Are Cars in Pakistan Parallel to the Rest of the World?

Since we live in a third world market with polices & regulations on auto sector & consumer welfare are next to nothing, cars assembled in Pakistan not only lack basic features & safety equipment offered elsewhere, but in most cases are introduced once done from the rest of the world & are often dragged for a prolonged period of time once launched.

Related: Cars with 10+ Years of Production in Pakistan

While obviously we can’t expect to have the same set of equipment & international quality standards in local assembled cars at this point of time due to the local auto industry still in its infancy, we can have a look at whether they are the same (at least) in terms of model age when compared to the rest of the world.

Currently, there are only a few cars in our market which are parallel to the world in terms of model generation, while most cars were either discontinued, replaced by a newer generation model or updated with a facelift in other markets with locally available versions yet to catch up to their international counterparts.

Related: Globally Retired Cars in Pakistan

We have often written about cars that were introduced in Pakistan after getting discontinued from the rest of the world, or the extraordinarily prolonged production span which often exceeds a decade, let us now have a look at cars sold in Pakistan which are either discontinued, updated with a facelift or replaced by a newer generation model elsewhere.

Suzuki

4-decades old Suzuki Bolan & Ravi in Pakistan versus latest generation of Suzuki Carry

Starting with the largest assembler of Pakistan– most of the cars under the lineup can safely be called as obsolete. Suzuki Ravi & Bolan are 4-decades old models now and are 5 generations behind the global Carry model.

17-years old Swift in Pakistan versus the latest Swift in India

Suzuki’s Swift is also a globally discontinued model which was introduced here in 2010– the same year when it got replaced by the 3^rd gen model elsewhere. However, the Swift is currently in its 4^th generation which has already received a facelift after completing 3 years of its life. So, the one we have here is technically a 17-years old car and 2 generations behind its global model.

Pre-facelift Cultus (Celerio) in Pakistan vs Celerio facelift in India that debuted in 2018

Suzuki Cultus (Celerio) & Wagon-R sits on the dividing line of being called updated or obsolete. The Celerio was originally introduced in India in 2014 and received a facelift in 2018 however that facelift is still restricted to India while the rest of the markets still get the same (pre-facelift) Celerio as available here but they are way better equipped of course. As per reports the next generation Celerio will be making its debut in India during the first half of 2021.

Suzuki WagonR in Pakistan vs latest generation WagonR in India

Same is the case with Wagon R, which was originally introduced in India but was sourced in our market from Indonesia where it’s called Karimun Wagon R. While the Wagon R entered its new generation in India couple of years ago, the Indonesian version is yet to be updated and so is ours.

Honda

13-years old Honda City in Pakistan vs the latest generation Honda City

Honda introduced the 5^th gen City in Pakistan in January 2009 and since then the car continues to be sold despite now being a 13-years old car as per international standards and 2 generations behind its global model. In this day & age, the City alongside Swift are one of the few local assembled cars that come without a single airbag in the entire lineup.

Toyota

12th gen Toyota Corolla while we get the 11th gen

11th gen Corolla 2x facelift in Pakistan vs 12th gen Toyota Corolla elsewhere

The 12^th generation Toyota Corolla made its world debut in hatchback form back in April 2018 while its sedan derivative debuted in November 2018. Now that the 12^th gen Corolla sedan is already more than 2 years old, Indus Motor Company (IMC) is stilling continuing with the 11^th gen model that debuted in international markets in 2013 and made its way in Pakistan in mid-2014.

Toyota Yaris pre-facelift in Pakistan vs Yaris facelift

On the other hand, the Yaris sedan is the 3^rd gen pre-facelift model with facelift already launched in other markets. Bear in mind Toyota introduced the 4^th gen TNGA-based Yaris in hatchback & crossover forms but its sedan version is yet to make its official appearance. The 3^rd gen Yaris which is also marketed as Vios in certain markets has received a facelift last year, however since we got the pre-facelift model around the same time, it’s hard to expect a newer iteration anytime soon.

