Pak Suzuki has reportedly discontinued the air-conditioned variant of Bolan which the company introduced earlier this year. Bear in mind the company was shy to announce Bolan AC’s revised prices when it increased & then slashed the prices of all its local assembled products in August 2022.
Related: Suzuki Bolan’s Future and the VXL with AC
It was priced around Rs 87,000 higher than the standard Bolan variant with its last price revision announced in May 2022. Bolan AC was launched bearing a price tag of PKR 12.65 lac in February, however by May 2022 it was already costing Rs 14.15 lac.
This wasn’t the first time that an air-conditioned variant of Bolan was introduced, and it isn’t the first time it has been discontinued either. There are several reasons attributed to the lackluster sales performance of this variant, which were already discussed in our previous article.
However looking at the thing, Pak Suzuki was most likely getting rid of its AC inventory since even the zero meter units standing at the dealerships had their linings turned pale suggesting that these were resting somewhere in a warehouse for quite some time.
Related: Non Production Days and Insufficient Localization
Plus the AC operating mechanism was also poorly retro-fitted, giving an impression of some cheap after market job rather than an OEM fitment.
Suzuki Bolan along with its pickup iteration called Ravi are actually the 7th generation of Suzuki Carry that was produced between 1979 and 1985. The duo is currently 5 generation behind compared to the latest model that debuted in Indonesia back in April 2019.
Related: Almost Half a Century- No Change- No Progress
Pak Suzuki is currently suffering from a deplorable 72% decline in Bolan sales due to lack of CKD parts in hand in wake of import restrictions enforced by the State Bank of Pakistan to contain outflow of precious foreign reserves. The company is observing plant shutdowns in absence of required parts in hand. However we will have to wait & see when Pak Suzuki becomes able to produce a 42+ years old vehicle without its dependency on imported parts.
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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