Motor show ends on high note

Most of the participants in the three-day Dhaka Motor Show that ended yesterday were happy as they witnessed a huge turnout and many of them bagged satisfactory spot orders.
Rangs Ltd, the sole distributor of Mitsubishi brand cars, sold eight new cars at the show — the highest number followed by Navana Ltd.
Qazi Saad Ulla Hill Alim, assistant sales manager of Rangs Ltd, said his company offered after-sales services that attracted many buyers and helped log good sales.
Navana Ltd, the distributor of Toyota cars in Bangladesh, sold seven cars at the fair.
Toyota, the market leader in personal car segment, sold more than 1,800 cars in 2009.
Shajia Afrin, senior sales executive of Navana, said, the prices of most of the cars sold in the show range from Tk 17 lakh to Tk 75 lakh.
However, some companies were not happy with sales.
Arefin Islam, sales executive of Pacific Motors Ltd, the sole distributor of luxury brand Nissan, said: “Sales at the fair dropped compared to the previous year.”
This year the company sold four cars, while the number was five at the last year’s show.
Industry insiders said automotive market in Bangladesh maintained a double-digit growth in the last couple of years mainly because of the flourishing corporate sector and export-oriented enterprises.
Although the annual sale is mostly dominated by reconditioned cars, sales of new cars increased to around 6,000 in 2009, up from 4,000-4,500 in 2008 and 3,500-4,000 in 2007, they said.
They said car sales usually remain high in the last three to four months of a fiscal year, when government purchases start.
However, many visitors came to the fair only to know about the prices of cars, motorcycles and trucks, and to compare those with the prices of reconditioned vehicles.
Cars apart, sales of batteries also increased in the last five years, said Mohammad Saifur Rahman, senior market development officer of Rahimafrooz.
Rahimafrooz, the market leader in battery segment, sold more than three lakh pieces of batteries across the country in 2009, and sales would rise further, he said.
“Sales of battery for both commercial vehicles and IPS (instant power supply) devices remain high during the March-July period, as people use batteries more to cope with the summer,” Rahman said.
The company logged satisfactory sales in lubricant, tyre and battery at the fair, he said.
Rahimafrooz also displayed its new battery Globatt, which is meant for export to the European and North American markets.
A total of 60 companies showcased cars, trucks, motorcycles, motor parts and accessories such as batteries, tyres and lubricants at 207 stalls.

Courtesy of The Daily Star