Nepal Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) has been organising the NADA Auto Show annually where thousands of people come to witness the latest on offer from the automobile industry. From fancy stall designs to the launch of new models of two and four wheelers and ancillary automobile products, NADA Auto Show is regarded among the highly anticipated expos of Nepal. So did 2018 live up to expectation?
Stall Designs
NADA Auto Show has been more than just a showcase of cars, motorcycles and automobile products. The overall essence of an auto show is how the companies present their brand and products. The 2018 edition saw a range of interesting display mechanisms from glamorous to classic. Brands like Honda and Volkswagen had a single floor showroom-like-design whereas Ford, Tata, Nissan, Renault, SsangYong, Jeep, Toyota, Datsun, MG Motor, Mahindra, Peugeot, Hyundai, Suzuki, Kia and Isuzu had a mega showroom-like-designs, and Skoda and Subaru had open and spacious stalls. Most companies were focused on their global booth profile. Some had their electric vehicles as the key highlight.
Two-wheelers had a more dynamic mix of their product display. While some stayed with the global booth profile, others followed the showroom concept and some were thematic. Companies like NIU, Miyama, Tekken, SWM, UM, Harley Davidson, Hero, Royal Enfield, Aftek Motors, Runner, Benelli, CF Moto, Suzuki and Yamaha were following the global booth profile and showroom concept whereas KTM had an open and spacious style stall, Aprilia focused on Aprilia SR 150 Lo Manthang, Vespa had “art gallery mash-up with Vespa scooters” showroom theme, Honda underlined 50 Years of Honda in Nepal, TVS centred TVS Racing model, and Bajaj went with day to day commuting theme promoting its new product Pulsar 150 TD.
Ancillary product stalls of battery, tyre and motorcycle accessories grabbed a lot of attention too.
New Launches
This edition of the auto show witnessed more than 36 new launches.
In two-wheelers section, SWM, Harley Davidson and Aftek Motors made their debut.
SWM launched three motorcycles: RS300R, Silver Vase 440 and Superdual 650T, Harley Davidson displayed Iron 883 and Street 750, and Indian manufactured Aftek Motors debuted with four motorcycles: Darrel, Scorpion, Agusta and Zontes R250.
Among the existing two wheeler companies, Hero launched XTREME 200R which is the most affordable 200cc motorcycle in the market at present;UM introduced DSR Adventure TT 125; Royal Enfield brought in Thunderbird 350 X and Gunmetal Grey version of updated Classic 350; Raman Motors, sole distributor of Runner motorcycles, showed off five new products—Fireblade 165, Dominator 250, Hawk 200, Rodeo 165 and Moto 110; Benelli introduced Leoncino; Honda showcased CB 1000R Neo Sports Cafe and NM4 Vultus along with their freshly launched XBlade; TVS went racing mode by launching Apache RR310 and Ntorq 125; Yamaha introduced Ray ZR Street Rally, XTZ 125 and the most awaited motorcycle ‘R15 V3.0’ and Bajaj showcased its newly launched Pulsar 150 TD.
Among four-wheelers, more than ten new cars were launched. Companies also introduced their EVs. Tata, Renault, Mahindra, Hyundai and Kia focused on promoting electric vehicles by showcasing their electric products Tigor EV, Zoe, e-Verito, Ioniq and Soul EV respectively. The newly introduced Jeep debuted at the Auto Show with Compass and Wrangler Unlimited, Ford boasted its new Ranger, Skoda launched Kodiaq, Subaru introduced Outback, Toyota brought in the new Rush, Mahindra showed off Stinger Convertible SUV, Volkswagen showcased Polo 1.0, Honda amazed the visitors with muscular Amaze and CRV, and Suzuki attracted visitors with the new Maruti Suzuki Swift Glory.
Highlights
NADA Auto Show is all about creativity and style when it comes to branding. What the companies do to their brand has been the X-factor of the Auto Show. Ford had its new Ranger mounted on top of and around block construction bars. This placement highlighted the features and uses of the vehicle. Also, the two storied graffiti designed customer lounge was a hit. Renault mounted a Duster on an inclined block with rocks to showcase the off-roading feature of the vehicle. Another highlight was the electric vehicle ‘Zoe’ which is ranked sixth place in Europe.
The debutant, Jeep, lived up to its name and left a mark at the auto show. Although Compass and Wrangler Unlimited were the highlights, the violinists playing on the opening day and the cocktail bar infused customer lounge took the display to another level. Subaru’s ‘SUVs for outskirt camping’ theme open stall was simple but a great way to showcase the features of their products. Toyota’s electrifying full-red-colour focused theme representing their new product Rush was also a major highlight.
