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NO WAY!!! VAUXHALL WAS SOLD IN PAKISTAN?
design an electric car that can quickly change the battery so that you don't have to charge it yourself. The battery in the car can also be used when there is a power outage in the home. The price is also cheaper..,.
Data released by Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association showed that car sales in the country fell by 50% year-on-year in August, the lowest level since June 2020. In stark contrast, data released just a month ago said car sales in Pakistan surged by 54% in the 2021-22 fiscal year. Pakistan's auto industry appears to have hit an "invisible door" after a year of soaring growth. Can Pakistan find the key to this invisible door?
The 17th Pakistan Auto Show in Lahore
Fed to blame for rising car prices in Pakistan
Mr. Farooq was looking for a "suitable" car at the 17th Pakistan Auto Show in Lahore, for him, the definition of "suitable" is "affordable", but it was not easy.
"Car prices are higher than usual this year," it wasn't just Mr. Farooq who complained. Hyundai Elantra and Sonata are going up in price. There are big price hikes in almost all major car brands in Pakistan, including Japanese and Korean car brands.
Consumers are complaining, and automakers have their own bugbears. "Production reduction" has become a common phenomenon across Pakistan’s auto industry. MG Pakistan General Manager Asif Ahmad told the reporter that all car factories had cut their production by 50%. Suzuki and Toyota, which have a combined market share of more than 80% in Pakistan, were forced to halt production in August as the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) imposed restrictions on Completely Knocked Down (CKD) imports, affecting the country’s inventory levels.
According to Changan Pakistan's analysis of auto sales trends, Pakistan's auto industry will face a grim situation in FY23, with industry sales plummeting to nearly 240,000 units, a decrease of one-third. It cited restrictions on letters of credit approvals as the main reason for the loss of production in the past two months.
CBU vehicle imported by Pakistan
Is the import ban the biggest factor driving up car prices in Pakistan? Asim Ayaz, General Manager of Engineering Development Board, told us that the main purpose of the SBP ban was to control Pakistan's trade deficit. The impact is temporary and mainly on higher-priced Complete Built Unit (CBU), which will be improved in 2 to 3 months.
The battle between CBU and CKD has a long history in Pakistan. The Pakistani government has adopted a completely different policy on the import of complete vehicles and auto parts. For CBU, Pakistan’s Finance Minister Miftah Ismail once said that the government would impose duties and taxes of up to 600%.
Tariff increase on CBU has little impact on ordinary consumers with its luxury pricing. While CKD vehicles are accidentally injured by this tariff adjustment. As the trade deficit improves parts import restrictions will be gradually lifted, industry insiders are optimistic about CKD’s future. So what is the shadow hanging over Pakistan's car industry?
During the interview, almost all auto practitioners said that the interest rate hike policy implemented by the Federal Reserve was behind the rise in auto parts prices this year.
At a recent meeting of the Automotive Industry Monitoring Board in Pakistan, participants said recent car price hike was due to an increase in the dollar exchange rate, freight and raw materials including operating costs. "In addition to currency depreciation, freight has increased by 200%, which will eventually be reflected in car prices," those participants said.
With tires, gearboxes, engines and even freight charges paid in dollars, the heart of Pakistan's car industry is held thousands of miles away by the Federal Reserve. In a market dominated by the dollar, how do you escape the fate of being manipulated?
On its 75th Independence Day, Pakistan unveiled its first electric car prototype on August 14. This car, dubbed NUR-E 75, is the first electric car designed, developed and manufactured in Pakistan. As a "gift to Pakistan" on its diamond jubilee, its unveiling highlights Pakistan's ambitions in the field of electric vehicles.
Electric car is not a new topic in Pakistan. In 2019, the federal cabinet of Pakistan has approved the national Electric Vehicles Policy 2020-2025 to put check to the effects of climate change and offer affordable transport. In the first phase, the government will focus on converting 30% of the total number of vehicles, especially cars and rickshaws, into EVs. The target is set for the next four years to convert 100,000 cars and 500,000 two- and three-wheeler vehicles to EVs.
Many cities in Pakistan have short and fixed public transport lines and centralized operation and maintenance, which facilitates the deployment of new energy transport infrastructure and makes it a pioneer of new energy vehicles. Under the influence of above policy, cities including Peshawar and Karachi have cooperated with Chinese enterprises such as BYD and King Long to take the lead in launching new energy bus routes
which comes first, charging infrastructure or electric vehicle promotion? It's a chicken-or-egg problem. Shahzada Saleem, Vice Chairman of All Pakistan Car Dealers Association, believes that the promotion of electric vehicles is nonsense when there is no large-scale establishment of charging piles in Pakistan. "On the highway, you have to charge every 150 or 200 kilometers, and the reality is there aren't so many facilities."
He also believes that electric cars are doomed to fail due to power shortages in Pakistan. "Electricity is getting more and more expensive in Pakistan and electric cars are only available where electricity is cheap. In Pakistan, electricity is cut off for 3-4 hours a day. In this circumstance, this all is rubbish and drama. Electric cars have no future in Pakistan."
Studies have shown that it is necessary to establish a network of charging piles to ensure the development of electric vehicles. Charging stations need to be spread along highways and urban roads at first, and then residential communities and office buildings, which requires a lot of resources for renovation.
Nearly 7 million electric vehicles were sold worldwide in 2021, with China accounting for half of them. In China, the world's most competitive country for electric cars, electric cars are only about 20% more expensive than comparable gasoline cars, compared with about 50% much higher in Europe and the United States.
Asif said that Pakistan is going through a consumption upgrade from over 2 million electric motorcycles to four-wheelers. Ordinary people can afford it. Some Chinese companies are experts in making entry-level cars. I think in the future, these companies will come to Pakistan to drive this upgrade."
"In Pakistan, the price difference between a motorcycle and a car is around Rs. 1 million. If some affordable cars were introduced to Pakistan, they could create a new market, which would be disruptive," said Asim. According to Suhail, cooperation between China and Pakistan on electric vehicles will break the high price stereotype of EVs and generate new consumers by creating a fleet of cost-effective electric vehicles that are suitable for Pakistan's road conditions.
Instead of competing with Japanese and German cars in the high-end electric car market, making cars affordable to the general people seems to be the most realistic option for Pakistan's electric car industry. In the past, imported cars dominated the Pakistani car market, but now, domestically produced or assembled cars are becoming more and more popular.
Asif said that MG plans to invest USD 100 million to produce hybrid vehicles, electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. The full range of products will be available in Pakistan once the factory is ready. Pakistan needs to move from conventional engines to energy efficient and hybrid engines."