively. 

(L-R) Arvind Verma - CEO, VehicleCare, Olivier Sabrié - Chairman & Managing Director, TEMIPL &  Mridu Mahendra Das – CEO, Automovill at the partnership sign

With 59%* internet penetration in urban India, Indian consumers are increasingly looking for transparent, convenient, high-quality services at their doorstep. VehicleCare and Automovill both provide one-stop automobile services to vehicle owners - through just a few clicks on their mobile and desktop applications.

At TotalEnergies, customer centricity is a core focus of its efforts to enhance customer experience. The strategic partnerships between TEMIPL and the two O2O aggregators will allow TotalEnergies’ automotive lubricants to reach customers at over 750 car servicing workshops across the country by end 2023.

Commenting on the partnerships, Olivier Sabrié, Chairman & Managing Director, TEMIPL, said, “TotalEnergies has been at the forefront of driving digital innovation to offer greater value to our customers. Collaborating with Automovill and VehicleCare is in line with our focus to deliver quality lubricants through our partner workshops, directly to consumers. The O2O channel will provide more drive-ins to our partner workshops and convenient service to our customers.”

Mridu Mahendra Das, CEO of Automovill, said, "Automovill is excited for aligning itself with TotalEnergies O2O vision. Team Automovill is aggressively working on democratizing the aftersales service ecosystem in India through aggregating as well as onboarding workshop in its network. Partnering with TotalEnergies will give us the right traction to deliver quality to our customers.”

Arvind Verma, CEO of VehicleCare, added, "VehicleCare is thrilled to collaborate with TotalEnergies, and we believe that our shared vision of customer centricity will empower us even more in serving our customers better. With this new alliance, we look forward to providing our customers with unique digital experience along with quality products to enhance their vehicle life cycle in the most efficient and tech enabled way."

TEMIPL has a growing portfolio of services and products across India including lubricants for automotive and industrial applications, LPG for domestic and commercial applications, and specialty applications products. Latest new service offerings include car care products and Wash services.

*Nielsen Bharat 2.0 Study 2022

About TotalEnergies Marketing India Pvt Ltd.

TotalEnergies Marketing India Private Limited (TEMIPL) started operations in India in 1993. In the country, the company has growing presence in businesses, namely lubricants for automotive and industrial applications, LPG for domestic and commercial applications, and special fluids. TEMIPL has seven industrial plants in the country and a retail network of Auto LPG Dispensing Stations.

TotalEnergies also operates an underground LPG storage facility at Vizag through a 50:50 JV with HPCL (South Asia LPG Ltd), and manufacturing & marketing of modified bitumen derivatives through a 50:50 Joint venture company with Indian Oil Corporation Limited for modified bitumen (IndianOil Total Private Limited).

About the Marketing & Services division of TotalEnergies

TotalEnergies’ Marketing & Services business segment offers its professional and private customers a wide range of broad energy products and services—petroleum products, biofuels, charging and related services for electric vehicles, gas for road and maritime transportation—to support them in their mobility and help them reduce their carbon footprint. Every day, over 8 million customers visit our 16,000 service-stations all over the world. As the world’s number four in lubricants, we design and sell high-performance products for the automotive, industrial and maritime sectors. And to provide the best response to the needs of our B2B customers, we deploy our sales forces, our international logistics network and our diverse offering. We operate in 107 countries, where our 31,000 employees stand close to all of our customers.

About TotalEnergies

TotalEnergies is a global multi-energy company that produces and markets energies: oil and biofuels, natural gas and green gases, renewables and electricity. Our more than 100,000 employees are committed to energy that is ever more affordable, cleaner, more reliable and accessible to as many people as possible. Active in more than 130 countries, TotalEnergies puts sustainable development in all its dimensions at the heart of its projects and operations to contribute to the well-being of people.

