Pakistan’s automobile market was largely dominated by European and American players till the 1960s after which Japanese companies started to pour in with their options which quickly became successful due to their smaller & practical dimensions, fuel efficiency, reliability, and cheaper maintenance.
Japanese dominance over the auto industry was fully established over the following decade. During the mid-90s, South Korean automakers stepped in followed by the Chinese players in the mid-2000s which were in their infancy. However, the mature Chinese players arrived here after the Auto Policy 2016-21 was implemented.
We often complain about the lack of govt regulations over the auto sector, and how badly Pakistani falls behind the rest of the world when it comes to quality, vehicle safety, emissions, fuel efficiency, and overall checks & balances on the local auto industry. We also complain a lot about cars being dragged here for several years without undergoing any significant change or upgrade, or obsolete vehicles launched in our country as “new” years after they were discarded from the rest of the world.
Related: More Than 17 Obsolete Cars are on Sale in Pakistan
It remains a fact that around 70% of new cars sold in Pakistan are obsolete models, which should be a matter of grave concern for the authorities. However, let’s try to find out which automakers from the aforementioned origins offer the most number of obsolete cars in our country. Bear in mind we are only dealing with locally assembled options, as CBUs being sold in the country are generally up-to-date models.
Japanese
The Big 3 automakers, aka Suzuki, Toyota, and Honda have been enjoying a complete grip on the auto sector for over 3 decades. Adding Isuzu which stepped in 2018, we have 4 Japanese players currently offering locally assembled vehicles here. Suzuki sells 6 locally assembled cars, sparing Swift 5 of which are obsolete models. Toyota sells 4, of which 2 are obsolete— the Yaris and Corolla. Honda too, sells 4 locally assembled models, out of which City and BR-V are obsolete models. Lastly, Isuzu also sells the previous generation D-Max as its only locally assembled option in Pakistan.
Related: Obsoletometer- Check Which Automaker Sells Most Number of Obsolete Cars
This means out of 15 locally assembled Japanese models, just 5 are up-t0-date whereas 10 are globally obsolete models, earning the Japanese assemblers a score of just 33%.
Korean
Korean automakers include Hyundai and Kia, which sells 4 locally assembled options each. While Hyundai has 2 obsolete models (Elantra and Tucson) in the lineup, Kia sells 3 outdated models in Pakistan namely Sportage, Sorento, and Picanto with only Stonic as an exception. This means 5 out of 8 locally assembled Korean cars on sale in Pakistan are obsolete models, rendering a dismal score of 37.5%.
Chinese
Chinese automakers in Pakistan currently include Changan, BAIC, Haval, Chery, DFSK, and MG. Together, the number of locally assembled vehicles sold by Chinese in our country is 9, and surprisingly, all 9 models are currently parallel to what is offered in the rest of the markets giving them an impressive score of 100%.
Related: Is Pakistan Becoming a Dumping Ground for Old & Obsolete?
It is pertinent to mention that were not taking into account the likes of United Bravo & Prince Pearl here, because these are sort of unbranded cars produced by unknown Chinese companies operating in third-tier cities & are being brought in by Pakistani importers specifically to be sold in our country. As a matter of fact, these cars are actually sold exclusively in our country; therefore, it would be useless to compare them to the corresponding model that is available elsewhere in the world, because it simply doesn’t exist.
Other Players
In terms of other players, we have Malaysian Proton although it is backed by Chinese now as well as Peugeot as the only European brand in Pakistan. Both Proton models– Saga & X70 and one Peugeot model– 2008 is an up-to-date offering. This also yields ‘other players’ a 100% score for offering not a single obsolete car in the lineup.
Related: Obsolete 6th Gen Honda City is Now 2 Years Old in Pakistan
It turns out that the majority of the internationally discarded vehicles are sold in Pakistan by Japanese and Korean automakers. However, the mainstream Chinese automakers, as well as other players, are promoting their most recent models in tandem with the rest of the world.
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
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