Subaru is one of the fastest growing car brands in Nepal. The Japanese automaker officially entered Nepal in 2006. Vijay Motors Pvt Ltd is the authorized dealer of Subaru in Nepal. Sujeeta Pradhan of Republica talked to Shailaj Bdr Singh, sales and marketing department head of Vijay Motors Pvt Ltd, to talk about Subaru's journey in Nepal and automobile business in Nepal, among other issues. Excerpts:

What is the current situation of Nepali automobile market?
Currently, the market depends on the car segment. There are various segments and price range in the market like budget segment, intermediate segment and high-end segment. The recent downward revision in the limit for bank financing has affected budget and intermediate segments. The high-end segment has also felt some pinch. Most of our cars are in premium segment. As our customers get their own bank overdraft to purchase cars, financing limit has not hit our business. But we feel some impact when we compare the present situation with our sales before bank financing was tightened.
What are Subaru's focus areas in Nepal?
Subaru is one of the ideal cars for people looking for premium cars. Subaru cars are built on flat boxer engine technology. They consume less fuel and are very suitable for roads in Nepal. Subaru has got all these three things that Nepali people want in their cars. As I told earlier, Subaru has boxer engine technology and it is most fuel efficiency car with less vibration. Our cars have two different driving modes – sports and intelligence mode. While sports mode is basically for highway, intelligence mode saves fuel and hence is appropriate for Kathmandu Valley. 

What do you think sets Subaru apart from other brands?
As I said earlier, I think most important is our boxer engine. In the entire world, boxer engine is manufactured by either German company or Japanese company. Only Porsche and Subaru have boxer engines in this entire world. It makes Subaru special and different than other cars. The other feature of Subaru cars is self-leveling suspension. 

In your opinion, what do Nepalis look for in their cars?
I think most of the Nepalis want better ground clearance, fuel efficiency and better power output in their car. I have seen a lot of customers searching for these things in their car. They also prefer cars suitable for off-road driving. I think these features in a car make it 
complete and suitable for the Nepali roads.

Could you please tell us Subaru's journey in Nepal so far?
Subaru started its journey in Nepal in 2006. We have sold some 200 units of Subaru cars in Nepal. Our customers are very much satisfied with our cars. This inspires us further do our best for them. 

How competitive is the market?
There is lot of competition in the market. There are some brands which are competing in the segments that we deal in. I feel competition with other brands motivates us to do better, come up with different technology, and become reliable to our customers.

 
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