Cautionary Note

The terms “TotalEnergies”, “TotalEnergies company” or “Company” in this document are used to designate TotalEnergies SE and the consolidated entities that are directly or indirectly controlled by TotalEnergies SE. Likewise, the words “we”, “us” and “our” may also be used to refer to these entities or to their employees. The entities in which TotalEnergies SE directly or indirectly owns a shareholding are separate legal entities. This document may contain forward-looking information and statements that are based on a number of economic data and assumptions made in a given economic, competitive and regulatory environment. They may prove to be inaccurate in the future and are subject to a number of risk factors. Neither TotalEnergies SE nor any of its subsidiaries assumes any obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information or statement, objectives or trends contained in this document whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Information concerning risk factors, that may affect TotalEnergies’ financial results or activities is provided in the most recent Registration Document, the French-language version of which is filed by TotalEnergies SE with the French securities regulator Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF), and in the Form 20-F filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Full-stack Mobility Solution Provider Automovill Raises ₹ 2.15 Cr in Pre-series A Round Led by Inflection Point Ventures

Automovill is a one-stop solution provider catering to both B2B & B2C, across the automotive after-sales ecosystem and bridging the gap between users and service providers

• The funds raised will primarily be used to expand the current scope of capital expenditure, marketing, and operations, improve current products, and bring about synergy in technology
• IPV has so far invested over Rs. 500 Cr across 140+ deals

Full-Stack Mobility solution provider Automovill has raised Rs 2.15 crore in a Pre-Series A round led by Inflection Point Ventures. Following a hybrid & flexible business model, Automovill has the 3rd largest presence across India, while catering to 0.15Mn+ customers, Automovill has enhanced its technology offerings to strengthen and organize the auto after-service and maintenance industry.

Mridu Mahendra Das,Co-Founder & CEO,Automovill

In order to improve current products and bring about synergy in technology, the funds raised will primarily be used to expand the current scope of capital expenditure. Furthermore, they will strategically channel and smoothen operations, and broaden their marketing scope. This will include carrying out ongoing research on potential abilities to fix the challenges of car servicing by introducing a hassle-free, open, and affordable solution via a technological platform as well as assisting in the accumulation of orders and creating direct and indirect jobs within the ecosystem, thereby contributing to the growth of its partners.

Mitesh Shah, Co-Founder, Inflection Point Ventures says, “India is one of the largest automobile markets in the world. We have almost all the auto brands from affordable to luxury cars being sold in India. However, the post-sales and service journey is quite broken at multiple stages. Maintaining cars by using dealers’ service centres is an extravaganza while customers don't feel safe leaving their cars with the local garage as it can lead to more problems than solutions. Automovill is tapping into this market which is highly expensive on one end and totally unorganized on the other. Our interest in the company comes from the fact that it is a hugely untapped market with only a few organized players, and we are confident that with the disruptive and tech-enabled strategy of Automovill, we will see them growing faster than its peers at pan India level.”

Automovill Technologies was founded in 2015 by a trio of experienced partners, Mridu Mahendra Das, Chinmay Baruah, and later joined by Ramana Sambu, who have found the cost-effective, hassle-free, and customer-oriented service for every car owner. At present, Automovill is present in 20 cities in India catering to retail customers and pan India clients from used car sellers, ride-hailing, and auto insurance companies through its network of 200+ workshops.

Due to the limited number of players who are actively attempting to organize this market, Automovill has the advantage of capturing a larger share of the market before it becomes overcrowded.

The garage network is built on stringent parameters. The partners who wish to come onboard Automovill’s platform are put through a selection process for service and repair work. Customers can make a service reservation through the company's website, mobile app, or customer service line. The operation executive sends a driver to pick up the car from the customer's location and deliver it to an appropriate vendor partner after receiving confirmation of the request and comprehending the car issue. After the customer has approved the job estimate, the service/repair work commences on the vehicle. Throughout the process, the customer is sent pictures and videos of the ongoing work to keep her abreast with the progress. After completion, the customers can send the payment through multiple online channels while the bill is sent in an email. The designated driver returns the customer's car after the payment has been made.

Mridu Mahendra Das, Co-Founder & CEO, Automovill says, “The team has quickly picked up our business model and presented a very comprehensive analysis and data collection for Automovill. It reflected the perfect impression of Automovill. Everything was done in no time and hence the overwhelming response from the investors in IPV.”

Automobile servicing in India is expected to reach Rs. 73,100 Cr by 2025. Currently, 70% of the business is done by the unorganized/semi-organized sector. Given that 98% of the off-warranty segment is currently catered to by the unorganized sector and conservatively assuming Automovill can garner only 1% of the unorganized market in the next 3 years, the top-line potential is Rs. 150 Cr by FY24.

