City auto show bears testimony to versatility of local market

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Mehdi Musharraf Bhuiyan
The growing dynamism and versatility of the country's automobile market, both in terms of items and buyers, are on display at the country's biggest auto show at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre (BCFCC) in the city.
Staged at a time, when the country's annual sales of automobiles, according to the industry insiders, are mounting to be around 20,000, boosted by the rising number of middle and upper middle class consumers, the 4th Dhaka Motor Show, which concludes today (Saturday), is also a testimony to the upper class people's rising demand for personal vehicles.
From state-of-the-art luxury autos priced at as high as Tk. 18 million to the more 'easy on the pocket' motorbikes priced at lower than Tk 100,000, the country's prime motorcar event demonstrates the diverse need and affordability of the urban populace.
Among those showcased, the new arrivals have taken the centre stage, as it was the case with a BMW X6 Drive 35i. This German made 4-door Coupe, which has been priced at Tk 16 million to Tk 17 million, according to BMW's local distributor Executive Motors, has been unveiled for the first time not only in Bangladeshi market but also in the whole region of South Asia right through this fair.
This masterpiece of automobile engineering, a dazzling red version of which is on display at the fair venue, has received admiration from the crowds, especially from the affluent section of the people.
Nonetheless, the 'Big Three' of the local automobile market, namely, Toyota, Mitsubishi and Nissan, have their presence at the fair as imposing as they have on the roads of Bangladesh.
Mitsubishi, which claims to have 33 per cent share of the total first hand passenger vehicles sold each year in the country, has launched its brand new Lancer Ex GT at the fair, which has been priced at Tk 3.6 million. Mitsubishi has already sold 4 sedans in the first two days of the fair while the remaining day is expected to draw more crowds.
Nissan has displayed its 1500cc Bluebird Sylphy priced at Tk 20,50,000, which is a step further from its marquee brand Sunny, while its sister concern in the local market Hyundai has showcased the recently introduced 1100 cc i10 model, along with the more familiar 2700cc and 2000 cc Tucson SUV.
Market leader Toyota has brought, among others, its Yaris model of sedan priced at Tk 1.65 million as well as the Corolla Gli at Tk 2.235 million. Toyota's Avenza range of passenger car models which were unveiled in the local market in the previous version of this fair have also featured prominently and priced between Tk 1.5 million and Tk. 1.8 million.
Among the less familiar and more reasonably priced brand names, Suzuki has unveiled the Swift Dzire range, priced at Tk. 1.125 million. Proton, known as Malaysia's national car having around 60 per cent of the total market share in that country, has displayed its Sega model priced between Tk 1.25 million and Tk. 1.75 million.
Besides the passenger cars, a small portion of the fair venue is dedicated to rather cheaper motorbikes as well as three-wheel auto rickshaws. Last but not the least, automobile accessories and equipment have made their way in the four-day long fair where renowned brands like Caltex, Bridgestone and Dunlop are also showcased.
When asked about the mix-up of the visitors strolling the fair venue, one of the representatives from the organisers said around 5 per cent of them are ready for on-spot purchase while the rest of them have long term plans for it. Young customers, however, account for a growing part of the total turnout.
This year's Motor Show has a special focus on road safety issues and some placards and posters bewaring people of the relevant issues are also seen. A roundtable on the issue under spotlight is scheduled to be held in the last afternoon of the event.