As Nepal enters the new year 2083, MeroAuto.com begins its ninth year of covering the country’s automobile sector. What started in 2075 (2018) as a dedicated beat within economic journalism has grown into a sustained effort to inform, question, and hold the industry accountable.
Over these eight years, we have tried to report accurately and fairly through industry booms, policy reversals, market slumps, and everything in between. We are grateful to our readers, advertisers, industry stakeholders, and well-wishers who have supported this journey.
The automobile sector is central to Nepal’s economy, yet it continues to be treated by the state as a luxury rather than an essential industry. Policy instability from regulators like Nepal Rastra Bank and the Ministry of Finance has consistently unsettled businesses and investors. Unhealthy competition, stagnant demand, and rising costs have pushed many dealers and entrepreneurs to the edge.
The current government, which commands a near two-thirds majority, now has a real opportunity to change this. What the sector needs is not goodwill statements, but stable, long-term policy clear roadmaps on EV infrastructure, road safety, and a business environment where investment decisions can be made with some confidence.
The ongoing dispute over EV motor power ratings is a case in point. The root of the problem lies with customs authorities who cleared vehicles based on paperwork alone, without physical verification. Some importers may well have taken advantage of that gap. But penalizing businesses years later, without clear evidence or due process, is not a sound regulatory approach. Accountability must be consistent, strict where warranted, but not arbitrary.
Consumer protection also remains a serious gap. Buyers who spend significant sums on vehicles too often find themselves without reliable after-sales service, genuine spare parts, or any meaningful recourse when things go wrong. A vehicle purchase is among the largest financial decisions many Nepalis will ever make. The law exists; what is missing is its enforcement.
MeroAuto has stood on the side of consumers since its founding, and that will not change. As we enter our ninth year, we recommit to reporting this sector honestly; its progress, its failures, and the policy decisions that shape both.