Indian used car volume was estimated at 3.9 million units ($18 billion in value) in FY21, down from 4.1 million in FY20 due to COVID. The used car market volume in the country is expected to reach 7.7 million by 2026 and is estimated to be valued at $44.7 billion.

In the upcoming years, it is anticipated that this segment's growth would increase even further. Compared to new car sales, used car sales will continue to increase as people's preferences for personal mobility and after sales industry will be more price sensitive in nature. India is also competing well with developed economies and the used car/new car ratio is projected to reach close to 2 by FY26 from about 1.45 for FY21 Compared to Developed markets such as the UK and the US have used car/new car ratio of 3.5 and 2.4 respectively.

Insurance claim is another segment where Automovill has grown immensely. Currently, it contributes 30% of total orders in today’s date. Automovill is facilitating cashless insurance claim in 20 cities for 18 insurance companies. Automovill has also developed its own insurance claim registration platform for agents which is already available in the PlayStore. Automovill has also started supplying high quality Lubes to its partnered network for better quality and control for the services rendered by its workshops.

About Automovill

Automovill is a full-stack mobility solution provider catering to both B2B & B2C customers across the automotive after-sales ecosystem. It was founded in 2015 by Mridu Mahendra Das and Chinmay Baruah in Bengaluru and later joined by Ramana Sambu. The tech-enabled 360-degree approach enhances the customer experience by bringing transparency, affordability, and convenience.

Inflection Point Ventures is an angel investing platform with over 7500 CXOs, HNIs, and Professionals to together invest in startups. The firm supports new-age entrepreneurs by providing them monetary & experiential capital and connecting them with a diverse group of investors. IPV has announced the launch of $50 million AIF Fund Physis Capital to invest in Series A and B growth-stage start-ups

Automovill Partners With DriveU to Provide Car Services to All DriveU Customers via the DriveU App With a Unified User Experience

All existing DriveU users/customers can access Automovill Offers and Services with a single app button click

Automovill, a full-stack mobility start-up, has announced partnering with DriveU to offer car services to all DriveU customers through the DriveU -APP maintaining a unified user experience. This collaborative effort brings together DriveU’s on-demand driver service and Automovill’s new-age auto service chain model in key markets across India.

DriveU has approximately 1.5 million active users on its APP/platform, and Automovill has expanded its services to include dedicated and curated offers for DriveU customers in 9 cities across India including Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Gurugram and Kolkata. All existing DriveU users/customers can access Automovill offers and services with a single app button click. Automovill services include (General Services, AC Services, Dent and Painting, Accidental Claims/Insurance Claim Support, Accessories, and so on) with free pick-up and drop services powered and supported by DriveU on-demand Drivers.

 
Speaking on the partnership, Ramana Sambu, Co-Founder & CBO, Automovill said, “We are delighted to announce this collaboration as yet another step toward increasing demand for high-quality services. With car repair and full stack auto service models becoming more popular, we not only aim to provide on-demand assistance through a large network of partners, suppliers, and auto specialists, but we also guarantee end-to-end responsibility, from vehicle pickup to servicing, with a post-service customer connection.”

“Besides hiring professional drivers, DriveU is the go-to Super App for car owners to discover, research, compare and purchase services such as car wash, spa & treatments, used car sales, insurance, roadside assistance and FASTag recharge. Car servicing from Automovill will be a great addition to our services for 5L+ car owners who have trusted us with their cars in the last 7 years. The partnership with Automovill is a great fit with our motto of simplifying the car ownership journey for the over 42 million car owners in India,” said Ashok Shastry, Co-Founder & CEO of DriveU

Automovill is offering DriveU customers a flat 10% discount on all services, as well as exclusive discounts on general car health checkups for the first 500 customers. Furthermore, on car servicing orders, DriveU is offering up to Rs.100 cashback and DriveU coins.

Automovill provides tech-enabled car detailing and servicing, as well as B2B refurbishment services. Recently, the company expanded its operations to Eastern and Central India, effectively providing car repair services in 20 cities across 14 states. DriveU on the other hand brings a unique combination of customer service, great value, the latest in the fleet and the convenience offered by technology to give customers the next-generation transport and logistics services.

