Chittoor stepping on the gas

Chittoor stepping on the gas

Car sales jump by 50% in the district on the back of steep discounts being offered on BS-IV models

Car sales have registered a jump in Chittoor district, with hundreds of buyers lapping up steep discounts being offered by dealerships on BS-IV models in their inventory.

Close to 70 dealerships in the district are now looking forward to a smooth transition to the new BS-VI norms as they are positive of selling their BS-IV stock before April 1, on which day the BS-VI norms will come into force.

Chittoor district has several outlets of major car manufacturers at Tirupati, Chittoor and Madanapalle, with an average monthly sale of around 600 cars/SUVs apart from a large number of tractors and cargo vehicles. The large number of sales are due to the customers’ business interests in Bengaluru, Chennai and elsewhere in the southern States.

The shift from the BS-IV to BS-VI norms is part of the Centre’s initiative to weed out polluting vehicles on Indian roads and bring down harmful emissions that pollute the atmosphere.

A Maruti Suzuki dealership at Tirupati has sold 42 cars with BS-IV norms in just three days between March 3 and 5, thanks to attractive discounts. The dealership’s general manager G.K. Chowdary said, “The sales on these three days is a record of sorts for our showroom. In fact, customers are queueing up to avail discounts ranging from ₹1 lakh to ₹1.25 lakh. We are offering them hassle-free registration too,” he said.

“Though the government’s objective is to go eco-friendly, the future of BS-VI norms looks hazy and the prospects of CNG fuel look bright. Our company has a clear-cut policy of not coming out with BS-VI diesel vehicles unless the required oil market expands accordingly. The customers are convinced that they will be safe with BS-IV petrol vehicles for the next 10 to 15 years,” he said.

A.V. Eeshwar Reddy, former general manager (Honda) at Tirupati, said that though the BS-VI vehicles are set for registrations from April 1 as per new guidelines, there is no facility for Euro-VI diesel pumps, except in Hyderabad and Noida. “This forced customers to stick to BS-IV petrol vehicles. Though there is a provision for some upcoming BS-VI vehicles to use Euro-IV diesel, the lifespan would come down from 2 lakh km to just 20,000 km. Who would risk this?” Mr Reddy said.

A couple of dealers observed that both BS-IV and BS-VI norms would be vanishing in the near future thanks to the eventual CNG revolution that is on the cards.

Deputy Transport Commissioner (Chittoor) Basi Reddy told The Hindu that the furore over the registration deadline for BS-IV vehicles has arisen out of ignorance of the reality. “There are absolutely no hassles for registration. The registration process is a normal process. Customers do not have to worry at all. The car dealers themselves would finish the registration for them. Post the announcement of the BS-VI norms, we have not heard any complaints over the matter,” he said.

The DTC, however, warned that “those who possess the unregistered BS-IV vehicles from April 1 onwards should know that they are possessing just dead vehicles. We have very strict guidelines issued by the Supreme Court to take the violators to task.”

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/chittoor-stepping-on-the-gas/article31010386.ece

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