The 12th Nada Auto Show, the biggest exhibition of automobiles in Nepal, concluded on Sunday, recording advance bookings of various vehicles worth more than Rs3 billion.

The volume of bookings made during the six-day event, however, was lower than that of last year. Last year, the exhibition had recorded advance bookings to the tune of Rs3.5 billion. 

“The volume of advance bookings dropped this year as people seem to have lost 

interest in vehicles because of higher interest rates in auto loans, although inquiries have gone up,” said Anjan Shrestha, president of NADA Automobiles Association of Nepal.

Despite a drop in advance bookings, the six-day extravaganza attracted huge number of visitors. 

The exhibition was attended by 65,000 to 70,000 visitors, as against the target of 50,000. These visitors booked around 1,000 cars and 1,600 bikes, said Shrestha.

Some of the brands that showcased their products for the first time at the auto show were Peugeot, Hunter, CF Moto, and Nui. 

“This is our first time in the expo. And we got a good feedback from visitors, as more than 24 cars were booked,” Kiran Shrestha, senior sales manager at Shangila Motors, the authorised distributor of Peugeot vehicles for Nepal, said. 

A total of 16 four wheeler brands, 19 two wheeler brands and six brands of commercial vehicles took part at the Nada Auto Show 2017. 

The four-wheeler segment included companies like Datsun, Hyundai, Ford, Renault, Peugeot, Suzuki and KIA, among others. Likewise, two-wheeler brands like TVS, Mahindra, Bajaj, Suzuki, KTM, Royal Enfield and Benelli also displayed their products at the event.

Karun Shakya, senior marketing manager of Arun Intercontinental Traders, dealer of Maruti Suzuki revealed that over 150 Suzuki cars were booked everyday and that the new Ignis received most of the attention among their products. 

He also added that the flow of people was less compared to last year.

One of the main highlights at the expo was the Ford Mustang. 

It was brought in by Ford as a display unit so that people can see and experience what the iconic Mustang looks like in the flesh, according to Kishor Maharjan, showroom sales officer of Ford.

Another prominent company at the auto show was Royal Enfield. 

“Only 80 percent of our expectation was met at this year’s Nada auto show and around 80 bikes have been booked at the event,” says Dipesh Shrestha, brand 

manager of Dugar Brother’s and Sons, the authorised dealer of Royal Enfield.