After a brief lull in business in the wake of the Great Earthquake, car dealers are now back on the sales drive with new models amid a flurry of promotional activities.
After a brief lull in business in the wake of the Great Earthquake, car dealers are now back on the sales drive with new models amid a flurry of promotional activities.
Pioneer Motor Corp, authorised distributor of Datsun vehicles in Nepal, has kicked off a promotional campaign for its recently launched Datsun Go+, while Go Automobiles, authorised distributor of Ford, has resumed its campaign more than a month after the earthquake.
Likewise, dealers of Hyundai and Toyota are planning to launch new vehicles by the end of June, with dealers of other major brands like Honda, Volkswagen and Fiat on toe.
While Hyundai will roll out two new models—Elite i20 premium compact hatchback and i20 Active crossover, Toyota will launch a diesel variant of Etios Cross crossover in the domestic market this month.
“The sales of vehicle have gone down by almost fifty percent after the earthquake. We had to postpone the launches for a month. But we want to create positive vibe about the automobiles market by launching two new vehicles this month,” said Rupesh Sharma Bhatta, assistant general manager, sales and marketing at Laxmi InterContinental, authorised distributor of Hyundai in Nepal. The company will launch Elite i20 to replace the existing i20.
According to the company, the car built on a completely new platform will tentatively be priced between Rs2.8 million to Rs3.4 million. The Elite i20 will be competing with the likes of Volkswagen Polo and Fiat Punto Evo in the domestic market. “The car has been getting overwhelming response in India. It has also won Indian car of the year (ICTOY) 2015 award. So we have a great expectation from this vehicle,” he said.
Built in European design, the company explains, the car has undergone many improvements in suspension and power, among others. It is powered by 1.2-litre Kappa Petrol engine with the displacement of 1,200cc. The company claims the vehicle has the best in class boot space, comfort, luxury and sportiness.
The i20 Active is another Hyundai model due out this month. Sports-styled version of i20 premium hatchback, it will come in both petrol and diesel variants. The petrol version is equipped with 1.2 Kappa engine, while its diesel cousin comes with 1.4 U2 CRDi engine. According to the company, the vehicle will be priced between Rs3.5-4.5 million. The i20 Active will be competing with Volkswagen Polo Cross, Fiat Avventura and Toyota Etios Cross. “This crossover will help enhance the brand presence
of Hyundai rather than doing brisk sales like other vehicles,” said Bhatta. The company is also set to introduce the most awaited ix25 SUV by September-October this year.
Similarly, Toyota’s authorised distributor United Traders Syndicate has also planned to launch the diesel varient of Toyota Etios Cross this week. The company had launched the petrol version in the domestic market last September.
The diesel Etios Cross is equipped with 1,364cc diesel engine with Common Rail Diesel Injection system and has a five-speed manual gear box. The company claims it will provide a mileage of 23.59kmpl on the highway. “We have been receiving tremendous response from the customers of the Etios Cross petrol
variant. We hope the diesel version will follow in the same trail in the market,” said Sandhya Shrestha, the company’s marketing executive.
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