Nepali Times
Special
Joyride



BIKRAM RAI

The roads in Kathmandu may have reached saturation point, there may be periodic fuel shortages, but all that doesn't seem to deter people from investing in cars.

Nepal's roads and highways have vehicles from all over the world, even Nepali made Mustangs and Safa Tempos, jostling for space with motorcycles, bicycles, rickshaws, push carts, cattle, dogs and monkeys.

"The fact that so many automobile brands have been able to establish themselves here says a lot about the market," says Deepak Agrawal of Morang Auto Works, which distributes Skoda. "Owning a vehicle used to be a luxury, but now it has become a necessity."

Indeed, the customer profile for cars is no longer limited to the rich and newly rich. Customers are as diverse as the models available.

The positive sales graph for entry-level cars indicates that many motorcycle owners are moving up the market. And those who already own a car are looking for new models. Competition is fierce, so it's a buyer's market in terms of choice of quality, features, style, and price. Car dealers are looking to sweeten deals by providing good after-sale service, including through warranties, bank loans, free servicing and exchange facilities.

It fact, it was easy loans from banks and finance companies that created the boom in the auto market five years ago. However, the banking crisis and the general slowdown in the economy has affected sales.

"But the last few months have been a bit slow," admits Bardan Basnet of Agni Incorporated that distributes Mahindra. "The liquidity crunch hit not just the financial market but other industries like us who are dependent on it."

But with Dasain around the corner, dealers are hoping that the market will pick up. "Sales has been slow," says Rupesh Sharma Bhatta of Laxmi Intercontinental that sells Hyundai. "But we can expect the market to expand."

An indication of this faith in the market is an eagerness to bring in new models. "We recognise the potential of the market," says Alok Joshi of Batas Brothers Motos, which recently relaunched Fiat in Nepal. "We are not short-term players and understand that as soon as the political and financial environments improve, the market will pick up."

The automobile industry contributes 25 per cent of Nepal's import duty revenues to the state's coffers because of the staggering 238 per cent tax on vehicles which is comparable to Singapore. Considering the demand for automobiles, the expansion of Nepal's road network, this is not likely to go down.

Says Honda's distributor for Nepal and the head of NADA, Saurabh Jyoti: "What we want is for these duties to translate into infrastructure development, people will buy but the roads have to be expanded and improved to sustain the growth in the number of vehicles."

Paavan Mathema

Read also:
...and what about the roads...

"Re-invest auto tax on improving infrastructure"


NADA AUTO SHOW

7-11 September Bhrikuti Mandap Exhibition Hall, Kathmandu

D-5 H H & Company
G-13 Continental Associates
G-10 Bama Motors
A-1 Syakar Company
G-9 Nemlink International Traders
H-11 Leon Motors
A-22 Sipradi Trading
F-15 Morang Auto Works
I-6 Laxmi Intercontinental
E-17 Batas Brothers Motors
F-16 GO Automobiles
J-9 Ganesh Enterprises
N-1 Syakar Company
R-1 Agni Incorporate
R-6 Vijay Motors
R-3 Pooja International Nepal
J-13 Constant Business Group



1. who cares
why doesnt govt. in kathmandu introduce rules those leading cities have- zonal system?

*to get permit to drive private four wheel vehicles from 7am-8.30pm:
inside ring road- 10k per month, 1k per day.

(fine should be 100k)

*parking charge for 4 wheels- 200 per hr.

*10k fine for parking and stopping illegally.

*limit public and govt. vehicles too.

*introduce only for female and by woman vehicles including vans and small buses.

*introduce luxury buses.


times is running out.


2. jange
What did the guy ride in before he became PM?




3. SS
Jange, you always hit the spot.

4. who cares
*riding nepal made indian car, 

*meeting former pms (he killed 16k to fight them, now he wants to meet them to perform another stunt or may be he wants to misuse and fool their connections to coup)

*he tells his tails not to spend tax payers money to chakadi him- just see what kind of people he has heen surrounding himself with, is not he suppose to punish them, make them return the expenses from their pocket. this is corruption and he is letting it happen just like girija had been doing... they may have got bribe from the media. 
 

*just today, i read an article about him giving lecture about only wearing nepali shoes while buying some nepali brand, 

another politician who bought the same brand did not give lecture and media did not make it into news. 



i am wondering if all these stunts are being circulated by his pets or they are just coincident. bhatterai says something in public then his pets circulating it in the media.




let me tell you a story, about 15yr back in a shop i declined to take a plastic bag, where as a friend of mine too declined a plastic bag but gave a lecture to the shopkeeper (10/15sec)- we should not use plastic bags to protect environment ...... 

in the middle of the lecture the shopkeeper looked at me and smiled. 

moral of the story, over-smartness could be counterproductive.   



this is not india where indians care more for their politicians, heros, cricketers them themselves, their family, their future,,,  they think being bully, showing pose is an act of heroism ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, , this is nepal, normally most of the nepalese do not like over smart, pojes. 


later, these stunts could harm bhatterai more than from his incompetency. 

on the way of becoming namuna (an expample) as wished. 


5. Party Peedit
Reply to #2 Jange: Baburam rode a stolen vehicle like all others of his ilk for which this "best finance minister who raised the highest tax" never paid any tax!! Please note, especially those of you from the facebook crowd who ride mobikes and pay your taxes!!

6. jange
5. Party Peedit

Reply to #2 Jange: Baburam rode a stolen vehicle like all others of his ilk for which this "best finance minister who raised the highest tax" never paid any tax!! Please note, especially those of you from the facebook crowd who ride mobikes and pay your taxes!!

Not credible. If it were true then surely the NT would have pointed out this anomaly and hypocricy. They wouldn't let such an opportunity pass them by, would they?





7. Kisor
What about the dress code , are they made locally too

8. Party Peedit
Reply to #6 Jange
Ha! Ha!Ha! Jange div>
I think NT missed it, and will continue to miss it, because they are like that Bollywood mama who, when told time and again that the son she dotes on is becoming a drug addict, will continue to insist, "NAHIN! mera beta aisa nahin kar sakta!" Especially because Chachi Delhiwood keeps whispering in her ears!


LATEST ISSUE
638
(11 JAN 2013 - 17 JAN 2013)


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