Auto industry of Pakistan lags far behind the world when it comes to offering new & up-to-date vehicles. Due to lack of government interest, the sector is like a neglected subject since new cars assembled in Pakistan don’t comply to any safety standards, they are still Euro-2 compliant, making them 20 years behind when it comes to emission standards. Plus the build quality is questionable, and with a lack of features & equipment on offer, the obsolete cars assembled in Pakistan which labelled as new, cannot be exported to any other country as even the African markets have outpaced us in embracing modern vehicles.
Currently, there are more than 17 obsolete cars on sale in Pakistan and remain on the menu of most of the auto assemblers operating in the country. While we have already compiled a list of these obsolete cars in our earlier article, its time to find out which automaker sells most up-to-date vehicles and which ones sell the most number of obsolete vehicles in their lineup.
Let us introduce you to the Obsoletometer. A simple criterion where points are given based on the age of the vehicle, which are then aggregated to find out the percentage of obsolete cars in the assemblers’ lineup. The criteria is:
- 1 point: For each car sold in Pakistan that is the same offered in the rest of the markets.
- 0.5 point: Car is same generation-wise but a pre-facelift model being sold here. Or a new generation model has just been launched but is yet to be introduced in key markets.
- 0 point: For every obsolete/ globally discontinued car.
An average is then taken out and a final percentage of obsolete cars is achieved. Keep in mind we are only considering the vehicle age here as specs & equipment differs depending on the market where a vehicle is offered. But all important is, the car has to be parallel to what’s available in the rest of the world. So let the testing begin!
Suzuki
- Suzuki Ravi: 0
- Suzuki Bolan: 0
- Suzuki Wagon R: 0
- Suzuki Alto: 0
- Suzuki Cultus (Celerio): 0.5
- Suzuki Swift: 1
Pak Suzuki assembles 6 vehicles in Pakistan. Obviously as everyone knows, Bolan and Ravi are globally retired 42-years old models. The Wagon R is also an obsolete model whereas the Celerio has received an updated version but the previous one is still produced in Thailand to be sold in some export markets, hence 0.5 points. Swift was launched too late in Pakistan but still qualifies for 1 point as its the current generation model. Lastly the Alto is currently in its 9th generation that debuted in December 2021, whereas we have the 8th gen here so no point given.
The score: 1.5 out of 6, or 25% of Suzuki cars are up-to-date and 75% are obsolete
Toyota
- Toyota Corolla: 0
- Toyota Yaris: 0
- Toyota Fortuner: 1
- Toyota Hilux: 1
IMC assembles 4 Toyota vehicles in Pakistan. While Hilux and Fortuner are up-to-date models, the Corolla is a globally retired one as we still have the 11th gen model which was replaced by the 12th gen in November 2018. Toyota Yaris also entered into a new generation which has been introduced in various markets already, however the one still available in few markets is a facelift one, whereas we still have the pre-facelift model hence no points.
The score: 2 out of 4, or 50% of Toyota cars are up-to-date and 50% are obsolete
Honda
- Honda Civic: 1
- Honda City: 0
- Honda BR-V: 0
- Honda HR-V: 1
Honda’s local assembled lineup consist of 4 vehicles, out of which the Civic and HR-V are up-to-date models. The City as we know is an obsolete previous generation model whereas the BR-V too has embraced a new generation last year which is yet to be launched in Pakistan.
The score: 2 out of 4, or 50% of Honda cars are up-to-date and 50% are obsolete
Kia
- Kia Sportage: 0
- Kia Picnato: 0
- Kia Sorento: 0
- Kia Stonic: 1
Kia’s 3 out of 4 locally assembled models in Pakistan are obsolete. Sparing the Kia Stonic, every car that Kia assembles in Pakistan is a globally discontinued model.
The score: 1 out of 4, or 25% of Kia cars are up-to-date and 75% are obsolete
Hyundai
- Hyundai Sonata: 1
- Hyundai Elantra: 0
- Hyundai Tucson: 0
- Hyundai Porter: 1
Hyundai has 3 local assembled passenger cars on sale in Pakistan out of which only Sonata is a new model whereas the rest of the two are globally discontinued ones. The Porter commercial vehicle however, qualifies for 1 point.
The score: 2 out of 4, or 50% of Hyundai cars are up-to-date and 50% are obsolete
Changan
- Changan Alsvin: 1
- Changan M9 Sherpa: 1
- Changan Karvaan: 1
- Changan Oshan X7: 1
Changan’s entire lineup in Pakistan is the same that’s offered in the rest of the market. This make Changan the first assembler to have a 100% up-to-date model lineup in our country.
The score: 4 out of 4, or 100% of Changan cars are up-to-date and 0% are obsolete
Proton
- Proton Saga: 1
- Proton X70: 1
Proton has 2 models on sale in Pakistan and both qualifies for 1 point. Although the development of Saga dates back to 2009 and X70’s donor model Boyue has been updated in its home market, still both these Proton cars are available in the same guise back in Malaysia as well as export markets.
The score: 2 out of 2, or 100% of Proton cars are up-to-date and 0% are obsolete
Prince DFSK
- Glory 580 Pro: 1
- Glory 580: 1
- Prince Pearl: 0
- K07 pickup: 1
Regal Automobiles has a mix of new & obsolete models. While the Glory 580 series is up-to-date, the Prince Pearl earns a zero since its based on 30+ years old 2nd gen Suzuki Alto (Mehran) and is on sale only in Pakistan.
The score: 3 out of 4, or 75% of Prince-DFSK cars are up-to-date and 25% are obsolete
United
- United Bravo: 0
- United Alpha: 0
United Bravo and Alpha are both obsolete models on sale in Pakistan. The Bravo is based on a 30+ years old 2nd gen Suzuki Alto (Mehran) and the Alpha is basically a Chery QQ facelift that was phased out in 2012.
The score: 0 out of 2, or 0% of United cars are up-to-date and 100% are obsolete
Chery
- Chery Tiggo 4 Pro: 1
- Chery Tiggo 8 Pro: 1
Chery’s both locally assembled vehicles, the Tiggo 8 Pro and Tiggo 4 Pro are latest generation models, the same as offered in the rest of the global markets.
The score: 2 out of 2, or 100% of Chery cars are up-to-date and 0% are obsolete
Peuegot
- Peugeot 2008: 1
The score: 1 out of 1, or 100% of Peugeot cars are up-to-date and 0% are obsolete
BAIC
- BAIC BJ40 Plus: 1
The score: 1 out of 1, or 100% of BAIC cars are up-to-date and 0% are obsolete
MG
- MG HS: 1
MG’s local assembled offering comes in form of HS Essence, the production of which was finally kicked off recently. The rest of the lineup is still imported.
The score: 1 out of 1, or 100% of MG cars are up-to-date and 0% are obsolete
Haval
- Haval H6: 1
- Haval H6 HEV: 1
Sazgar recently launched the locally assembled Haval H6 and H6 hybrid in Pakistan with both being up to date models, same as in the rest of the world.
The score: 2 out of 2, or 100% of Haval cars are up-to-date and 0% are obsolete
Isuzu
- Isuzu D-Max: 0.5
Although the new 3rd generation Isuzu D-Max debuted in late 2019, the second generation model is still being sold in many markets including Pakistan and India, hence 0.5 points for the D-Max.
The score: 0.5 out of 1, or 50% score for Isuzu
As it turns out, the Japanese and South Korean automakers are mostly selling globally discontinued vehicles in Pakistan. However the mainstream Chinese car makers are offering their latest products running parallel to the rest of 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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