Cab-hailing platform Ola on Thursday, October 7 announced a new vehicle commerce platform -- Ola Cars -- that will provide a better vehicle purchase and ownership experience to consumers. Ola Cars will enable consumers to purchase both new and pre-owned vehicles through the Ola App. "Customers are looking for a new way to buy, service and sell their vehicles. They are no longer satisfied with the archaic retail store mode," said Bhavish Aggarwal, Founder and CEO, Ola.

"They want more transparency and a digital experience. With Ola Cars, we are bringing a completely new experience for buying, selling and overall ownership for both new and owned vehicles," Aggarwal added. The company said it will offer a bouquet of services to customers, beginning with purchase, vehicle finance and insurance, registration, maintenance including vehicle health diagnostics and service, accessories and finally resale of the vehicle back to Ola Cars.

Ola Cars will begin with pre-owned and, over time, Ola will open it up for new vehicles from Ola Electric and other automotive brands as well, providing them a seamless, trusted platform with unprecedented reach and understanding of consumers and their mobility needs. Starting with 30 cities, Ola Cars will soon scale up to over 100 cities by next year.

The company also announced the appointment of Arun Sirdeshmukh as Chief Executive Officer of Ola Cars. Sirdeshmukh brings more than 30 years experience in consumer internet, FMCG, retail and fashion industries, including with Amazon India, Reliance Trends and IBM Global Services. He will oversee the entire sales and distribution, service, marketing, customer support, and go-to-market strategy for the business.