A fast and furious competition
The year 2016 turned out to be an auspicious one for the automotive sector of Pakistan. It not only heralded the entry of several new carmakers and saw new models launched by local manufacturers, but it also witnessed a 19% increase in the overall sales. About 180,000 units were sold in FY 2015-16 compared to 151,131 units in the previous year (source: Dawn). A Khaleej Times report has predicted that these sales will go up a further 10% or more this year.
Partially responsible for this positive development is the Automotive Development Policy (ADP) 2016-21 that offered incentives to foreign entrants, including a 10% duty reduction on non-localised parts and 25% on localised parts, for five years, compared to the earlier 50%. Via the new Auto Policy, the Government aimed to woo international carmakers into the market, attract investment worth $4.09 billion (in the next five years) and offer customers better quality vehicles at cheaper rates.
Within a few months of the announcement of the ADP, many well-established global automobile companies showed interest in investing. European companies, including Renault, plan to set up plants in 2018; BMW has already introduced low-end models in the market last year and Volkswagen and Fiat are studying investment prospects. Most recently, Nishat Mills, a flagship textile group, announced plans of a joint venture with Hyundai Motor Company (HMC), worth $150-200 million, while Lucky Cement has partnered with Kia Motors Corporation to assemble cars locally with an investment worth Rs 12 billion. Audi, too, is said to have approached the Board of Investment (BoI) to start an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) plant here.
Pakistan’s automotive sector contributes nearly three percent (Rs 50 billion) to the GDP and 16% to the manufacturing sector. The vehicles’ manufacturers directly employ over 192,000 people with a total investment worth over $1.5 billion (source: IBA Project Report 2016 Competitive Analysis of Auto Sector in Pakistan and China). The vehicles in Pakistan encapsulate passenger cars, light commercial vehicles (LCV), heavy commercial vehicles (HCV) and two-wheelers. The passenger cars segment is dominated by three Japanese carmakers: Pak Suzuki Motor Company Limited (PSMC), Indus Motor Company Limited (IMC) and Honda Atlas Cars (Pakistan) Limited (HACPL). Other players include Ghandhara Nissan Limited (GNL), Dewan Farooque Motors Limited (DFML) and Al-Haj Faw Motors Limited (AHFML). Of the local cars manufactured, the lion’s share (60 to 70%) is attributable to passenger cars. The ongoing developments in the sector have spurred activity within local carmakers as well; they introduced various new models with an aim to stay competitive or even ahead of the game.
Pakistan’s automotive sector contributes nearly three percent (Rs 50 billion) to the GDP and 16% to the manufacturing sector.
IMC (a joint venture between the House of Habib, Toyota Motor Company and Toyota Tsusho Corporation, and a leader in the sedan car category) introduced, at the end of 2016, Hilux Revo (an LCV worth Rs 3.7 million) with a new frame and an improved engine to offer more efficiency. It also launched the new model of Toyota Fortuner (Rs 5.2 million), which is now being assembled entirely in Pakistan.
On the other hand, PSMC (a joint venture between Pakistan Automobile Corporation Limited [PACO] and Suzuki Motor Corporation [SMC], Pakistan’s largest carmaker with a 58% market share and the leader in the small cars category) launched three cars in a span of five months. In December 2016, the company introduced the fourth generation crossover Vitara. The car, available in two variants, Vitara GLX (Rs 3.8 million) and Vitara GL+ (Rs 3.5 million), was launched in response to the rising demand for SUVs and was targeting urban ‘adventurous’ customers.