Das autos are here- Nepali Times

Business
Das autos are here
There's more to Volkswagen than the Beetle

FROM ISSUE #520 (17 SEPT 2010 - 23 SEPT 2010) | TABLE OF CONTENTS

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KIRAN PANDAY

The German carmaker Volkswagen, the world's second biggest car maker, has made its official entry into Nepali roads with Pooja International of Vishal Group.

Last week's big bang launch of the car is expected to translate into brisk sales before Dasain. "We're an established international brand and it is important for us to spread our presence not just in Europe but also all over Asia," says Armin Keller, the Executive Director-Sales of Volkswagen for India and the Far East. VW had delivered 60 cars even before the official launch.

Volkswagen is not an unfamiliar brand for Nepal as classic Beetles were brought in when reconditioned cars were imported here. But Nepali consumers will now see that there is more to Volkswagen than the bug, popularly known as "bhyagute gadi". In addition to the new Beetle, the VW showroom in Panipokhari showcases three sedans and two SUVs. With the high demand for hatchbacks in Nepal, the Polo and Vento will also soon be available.

When asked if VWs can survive the rough road conditions of Nepal, Vishal Agrawal of Vishal Group replies, "The cars are designed to be tough and have higher suspensions to suit the roads here. We select the models only after a careful study." Indeed, a look at Jetta, a family sedan, confirms that even high-end models have upgraded suspensions. The SUVs with their rugged off-road names �" Tiguan and Touareg �" have so far been the most popular here.

The showroom is complemented by a fully equipped service centre inside the Balaju Industrial District. Ronnie Marais, Director of the Regional After-sales in Singapore, says, "The technicians in the service centre have been specially trained to meet the Volkswagen Group's standards and there is an excellent network to make all spare parts available." Even classic Beetle owners can expect support from the centre.

"Volkswagen is a company run by engineers. Innovation and customer satisfaction have been our strengths," says Keller. "Our entry in Nepal might be a bit late, but in a couple of years, Volkswagen aims to own 10 per cent of the market share."

Paavan Mathema

1. arun
As far as cars are concerned the beggars have a variety of choices!! Who can say Nepal is a poor third world country !! Misplaced priority indeed!!

Posted on: 20 SEPT 2010 | 5:27 PM NST

2. arun
Dear Paavan ji !! stop writing articles over a peg of c grade scotch whisky served to u in a shady corner of a dance bar at Thamel !! This is not an article about business but advertisement sheer advertisement indeed!!

Posted on: 20 SEPT 2010 | 5:31 PM NST

3. KiranL
Kind of HOITY TOITY are we Mr Arun? What do you do for a living?

Posted on: 20 SEPT 2010 | 8:56 PM NST

4. Foreign Man
In the country i m living at the present, VW closed its dealership because they couldn't get the market. their cars were too expensive as compared to others. Now this is a country where cars are 10 times cheaper than in nepal. And they say they are planning to get 10 % of market share in 2 years... My goodness... ARE WE THAT RICH?? Maybe he meant to say 10 cars...

Posted on: 21 SEPT 2010 | 7:49 PM NST

5. cheap publicty for a VW
Who is being paid here for this? Write something about Nepal and the current cultural festivals. Write about investigative ones and NOT CARS. We have enough of those in Nepal.

Posted on: 23 SEPT 2010 | 8:03 PM NST

6. santosh chalise
Good VolksWagen (folkswagen) is the car for normal people in Germany!!!Brand like VW Golf is one of the cheapest car and generally used by people of low income!!!!So, hope fully, Nepalese people will have new choice other than Maruti of India

Posted on: 23 SEPT 2010 | 8:56 PM NST

7. Eager Customer
The 10% market share thing may be a distant dream for VW in nepal but with right pricing and most importantly the after sales service being made at par with toyota will determine its chances here. It has already started with them pricing Jetta a few lakhs short of Toyota Corolla's price tag and that's a good start for them to make a headway in the market that believes anything japanese is the best. The major issue for them is to educate the nepalese about what really is luxury and then after showcase their heritage and the class of german engineering. There's not much of volume to be had regarding sales in Nepal but models like Polo and Vento, which are manufactured in India, can look to steal numbers from Toyota Yaris, Honda City, Hyundai i20, Nissan Sunny, etc. Jetta has potential but they are up against Corolla in Nepal, hard work ahead for VW but I'm happy de germans are here finally.

Posted on: 29 SEPT 2010 | 3:35 PM NST