When I first came on the roads of Bhutan, many felt I am a luxury component and that there were only few, who could actually afford to keep me. But over a period of time, people's opinions about me have changed. I am no longer a luxury component, but have become an important commodity (of those middle class people). sometime, somewhere in my past. I have even won an award for being the passenger car of the year, But I am not so sure whether it was in India or in Bhutan. Please forgive me for being very forgetful.
Anyways, I have come a long way on which I had many wonderful experiences. I first came as simple Maruti suzuki alto, after which I went on to become alto LX, then LXi and VXi. Today I have have come in the form of K10 to keep my customers happy and content. I thought that was the only option for me to compete with my brothers from Hyundai, Tata, Honda, and toyota etc. Nevertheless, they are giving me the hardest and toughest time of the millennium.
With 796cc force, I can easily accommodate and carry four average size people and in average, I consume 1 liter of petrol to travel seventeen-eighteen kilometers. At a time, when the price of a gas is starting to sky-rocket, this has truly come as a blessing for my (potential and current) customers.
Today in this fast changing and developing world, I think I am truly not a luxury item, but have become a necessity commodity for almost all
the people, -necessity of people on the streets! This has led to a traffic
confusion on the roads of Bhutan that are in a "permanent stage of
development".
These confusion invariably resulted in the collision among
many of us to which the Police department have created a term of reference
for themselves. 'Tail getting' is a term used when we hit someone from behind
and I guess it is called horn locking when we hit each other head to head. It will not be wrong to assume it as side kicking if some one gets hit on the side.
In response to those confusion, there was not only hike in tax tarriff, but our entry was also suspended. This to some extent have gone against the will of those people who dreamed about owning one of my kind. On the other side, It was considered blessing for my kind not to be plying on the roads that have holes and ponds on it. But shortly, things soon to changed. In the spirit of pure democracy, the supreme court of the country found Government guilty of procedural lapse in their attempt to bring down the confusion.
What ever may have been the case, I am now on a move and I am moving deep into Bhutan. with an impressive over all rating of 4 out of 5, I am the hot cake in the market. Perhaps I am suggesting all the concern individuals to go for altos in place of Prados and land cruisers, because it will bring win-win situation for all. Win because alto represents humility and humbleness which people not only like, but also respect and revere. Win because, budget deficit will be bridged without having to cut essential recurrent expenses. Win again, because superiors in Prado and land cruisers will understand more about the the realities of subordinates who travel on roads, full of perils in a vehicles like us which not only have negatives but have positives which far out weigh the negatives.
Next time you plan to buy a car, just look at my rating and think over. I think I stand for GNH as well.
FUEL
EFFICIENCY: 4.5/5
COMFORT: 3.5/5
STYLING:
3.75/5
MAINTENANCE: 4.75/5
OVERALL: 4/5
(Note: Author is not a alto promoter but an owner of one)
A three-wheel Alto that alters human conscience!
ReplyDeleteAlto is perfect for a middle class man. I found its fuel efficiency to be the best. I like the way you describe this car. Yes, it truly fits to be called a GNH car in a poor country like ours.
ReplyDelete