Car showrooms in Nepal have finally started selling or have started taking bookings of 2021 editions of their lineup. These models are significant as they have BS6 standard engines in them. BS6 standards are emission regulations put forth on cars manufactured in India to regulate the output of pollutants. Up until now many car showrooms in Nepal had been selling BS4 standard cars.
Growing number of vehicle manufacturers across the globe are switching to produce only electric vehicles in not too distant future. It is all but certain that diesel and petrol cars are dying breed which may be obsolete as early as 2030. China has announced to phase out gas powered cars by 2035. Following that Nissan has announced it will only sell fully electric and hybrid cars in China from 2025. General Motors has also announced that they will stop selling petrol and diesel cars by 2035. Tata owned Jaguar announced it will become electric only carmaker by 2025. Many governments across the world are giving tax incentives to promote electric cars for their obvious benefits.
The Government of Nepal too had provided some relief on tax of fully electric vehicles until the current Oli government reversed the prior position and reduced the tax incentives. This reversal of policy is detrimental in terms of promoting Nepal’s future to be self reliant in energy production and environment benefits. Instead of facilitating various stakeholders to establish fast charging stations for electric vehicles across the country, the government is planning for petroleum pipelines.
Regardless what the Government of Nepal does to deter electric vehicles, the whole world is quickly adjusting to an all electric mobility. It is only matter of time until the Government of Nepal will come to the realization that promotion of electric cars is the way forward.
Over the years, electric cars are getting better with battery technology, range and are getting competitively priced. In 2021, it makes no sense to buy expensive cars which is based on soon to be obsolete fuel technology. To give an analogy it may be like buying iPhone 6 today at the price of iPhone 12.
Although electric car revolution is almost in our doorstep it may be wise to choose some value for money petrol cars alternatives instead to manage our transportation needs. Considering this, it may be wise to consider cars under 40 Lakhs in Nepali car market.
This article will look at what competitive options are available in the Nepali car market under 40 Lakh budget. Based on most sort after features, for this analysis, we are looking at car models which are sub 4 meters in length and have at least the following features:
1. Good ground clearance.
2. Automatic air conditioner.
3. Alloy wheels.
4. Infotainment system.
5. Rear parking camera.
The car models considered for feature review are:
1. Suzuki Ignis Alpha [37.49 Lakh]
2. Ford Freestyle Titanium Plus [37.5 Lakh]
3. Tata Altroz XZ [38.55 Lakh]
4. Hyundai Grand i10 Nios Sportz [34.5 Lakh]
All the models specified above are hatchbacks. Tata Altroz and Ford Freestyle are not available in Automatic Transmission yet, whereas Suzuki Ignis and Hyundai Nios variants are available in AMT as well.
The green labeled segments are advantage points and the red labels are disadvantages. The feature points are the number of green labels per model.
Although Maruti Suzuki Ignis and Hyundai i10 Nios give good mileage due to light body structure and good engines, however on the other hand have comparatively low safety status.
Vehicles sold in Nepal are generally priced three times what it is priced in India due to high tax rate. However, all Nepali vendors have priced all their offerings even higher.
The pricing of Suzuki Ignis in Nepal has increased by 3.5 Lakhs to 37.49 lakh in 2021 compared to 2020, which in turn does not make it a value for money proposition anymore. Hyundai Nios being the cheapest among the bunch in this comparison has some good features but misses out on key ones that are offered by competitors.
The Scores suggest the most value for money hatchbacks available in Nepal are Ford Freestyle Titanium Plus and Tata Altroz XZ. As both have the similar feature score. So it may be worth checking some key differences among the two. Ford Freestyle has ground clearance of 190mm which can easily swallow sizable potholes common in Nepali roads whereas Altroz has 165mm, which may not be quite good while driving in rural roads. Safety wise Freestyle offers 6 airbags, traction control and hill launch assist which is practical in daily driving and for safety. On the other hand, Altroz offers new styling, interior comfort features and a good boot space.
To sum it up, Ford Freestyle is more practical among the two, while on the other hand Altroz has better style credentials. So the final choice is with the buyers, which one would you choose?
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