KATHMANDU, August 29: “NADA has a legacy of bringing forth new products each year during its annual exhibit,” said Anjan Shrestha, President of Nepal Automobiles Dealers’ Association (NADA).
Indeed, if one is to look back, every edition of NADA Auto Show has introduced something new to Nepali automobile enthusiasts in terms of presentation of world-famous products, product launches and decoration of individual stalls.
The event serves as a platform for automobile companies to preach their innovations, potential buyers to understand their options and, in general, for Nepali automobile enthusiasts to acquaint themselves with world-class designs.
This year, the show is being organized jointly by NADA Automobiles Association of Nepal and Global Exposition and Management Services Pvt Ltd from August 29 to September 3 at Bhrikutimandap Exhibition Hall, Exhibition Road. This is NADA’s 12th auto show edition and will put two and three wheelers on display.
‘Private transport is not a luxury sector’
“We never reveal beforehand what new product(s) are to be released in our events. What I can say, however, about the event is that the automobile sector has developed significantly over the years and products demonstrated in the event serve as proof,” said Shrestha. The global automobile industry is constantly launching new and better products to give its consumers an enhanced collection to buy from, he added.
Brand ambassadors for the NADA exhibit this year are comedian-duo Madan Krishna Shrestha and Hari Bansha Aacharya. Shrestha remarked, “Previously, celebrities like Rajesh Hamal and Bijay Lama had represented the NADA as brand ambassadors, working assiduously in presentation and marketing of NADA.” Celebrities tend to have endorsements and popular PR strategy that the automobile sector can benefit from.
Dust and potholes affect automobile industry
As the beginning of this year’s NADA show is approaching, it is important for us to note that the automobile industry suffers significantly from the on-going road construction in the Kathmandu Valley and along the major highways. The poor construction and maintenance of roads is evident in the number of potholes that we have. Moreover, many road sections are constantly dug to install water and drainage pipelines while major highways are mostly damaged due to landslides.
These aspects create definite hindrances in ways a customer can benefit from automobile advances worldwide. “World-class designs that we bring in our events are better suited for higher quality roads. While we have companies from India, whose roads are more or less similar to that of Nepal, these technical aspects should be improvised upon,” said Shrestha. In particular, he noted that the vehicles’ lights are affected due to mounting dust in the Valley.
That said, there is no reason why a potential customer should not benefit from the multitude of automobile advancements made by individual companies participating in the exhibit.
What can one expect from NADA this year?
This year, IMS Motors is set to introduce a bigger-sized Rexton car and Tiboli Facelift. “Rexton boasts features like Mercedes Benz automatic transition, powered tail gate, electronic parking gate and tire pressure monitoring system,” said Dikesh Malhotra, president and CEO of IMS Groups. While these two cars won’t be physically accessible at the event, customers can book the vehicles at the show.
IMS Motors is also set to provide its older Tiboli version on special sale prices. Malhotra stated, “The auto show is targeted for low and mid-size vehicle brands. We don’t expect to make significant sales benefit through the event. What we are after is the marketing of our brand. That said, we are offering sales prices to our usually high-end value Tiboli cars, which could potentially work as a marketing strategy.”
Similarly, Prabin Khatiwada, General Manager of Sipradi Trading Pvt Ltd, said Sipradi is introducing two new cars in this year’s NADA Auto Show -- Tigor and Hexa. “For us, the show was a success last year with 40 percent visitors showing interest in our launch of Tiago,” Khatiwada said.
He deems the show as a perfect platform for Sipradi to brand Tigor and Hexa among a larger audience.
As many as 16 brands of four-wheelers, 19 brands of two-wheelers and six brands of heavy commercials will be on display at the show. IME Automotives is to provide a bumper door prize on tickets, the prize being an UM Renegade Commando 230cc motorcycle.