About Automovill

Started the operation in 2016 in Bangalore and Guwahati, Automovill’s tech-enabled 360-degree approach enables impeccable customer experience by bringing trust, transparency, and convenience. Since its inception, the platform, co-founded by Mridu Mahendra Das and Chinmay Baruah and joined by Ramana Sambu as Co-Founder and CBO. Headquartered in Bangalore, Automovill now has a presence in 20+ cities with direct retail customers in Bangalore, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune, Patna, Jaipur and Guwahati. Providing its service for nearly 4000 cars per month, Automovill has observed a massive 250% growth post-pandemic.

About DriveU

"DriveU has revolutionized the way consumers hire drivers for their private cars, and how businesses maintain a strong, reliable supply chain of professional drivers to transport vehicles. We have acquired over 500,000+ customers, 150+ businesses, that are served by 50,000+ background verified, uniformed professional drivers, and have completed 3.5+ Million trips. Consumers use DriveU for a variety of occasions; shopping around town, visiting friends and family, commuting to/from work, getting home safe after party, and taking road trips out of the city. Our vision is to provide sustainable, meaningful, and dignifying job opportunities to professional drivers, while building a positive unit-economic business. DriveU is backed by Unitus Ventures, Amit Singhal (ex-Google VP), Rajeev Madhavan (Clear Ventures) and other private investors from India and the Silicon Valley."

Automovill Announces India's First Vehicle Accidental Claims App

Automovill, a full-stack mobility start-up has launched India's First Accidental Claims app for all Insurance agents/brokers across India. The application will help the brand to build an interface with over 1 lakh+ Agents across 20k+Pincodes in India. The app is available for android device and by June-22 it will be launched for the IOS users too.

The app will function as a complete motor insurance platform serving end-to-end connecting agents, car owners and the brand to facilitate any motor claim, simultaneously providing transparency in terms of claims, offerings, cost, and services. An agent can simply sign up and register a claim case from the client, this case would further be summitted with Automovill and upon estimate generation the insurer will process it further. The process and status will be visible to the agent on the app.

Automovill Direct Sales Agents Mobile Application

"The idea behind launching this app is to reduce the claim-cost by bringing in more efficiency to the system for all the stake holders (Insurance companies & Customers). As on date Automovill is the leader in handling Motor claims across India, providing not less than a 40% cost reduction compared to Authorized service providers. We understand the true estimates and can add speed and transparency to the entire system. This makes it easier for agents, and customers to book and facilitate the claim. The app will solve that procedure for everyone,” said Mr. Mridu Mahendra Das, Co-Founder & CEO of Automovill.

The application will be further developed in-house into an advanced AI system to support insurance claim estimation procedure. It will be built on fine AI technology to disrupt the much complex motor insurance claim process. The technology will be used in detecting vehicle damage like dents, and generating estimates of insurance claims. It will handle the further process of sending the estimate and getting approvals from the insurers too, thus reducing any discrepancies.

Currently in the phase -1 Automovill aims at onboarding at least 20k+Agents across the country, and service about 1 lakh+ claims in the ongoing calendar year through this APP.

App link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.autmovill.insurance

About Automovill

Started the operation in 2016 in Bangalore and Guwahati, Automovill’s tech-enabled 360-degree approach enables impeccable customer experience by bringing trust, transparency, and convenience. Since its inception, the platform, co-founded by Mridu Mahendra Das and Chinmay Baruah and joined by Ramana Sambu as Co-Founder and CBO

Headquartered in Bangalore, Automovill now has a presence in 20 cities with direct retail customers in Bangalore, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune, Patna, Jaipur and Guwahati.

Providing its service for nearly 4000 cars per month, Automovill has observed a massive 250% growth post-pandemic.

Tech Mobility Startup Automovill Forays in Pune

Automovill Pune Workshop

Adds 3 company owned Hubs and 20 partnered workshops in the city

Automovill, a full-stack mobility start-up has launched its operations in Pune. The brand has partnered with 20 car repair workshops and established 3 company owned Hubs in the first phase of expansion in the city. The new launch comes in line with the brand’s recently announced West India Expansion strategy. With this launch, Automovill has strengthened its retail presence too, in over 16 cities- Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Gurugram, Faridabad, Noida, Ghaziabad, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Patna, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Chennai, Jaipur, Mumbai, Pune & Calcutta

In response to the 250% rising demand witnessed by the brand post pandemic, it had recently rolled out its expansion plan for the ongoing financial year. The start-up aims at widening its footprint in West India and East India. The plans are to open operations in 5 more cities within this fiscal year itself.

