KATHMANDU: The Nepal Automobiles Importers and Manufacturers Association (NAIMA) has been formally launched. The formal declaration of NAIMA was made during an event held in Kathmandu on Wednesday.
Ritu Singh Vaidya, Managing Director of United Traders Syndicate Pvt Ltd – the official distributor of Toyota vehicles in Nepal, leads the Board of Directors of NAIMA, which also includes two former presidents of the NADA Automobiles Association of Nepal.
Shekhar Golchha, a former NADA president and immediate past president of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), is a board director of NAIMA. Affiliated with Hansraj Hulas Chand & Company under the Golchha Group, his company assembles and distributes Bajaj, KTM and Triumph motorcycles in Nepal.
Another former NADA president, Saurabh Jyoti, has also joined NAIMA’s board. As Chairperson of Syakar Trading, the distributor of Honda motorcycles and cars in Nepal, Jyoti is a well-known moto-vlogger. His company assembles Honda motorcycles and scooters in Nepal.
Two members of NADA’s current executive committee have also been appointed as NAIMA directors: Nirakar Shrestha of Laxmi Motor Corporation and Yamuna Shrestha of Cimex Inc. Shrestha, who has started assembling Hyundai cars in Nepal, is NADA’s incumbent vice president. Yamuna Shrestha, a member of NADA’s executive committee and chair of its revenue committee, is the official distributor of BYD in Nepal.
Cabinet Shrestha, Managing Director of Agni Incorporated, who rarely makes public statements on automobile issues, is also a board director of NAIMA. Agni Incorporated is the distributor of Mahindra passenger and light commercial vehicles in Nepal.
Suhrid Ghimire of Continental Trading, the official distributor of Kia and Isuzu; Sandeep Sarada of SPG Automobiles, which sells Omoda/Jaecoo, Zeekr and Nissan brands in Nepal have also been named board directors of NAIMA.
Likewise, Hemant Golchha, Managing Director of Shangrila Motors, which represents Leapmotor, Citroën and Peugeot in Nepal; Nikunj Agrawal of Paramount Motors, the authorized distributor of MG, Wuling and Mazda; and Udayan Kabra of the Kabra Group, which represents Bharat Benz vehicles in Nepal, are also part of the NAIMA board.
