Dashain Tihar Windfall for Vehicle Sellers

Most people tend to wait for vehicle seller´s to announce Dashain and Tihar scheme to buy new two and four-wheelers, according to traders in the valley. This year the vehicle traders reported large jumps in sale during the month preceding the Dashain festival compared to the previous years as well as months. Unlike other sectors, which failed to meet their growth targets, this sector made the most of this festive season. “Our festive schemes have proved very effective,” Alok Jossee, marketing manager at Hansraj Hulaschand Pvt Ltd, which deals in Bajaj motorcycles, told myrepublica.com. According to him, Hansraj Hulaschand sold 75 percent more bikes during the month compared to the average of other ´normal´ months. “We also unveiled out Discover DTS-Si 100 motorcycles, which cost Rs 129,900 each, just as the Dashain fever was setting in and that was quite popular.” The Bajaj Pulsar 150 DTS-i, priced at Rs 181,900, still remains the top selling Bajaj bike, even this season. The Bajaj scheme included gold and silver coins and pearl and diamond necklaces on each purchase, chosen through a scratch card. Syakar Company, which deals in Honda and Hero Honda two-wheelers, was also very satisfied with the business in this festive season. Rajan Puri, the manager at Syakar, said the firm reported a growth of around 30 percent as compared to sales on normal days and more than 40 percent growth as compared to the sales of the preceding year´s festive season. “In previous years, less than 5,000 two-wheelers used to be imported for the season. But we have heard that nearly 10,000 two-wheelers have entered Nepal for this festive season,” he said. According to Puri, Hero Honda CBZ Extreme, priced at Rs 173,900, and Hero Honda Pleasure, priced at 126,900, were among the most popular bikes this season. Among Honda products, Shine, which costs Rs 153,900 for those with front disk brakes and Rs 147,900 for those with drum brakes, was the top seller among bikes and Honda Deo priced at Rs 133,900 topped Honda´s scooters sales. Syakar has announced scratch and win offer for both brands. For Hero Honda buyers, the company is offering a cash prize between Rs 4,000 and Rs 100,000, while prizes for Honda buyers include products from Philips, ranging from mobile phones to LCD TVs. Car traders have also reported rise in the sales but said they have not been able to keep up supply. Roshan Karki of Batas International, a sub-dealer of Suzuki cars, told myrepublica.com that Batas sold around 25 cars a month on average. “I think more than 400 Maruti and Suzuki vehicles must have been sold in the period,” he said, adding that they hadn´t been able to delivers, despite receiving more bookings. The change in supply, however, was in favor of Suzuki two-wheelers. Ganesh Enterprises, the authorized distributor of Suzuki two-wheelers for Nepal, claimed that they reported a five-fold growth on the sale of Suzuki two-wheelers during this festive season as compared to last year´s season. “We had supply constraints in previous years. But this year, production also went up in India and so did the supply,” Raju Bhetwal of Ganesh Enterprises said. Apart from the supply boost, the company was also helped by its entry into the 150 cc segment. “The GSR150, which was unveiled right before the Dashain festival, made up 70 percent of our sales this season, followed by the Suzuki AN 125 scooter,” Bhetwal said. Suzuki GSR150 goes for Rs 184,888 and AN125 costs Rs 151,888. Ganesh Enterprises is offering 25-tola silver coins with every purchase to celebrate the silver jubilee of Suzuki bikes in Nepal. With still a week to go before the nearly one and a half month long buying season ends, dealers are gearing up for last minute purchases.