The majority of visitors that crowded Datsun’s stall pointed at the new EMI schemes introduced by the company a few months back. Mahindra’s Stinger was certainly an attention grabber whereas e-Verito was something that people were inquiring about a lot. Volkswagen’s main highlight was a vintage Camper whereas Hyundai’s was the modern and electric powered Ioniq. Like Datsun, visitors were swarming Hyundai’s stall for purchase. Maruti Suzuki promoted their product by hosting a NADA Photo Contest. Kia has been promoting EVs for some years and their earnestness in promoting EVs was witnessed at the Auto Show as they had a charging station beside the Soul EV.
UM’s and Harley Davidson’s rugged American motorcycle rider theme totally hit bull’s eye. KTM has been known for doing something different at every Auto Show and the company didn’t disappoint this year. They had two Dukes mounted in a wheelie position on which the visitors could sit, pose and click photos. Aprilia’s SR 150 Lo Manthang and Vespa’s ‘art gallery mash-up with Vespa scooters’ were two of the best thematic stalls along with Bajaj’s day-to-day commuting theme.
But the crowd-puller among two-wheeler stalls were Honda, TVS and Yamaha. Although Honda’s stall was on the 50 years theme showcasing the progression of Honda motorcycles in Nepal since the last 50 years, NM4 Vultus took the limelight. The same was with TVS and Yamaha which had the most awaited motorcycles in Nepal, TVS Apache RR310 and Yamaha R15 V3.0 respectively on display. They played the trump card by inviting celebrities like Ayushman DS Joshi, Girish Khatiwada and Sisan Baniya at the TVS stall and Himalayan Roadies judges Raymon Das Shrestha, Deeya Maskey and Ashish Rana along with Season 1 winner Saman Shrestha and first runner up Animesh Shahi at Yamaha’s stall which attracted young visitors.
What Company Representatives Say...
Shailaj Bdr. Singh, Sales & Marketing Dept. Head, Vijay Motors
“NADA Auto Show is a good platform that NADA has created for companies to showcase their creativity and products as well as for visitors to see the vehicles available in the market and compare them, all in a single place.”
Amita Joshi, Asst. Manager – Sales, Pioneer Motocorp
“Many of the customers who have visited Datsun’s stall knew about the EMI plans that we currently have and were impressed with the features of our cars, mainly redi-GO.”
Anish Lamichhane,, AGM – Sales and Marketing, Continental Trading Enterprises
“We have always been a proud and aggressive promoter of electric vehicles in Nepal through our product Soul EV. If the government does want to promote EVs in Nepal, they have to support EV companies in Nepal. The charging station that we are introducing with Soul EV at the Auto Show is a flexible charging station for any type of electric vehicle.”
Dan Wright, Project Manager, IME Automotives
“It’s great to see the evolution of motorcycle companies and enthusiasts in Nepal which is why we thought of introducing Harley Davidson in Nepal. Our stall design is inspired from the 115th Anniversary of Harley Davidson infused with the rugged American motorcycling theme. Since our products are a bit on the expensive side, we will be targeting the niche market, but anyone who is interested in Harley Davidson and wants to know about its heritage is welcome to contact us.”
Nijen Lal Shrestha,, Media Executive, Syakar Trading Company
“This year we are celebrating 50 years of Honda in Nepal so our stall is designed on that theme. We want to showcase the timeline of Honda motorcycles in Nepal and the reasons for Nepalis to have loved Honda over the 50 years.”
Amit Raj Chalise Marketing Manager, Hansraj Hulaschand & Co.
“Each year we have a different theme to our stall at the NADA Auto Show and this year we are focusing on our existing products and have designed our stall according to KTM’s official company colours: orange and black. We have also kept two Dukes in wheelie position so that visitors can pose and click photos.”
Sandeep Shrestha,, CEO, Alpha Riding Gear
“Alpha is Nepal’s first motorcycle protective gear brand and our primary goal is to educate people about the need for protective gears while riding a motorcycle. We provide jackets, gloves, pants and shoes with certified armour padding in major impact areas like arms, elbows, shoulders and back, at a reasonable rate without compromising on the safety of our customers.”
Visitor Expectation from The Next Edition of NADA Auto Show
A change of venue or hosting it in another city would add the necessary spark. Companies should go out-of-the-box and try new things with their stalls. The NADA Auto Show of 2014 is still considered the best in which Tata brought in Safari Storm Ladakh and hung Nano vertically, Bajaj went with Pulsar Dare Venture Season 1 theme, Honda had a Japanese garden projecting Honda’s true Japanese heritage and most four-wheeler companies had open showroom formats.
EVs should be promoted more aggressively as a cleaner, greener and efficient transportation. Also, companies should rethink distributing paper pamphlets and flyers that dirty the venue. Lastly, judging of the Best Stall Award should be made more transparent, maybe a people’s choice voting system.
[/su_note]
