After the announcement by the Korean and French auto giants to invest in Pakistan’s auto sector, the major incumbent Japanese player Pak Suzuki Motors has unveiled a plan to invest $460 million to set up a second assembly plant in the country.
Pak Suzuki Motors Managing Director Hirofumi Nagao called on the Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday and discussed his company’s plan of future investment in Pakistan.
The MD said that his company was ready to invest $460 million in Pakistan to set up a second plant. After completion of formalities, the new project would be completed within a period of two years and may start production by the end of 2018, he informed.
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The Finance Minister asked the Pak Suzuki Motors MD to submit a complete plan with all the details to process the request in accordance with prescribed codal formalities and procedures. He said the government was committed to providing a level playing field to all the prospective investors.
The government has implemented a new auto policy from this fiscal year that provided tax incentives up to three years for the new players in the sector. The incentives were not offered to the existing three Japanese players. However they were provided incentives for modernization and expansion.
Japanese auto giants are demanding the similar policy incentives for making new investment in the country. The government may provide similar incentives to Japanese auto makers if they make investment in setting up new plants, an informed source said.
A week back a big Pakistani conglomerate announced that they planned to assemble autos in the country with the help of Korean auto giant Kia Motors. While a delegation of French company Renault formally informed the Finance minister in Paris that they planned to set up an auto manufacturing plant in Pakistan.
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The minister said Pakistan has been projected by JETRO as the second best place for investment in the world. He said that the turnaround of Pakistan’s economy, macroeconomic stability, improvement of energy and security situation in the country has provided a conducive atmosphere to foreign direct investment.
He said that a number of new entrants have shown keen interest to invest in automobile manufacturing sector as well. The meeting was attended by senior officials of the Ministry of Finance and the members of the delegation of Pak-Suzuki.
from PakistanToday
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