Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, February 17:

The automobile industry in Nepal has been witnessing a phenomenal growth over the last decade, driven by the increasing purchasing power of the population and the lucrative offers laid out by automobile giants.

In the game of one-upmanship, every automobiles major has been offering, or at least promising to offer, better after sale services than the others. In fact many of them, have pushing after sales service as their unique selling proposition.

Not only local distributors here, but foreign manufacturers are also eyeing to attract customers by floating lucrative offers and schemes.

The rising number of the state-of-the-art, authorised service stations in the country indicates that automobile players are not only pushing for sales but also trying to build serious brand loyalties. All the major brands today have their authorised service stations in major parts of the country. They are gradually replacing manual work with electronic and digital equipment.

“Maintaining a brand loyalty is the main aim and customer are more conscious about after sales services,” says Rabindra Shrestha, manager at AVCO International Pvt Ltd, authorised distributor of Hyundai vehicles in Nepal, talking about authorised service stations.

Shrestha said, “Today, customers are buying Hyundai cars for its brand name and service as well.”

Avco Servicing Centre is a state-of-the-art service station set up under the basic guidelines of Hyundai Motors, Korea and is equipped with mostly electronic digital equipment for overhauling and maintenance, says Krishna B Pradhan, service engineer.

According to him, Hyundai has a unique after sales benefit that incorporates three years’ warranty, three years’ free servicing (12 free servicing), and a buy back guarantee as well as two years parts replacement.

The authorised service stations are increasingly becoming a driving force for automobile sales, which not only increase the trust of customers but also ensure quality services, says Anup Baral, sales manager at Sipradi Trading, which deals in Tata Motors.

Tata, which governs the market in terms of heavy commercial vehicles, has over 60 service stations throughout the country. Tata offers four free servicing and the warranty period ranges from 18 months to 3.5 years, depending on models.

“Regular maintenance at the authorised service station is sure to better performance, safety and longevity, since it strictly follows the manufacturing company’s guidelines,” says Anil Bhandari, supervisor at Sipradi Service Centre at Naikap.

“Today the best marketing approach is by providing quality after sale services. Automobile market runs on recommendations from one customer to other and unless you satisfy your old customer, there is no way that you can have a new one,” says Binod Aryal, deputy general manager, Continental Trading Enterprises, distributor of Kia Motors in Nepal.

The after sales customer care has become a vital factor that governs about 80 per cent sales of any particular brand in these days of cut-throat competition, he adds.

With the reliability of after sale services that we have gained in the last two years, today Kia stands in the front line, leading the sale of vehicles imported from the third country, claims Aryal. We have a Kia Club for the owners of Kia vehicles and the networking among members of the club is strong.

The members of the club are entitled to various services free of cost and also discounts for replacing major parts in case of damages, Aryal adds.