After the Volkswagen venture was welcomed by the Prime Minister of Pakistan, It has become the most discussed topic in Pakistani automobile industry. Volkswagen has been in conversations with the Premier Systems Private Limited( an authorized importer of Audi vehicles in the country)to set up an automobile manufacturing plant for its Amarok pickup and T6 passenger van.
Pakistan’s automobile industry has seen some rapid developments lately, All thanks to the Auto Policy 2016-21 subsequent to which ample of new cars have by now been launched in the market .And there are many more to come. On the other hand so far, none of the new vehicles are targeted in the direction of the budget car buyer.
The majority of the vehicles are priced at or above 2.0 million PKR and therefore aims those with strong purchase power, however the masses are left on Pak Suzuki’s chance. Sparing the Rio, all forthcoming KIA vehicles (spotted so far) will also be higher than 2.0 million price range (hypothesized) whereas the upcoming FAW R7 SUV will also be categorized in the similar price segment.
Volkswagen’s intention has also been towards pickup & minivans in view of the fact that there is a huge demand of such vehicles because of CPEC related activities in the country. Nevertheless people hope to see VW presenting their passenger cars in Pakistan but take into consideration, those won’t .
VW Amarok
VW T6
Even though Volkswagen brings their passenger cars (sedans, hatchbacks) in Pakistan, they moreover will be priced around PKR 2.0 million so there is utterly no expectation for the general public to choose something other than Pak Suzuki.
Based on Volkswagen’s activities in Asian region, the cheapest VW that can be presented in Pakistan is the Polo hatchback that comes equipped with a 1.2 liter engine paired to a manual or automatic gearbox. The engine generates 74 bhp and does practically 16.4 km in a liter.
In India, the simplest of versions come equipped with front 2 power windows only, manual transmission, driver & passenger airbags and ABS & cost INR 5.47 lac i.e.PKR 8.71 lac. On the other hand it’s safe to say that although the VW Polo is introduced here, it will (in any case) fall just about the Suzuki Swift price range, or perhaps more. And you basically cannot anticipate a Volkswagen to be as reasonable to run & maintain as a Suzuki.
To get reasonable cars to be in hand in less than 1 million PKR appears to be a dream & possibly Chinese cars stay the only choice for common people to one day get decent & affordable vehicles in Pakistan, but glancing at the recent examples for instance the Zotye Z100 by HRL Motors, that too give the impression of being something unfeasible.
Do you think VW should be introducing its small cars in Pakistan? Let us know with your prospect in the comment section.
