Yamaha introduced two big-ticket brands -- the R15, FZ16 and its variant FZS -- last year. How has been the response?
It has been a good year for Morang Auto Works in terms of growth as well as market share. Our new models have pushed our market share to around 25 percent and we have grown by around a hundred percent. The main reason is that the Yamaha motorcycle brand has been more appealing to the youths. Youth’s aspiration has been attached with Yamaha ever since we launched Yamaha RX and YBX bikes. The response has been tremendous. I think, we have been able to fulfill youth’s imagination and aspirations. Talking about the individual models, the R15 is in the high range due to the price factor. But the technology available in this bike is not available in any other model in the segment.
Although the sales volume is not as high as other bikes, the response from the people, who are able to afford it, has been great. We have been promoting the FZ16 as a city bike and it is unmatched in terms of style, comfort and performance. The sales figure of this bike is very encouraging. We have managed to increase our market share in the 150 cc segment above 25 percent within a very short time.
You recently organized a trip to Everest, taking your FZ16 bikes to the Everest base camp. How has the market reacted to this?
The success of the trip has increased the acceptability of the FZ16 and FZS here. The main objective of the trip was to prove our performance not only in terms of street biking but also on how they behaved on rough roads and extreme conditions. Also we wanted to check the safety aspect of this bike. I think we have been very successful in proving these points. Also the inclusion of three celebrities Nima Rumba, Deepak Bista and Suraj Singh Thakuri -- who are role models for today’s youth -- has helped us to reach our target group. The success has increased people’s curiosity and helped push the sales up.
Is the company coming up with any new offers for the NADA AutoShow 2009 and the upcoming Dashain-Tihar festival?
Yes. We just unveiled the Dashain festival offer where buyers of will get coupons and win prizes. The bumper prize winner will win a bike which means the winners will get the money they paid for the bike back. We have also announced a discount of Rs 10,000 on Gladiator. Other buyers will get a scratch card, which offers a discount of Rs 5,000 to Rs 100,000.
You recently entered the passenger cars market. How has been the Skoda brand doing here?
Our efforts have been on strengthening the Skoda brand. The brand is known for its premium features. In our two Skoda models -- Laura and Octavia -- you get super luxury and that too at a much lower cost. We are also launching the Skoda Fabia soon and in around six months, you will see our SUV -- Skoda Yeti.
What are your plans for this year?
This year we are going to focus on increasing customer satisfaction. Our service has been our biggest asset and we are planning to strengthen that. We are also planning to upgrade our showrooms to make them much more customer-friendly than any other point of sales here.
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