KIA

3rd gen Picanto while we get the 2nd gen model

2nd generation Kia Picanto in Pakistan vs 3rd gen Picanto facelift elsewhere

While the Sportage that enjoys handsome sales becoming the third bestselling car in Pakistan remains parallel to the rest of the world in terms of age, the Picanto and Sorento in Pakistan are previous generation models. Especially in case of Picanto, the 2^nd generation hatchback was launched in Pakistan almost 2.5 years after it got discontinued from the rest of the world with the current 3^rd gen already receiving a facelift last year.

3rd gen Kia Sorento in Pakistan vs 4th gen Sorento

The 4^th generation of Sorento was unveiled late last year and has reached few key markets already however the 3^rd gen Sorento which was introduced in Pakistan last month is still available in many markets and is gradually being phased out.

Hyundai

6th gen Hyundai Elantra in Pakistan vs 7th gen Elantra

Hyundai’s local assembled lineup of passenger cars includes Tucson and newly introduced Elantra sedan, both of which are a generation behind compared to the respective international models.

3rd gen Hyundai Tucson in Pakistan vs 4th gen Tucson

The 4^th gen Tucson was unveiled just a week after the 3^rd gen made its debut here, which has been around since 2015. The 6^th gen Elantra which has been introduced earlier this week comes exactly a year after the latest 7^th generation model made its world debut.

FAW

FAW’s new V80 series (available as minivan & pickup)

FAW’s lineup in Pakistan is also a representation of the old & obsolete with X-PV & Carrier pickup already entered the newer generation in Chinese domestic market. The V2 however was discontinued in China back in 2016, a year before the local assembled units were rolled out in Pakistan. Today, South Africa is the only market alongside Pakistan where the V2 hatchback is sold.

Local assembling of V2 started a year after it was discontinued in China

United

United Alpha & Bravo- redefining ‘old’ in the name of ‘new’

United stepped into the 4-wheel business with the introduction of Bravo which is based on 3-decades old second-generation Suzuki Alto better known to us as Mehran. In addition, the company also introduced the 1,000cc Alpha hatchback which is a rebadged second-generation Chery QQ facelift which became obsolete in year 2015.

Regal

Regal Automobiles which also entered into the 4-wheel business expanding from their 2-wheel operations introduced the Price Pearl hatchback, which just like United Bravo is another Chinese car based on the 3-decades old Suzuki Mehran having same 800cc replica engine and 4-speed transmission deprived of any safety equipment. Both Bravo and Pearl are sold nowhere else in the world but Pakistan & are built by low-scale Chinese automakers having presence in third tier cities in China only.

Zotye Z100

HRL Motors brought the Zotye Z100 hatchback in Pakistan back in 2017– the same year when the vehicle got discontinued in China. Unfortunately, the car never went beyond a bungled marketing attempt on Facebook. Then a couple of years later, the same units became available under the umbrella of Topsun Motors. Z100 is entitled as one of the many cars in Pakistan that were ‘introduced’ once done from the rest of the world.

It is pertinent to mention here that Toyota Corolla and Honda City which are being rightly criticized for being overly dragged in our market, were launched perfectly fine. The 5^th gen City was introduced after just 4 months of making its world debut, whereas the 11^th gen Corolla arrived in Pakistan just a year after its international debut.

Related: These are the Oldest Cars on Sale in Pakistan

However, in the recent case of Kia Picanto, United Alpha, Kia Sorento and now Hyundai Elantra, the older generation models got introduced long after the debut of their newer generation models which are already on sale in various countries.

Interestingly when the annual production rate (of cars assembled in Pakistan) was almost 5 times less than today, we used to welcome cars almost as soon as they arrived in international markets, particularly in case of Honda. The 6^th gen Civic & its facelift, 3^rd gen City SX8 & its facelift as well as the 4^th & 5^th gen City all saw a very prompt arrival in Pakistan and there was no excuse of bringing a retired model in a market which used to produce hardly 40,000 units in a year back in the 1990s.

Related: Are Big 3 Really in Trouble?

While competition is a good thing which we have been deprived for long, the practice of introducing the old & discarded in the name of new should be avoided at any cost if we genuinely want the local auto industry to prosper.

UsmanAnsari

A computer animation professional with over 23 years of industry experience having served in leading organizations, TV channels & production facilities in Pakistan. An avid car enthusiast and petrolhead with an affection to deliver quality content to help shape opinions. Formerly written for PakWheels as well as major publications including Dawn. Founder of CarSpiritPK.com