The brand has efficiently delivered the car repair services in Pune for the last 6 months during their pilot to the B2B clients, additionally with the rising queries from end consumers it also launched B2C operations.

Automovill has strategically set up its Hubs in Pimpri, KadNagar and Saudagar of Pune city, in addition to 20 partnered workshops to cater the larger audience. The 3 Hubs alone hold a total capacity to serve over 200 cars per day.

On the brand Expansion Mr. Ramana Sambu, Co-Founder & CBO, Automovill said, “Pune is the 7th largest city in India and 2nd largest city in Maharashtra in terms of vehicle ownerships. We see a magnificent scope to cater to the needs of potential customers in the city. As we already have the experience with more than 10 Hubs successfully operating across the country, we affirm to provide Hassle free, Convenient and transparent Cost Effective services to Pune customers".

The brand currently is doing 3000 orders per month, and anticipates to clock a figure of 1.5 Lakh orders by the end of the current fiscal year.

About Automovill

Founded in 2016 in Guwahati, Automovill’s tech-enabled 360-degree approach enables impeccable customer experience by bringing trust, transparency, and convenience. Since its inception, the platform, co-founded by Mridu Mahendra Das and Chinmay Baruah and recently joined by Ramana Sambu as Co-Founder and CBO, has handled 100,000+ cars for both retail customers and B2B clients.

Headquartered in Bangalore, Automovill now has a presence in 12 cities with direct retail customers in Bangalore, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, and Guwahati. The company also recently added Ramana Sambu to its founding team. Providing its service for nearly 2000 cars per month, Automovill has observed a massive 250% growth post-pandemic.

Automovill, a Full-stack Mobility Start-up Raised an Undisclosed Amount From AngelBay

(L-R) Mridu Das_Founder and CEO, Chinmay Baruah, Co-Founder, Raman Sambu, Co-Founder & CBO

Automovill, a full-stack mobility start-up has raised an undisclosed amount from Angel Bay. The round saw the participation from Santosh Chandra CEO at Essar Oil & Gas Exploration and Production, and executives from Google and PWC. This round is the top up to the bridge round which brand raised in mid July.

The brand is ambitious to provide tech-enabled solutions to customers, and ensure a top-notch experience in terms of B2B car service management. While the brand already has served 1,00,000+ orders across 12 cities, it plans to expand its footprint in other geographies, and deploy tech solutions. In order to execute the same, Automovill, plans to exhaust funds to widen its wings in 20+ cities, and in ramping up the infrastructure.

"Automovill has been expanding at a great pace, clocking impressive numbers. With technology disrupting the auto service sector there is a huge scope that still needs to be leveraged. Investing in one of the fastest growing mobility startups reinstates the wider horizons that are yet to be explored," said Mr. Sorabh Agarwal, Co-founder of AngelBay.

“The growth in the auto service sector has been overwhelming. People are avoiding shared mobility which has given a boost to private vehicles and associated services. We are already spread across 12 cities getting a good response, which has motivated us to penetrate deeper into the market. With the support of right investors we are able to raise consecutive rounds and catalyse our growth rate,” said Mridu Mahendra Das, Founder, Automovill.

Mr. Santosh Chandra, CEO at Essar Oil & Gas Exploration and Production, added “ The Mobility industry has been a delight for investors all across the world. In India, this was one of the unorganised sectors which explains the potential in holds. Automovill with its refined business model, right technology intervention and focussed approach will be able to reap it to the best."

The brand has its portfolio studded with 3 Unicorns in Indian Automotive sector that include names like Cars24, CarDekho, Uber. It plans to reach a mark of 25K order, and presence across 20 cities by the end of current fiscal.

About Automovill

Founded in 2016 in Guwahati, Automovill’s tech-enabled 360-degree approach enables impeccable customer experience by bringing trust, transparency, and convenience. Since its inception, the platform, co-founded by Mridu Mahendra Das and Chinmay Baruah, has handled 100,000+ cars for both retail customers and B2B clients. Headquartered in Bangalore, Automovill now has a presence in 14 cities with direct retail customers in Bangalore, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, and Guwahati. The company also recently added Ramana Sambu to its founding team. Providing its service for nearly 2000 cars per month, Automovill has observed a massive 250% growth post-pandemic.