Devashish Biswas, Assistant General Manager- Marketing, Volkswagen Nepal, speaks to Autolife Nepal on the company’s outlook towards the Nepalese market and the all-new Tiguan.

AL: HOW DO YOU DEFINE THE MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF A VOLKSWAGEN CUSTOMER?

DB: As Volkswagen is a premium brand, we have a premium category of customers, who know about the qualities of a good car and are more concerned about the comfort, power, safety and performance of a premium car.

AL: WHAT IS VOLKSWAGEN’S STRATEGY FOR THE NEPALESE MARKET?

DB: Our strategy for the Nepalese market is to make available the world renowned Volkswagen cars which come loaded with the latest German Technology, so as to provide the customers the best of Innovation, Power, Comfort, Performance and Safety and a steady assurance of drive pleasure.

AL: CAN YOU GIVE A BROAD IDEA OF YOUR ATL AND BTL MARKETING STRATEGIES?

DB: For us, ATL and BTL activities have their own importance for marketing, and the percentage varies according to the activity.

AL: WHAT ARE THE ATTRIBUTES YOU LOOK AT TO MEASURE THE SUCCESS OF A CAMPAIGN?

DB: It’s very simple. Whatever campaign we introduce, our main goal is to make our customers happy. If the customers are happy then the campaign becomes automatically successful.

AL: WHO DO YOU SEE THE DIRECT COMPETITORS FOR THE NEW TIGUAN AND WHAT WILL WIN THIS COMPETITION IN TERMS OFCOMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE?

DB: There are few compact SUVs who are the direct competitors of the all new Volkswagen Tiguan. Regarding the competitive advantage as compared to rivals, the new Tiguan’s 2.0L petrol/ diesel engine paired with the 4MOTION intelligent all-wheel drive system based on the MQB platform, makes it stand out in the segment.

AL: WHAT ARE THE IMPROVEMENTS OVER PAST TIGUAN MODEL?

DB: The all new Volkswagen Tiguan is an urban compact SUV powered with the latest generation 2.0L TSI and TDI engine mated to a 7 speed automatic DSG transmission. Like the attractive exteriors, the cabin of the New Tiguan is something that we’ve never experienced before. The cabin-room is plush and luxurious. The ergonomics are right and there’s ample space at the front and the rear. The boot space is decent too.

Similarly, the latest generation of the Tiguan hosts several class leading lifestyle features like LED illuminated panoramic sliding roof, electronically adjustable seats, three zone climatronic air conditioning, leather seats with heating system, automatic rain sensor wipers, cruise control, keyless smart key entrance, LED headlamps with DRLs, LED tail-lamps, push button start and park assist among many others.

AL: HAS THE DIESEL-GATE SCANDAL MADE ANY IMPACT IN THE NEPALESE MARKET?

DB: Not really. Actually, it was regarding the emission standards in US, which we can’t compare with the Nepalese market as the Euro standard in US is 6 whereas it is only 3 in Nepal. In spite of all these scandals, Volkswagen Group became the world’s No.1 selling Automobile group in 2016.