Automobile dealers unhappy with low customer footfall

Ranchi: Though the automobile showroom dealers are geared up for the festive season after a two-year hiatus, sales are low. Customers are faced with a long waiting list due to a global chip shortage that is impacting the production of cars.
A dealer said clients are scouting for diesel variants in SUVs and luxury cars. Petrol variants are preferred only for personal use. However, there is a shortage of semiconductor chips that are used in cars to control everything from windows to navigation systems. Hence, the production of vehicles is affected.
Praveen Modi, the senior sales manager of Republic Hyundai, said, “Customers prefer petrol vehicles as these can be converted to electric vehicles. Also, petrol vehicles are less expensive as compared to diesel vehicles, their maintenance cost is low, and durability is high. But sales are below expectations due to the shortage of chips.”
Avinash Kumar, the senior relation manager of Morris Garages (MG) said, “Customers desire the additional features and raw power that diesel vehicles provide. However, Covid-19 has impeded the supply of chips. Hence, fewer varieties of vehicles are available in the market.”
For the two-wheeled vehicles, customers prefer petrol over electric motorbikes. But sale has not picked up. Nikhil Kumar, a salesman of Shyamal Hero, said, “Customers prefer petrol bikes but the sales are below expectation this year.”
Sumit Jain of Horizon, said, “Electric automobiles are more expensive than gasoline vehicles. However, this year, customers are only purchasing products out of necessity as Covid-19 has hit their finances.”