Shinhan Card In-house Venture 'Alkago' Launches Full-scale Car Maintenance Brokerage Business

Maintenance Shops to Increase to 50 in the Second Half of the Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Yu Je-hoon] Shinhan Card announced on the 13th that 'Alkago,' selected through its in-house venture incubating program Im Ventures, will officially launch its car maintenance brokerage business.

Alkago means "We will fix your car (Car) for you," and it is a car maintenance brokerage platform that allows easy reservation and payment for various car consumable replacements such as engine oil, battery, tires, brake pads, as well as services like car washing and virus care.

After installing the Alkago application and entering the customer's vehicle number, the parts and estimate information for the vehicle are automatically displayed, enabling anyone to easily and quickly use maintenance services with just a few touches for reservation and payment.

In particular, Alkago aims to achieve economies of scale and provide high-quality services at affordable prices through business partnerships with Masta Automobile, which operates a network of 1,800 vehicle maintenance centers, and Partzone, which has automated imported car parts.

Additionally, Alkago has secured customer trust in maintenance service pricing by disclosing all pricing processes, including parts, labor, and operating costs, to customers. Alkago presents the entire maintenance process in a timeline format, showing maintenance photos, inspection comments, maintenance statements, and estimates for additional repairs in chronological order. This process informs customers in advance about parts that need replacement and costs, providing time for decision-making while preventing excessive maintenance.

Alkago plans to expand its business significantly starting in the second half of this year. While maintenance was operated at only one location in Seocho since September last year, it has recently opened six additional maintenance centers in Seoul, and plans to provide services at more than 50 maintenance centers nationwide in the second half of the year.

For customers who find it difficult to visit, Alkago will also start a mobile maintenance service. Initially, this service will be available for domestic cars in the metropolitan area and major cities, with plans to expand partnerships to offer mobile maintenance for imported cars in the future. When booking vehicle inspections through Alkago, professional agents will handle everything from vehicle pickup to inspection and return.

A Shinhan Card official said, "Alkago was developed under Shinhan Financial Group’s vision of easier, more comfortable, and newer financial services to help busy office workers who lack time for vehicle maintenance," adding, "We expect it to become a new service that combines convenience, reliability, and innovation in the vehicle maintenance brokerage market."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.