Thursday, September 15, 2016

Pakistan's Vibrant Middle Class Driving Motorcycle Sales Boom

Pakistan's fiscal year 2015-16 saw production of motorcycles soar to a new high of over 2 million units. This represents a 16.5% surge from last year.  At the same time, passenger cars and light trucks sales rose to over 200,000 in fiscal 2016, a 20% jump over the same period last year.



Motorcycle Sales:

Rising motorcycle sales in Asia's developing nations like Pakistan are seen as a barometer of expanding middle class. It is, in part, attributed to rising incomes and availability of bank financing at historic low interest rates in the country.

As many as 2,071,123 motorcycles were manufactured during July-June (2015-16) compared to 1,777,251 units during July-June (2014-15), according to the latest data released by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) and reported by Pakistani media.

Pakistan is the World's Sixth Largest Motorcycle Market


Car Sales:

In addition to the double digit increase in motorcycle sales, Pakistan also experienced 20% jump in sales of passengers cars, light commercial vehicles (LCVs), vans and jeeps. The total sales of local vehicles increased by 21% to 216,568 as compared to 179,953 units sold in FY15, according to industry data.

Auto Parts Industry:

Rising auto and motorcycle sales are helping boost Pakistan's auto parts industry as well. “We are getting orders and the pace is increasing,” said Sultan and Kamil International CEO Faisal Mahmood speaking to Pakistani media on the sidelines of the 12th Pakistan Auto Show 2016 held at the Lahore International Expo Centre. Mahmood’s company makes more than 350 automotive parts and exports to all major automobile markets in the world.

Other Growth Industries:

Among other industries seeing significant growth are pharmaceuticals (6.54%), cement (17.01%), chemicals (8.13%), non metallic mineral products (10.02%), fertilizers (13.81%), leather products (7.76%) and rubber products (7.16%), according to media reports.

Summary:

Pakistan's economic recovery is in full swing with double digit growth in multiple industries, including auto, pharma, chemicals, cement, fertilizers, minerals, etc.  It is expected to pick up steam over the next several years with new investments on the back of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor related projects.


Related Links:

Haq's Musings

Growing Middle Class in Pakistan

Rising Energy Consumption

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor

Pakistan's Thar Desert Sees Development Boom

Gwadar vs Chabahar Ports

45 comments:

Anonymous said...

Its barely a blip. India makes more than 2 million motorcycles a month - thats 12 times more than pakistan despite about 6 times population.Also pakistan motorcycles are very expensive for the same features. Honda sells exactly the same model at 3 times the price as in India. The reason why pakistanis pay so much is they dont import from motorcycle giant next door.

Riaz Haq said...

Anon: " India makes more than 2 million motorcycles a month"

Not true. It's 16.5 million motorcycles in India last year and growing slower (7%) than in Pakistan (16.5%)

Motorcycle sales have been expanding at a compound growth rate of 7 percent per year since 2010/11 and hit a record 16.5 million in 2015/16, according to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers.

http://in.reuters.com/article/india-gasoline-boom-kemp-idINKCN11L1GH

Sukhbir said...

Local sales and exports = 18.9 million annually
for motorcycles

Anonymous said...

Riaz Haq,

You are a dangerous man, please stop polluting young Indian minds with facts and truth, these things are of no use for them.

G. ALi

Riaz Haq said...

G. Ali: "You are a dangerous man, please stop polluting young Indian minds with facts and truth, these things are of no use for them."

LMAO :-)

Jyotika said...

If trade Indo-Pak trade barriers do come down, there is enormous growth potential for local and exports in AUTO. As of 2014, India exported $14.5 billion worth of automobiles. The 10 countries below imported 47.8% of that total.
Rank Country Value (US$) Share
1 United States 1.2 billion 8.4%
2 Mexico $1 billion 6.9%
3 South Africa $888.8 million 6.1%
4 United Kingdom $637.4 million 4.4%
5 Sri Lanka $596.9 million 4.1%
6 Bangladesh $592.1 million 4.1%
7 Turkey $580.4 million 4%
8 Nigeria $546.8 million 3.8%
9 United Arab Emirates $433.6 million 3%
10 Colombia $428.9 million 3%

Monis R. said...

Pakistan's middle class continues to grow at an impressive rate. 16.5% YoY growth of motorcycle sales compared to India's 7%. Motorcycle sales happen to be a strong predictor of car sales 5 years later.

Riaz Haq said...

Jyotika: "If trade Indo-Pak trade barriers do come down, there is enormous growth potential for local and exports in AUTO. As of 2014, India exported $14.5 billion worth of automobiles. "

Pakistan wants to promote domestic production to create jobs for its growing labor force.

Excerpt of Wall Street Journal interview with President of Yamaha Motors in Japan:

WSJ: What about in South Asia?

Mr. Yanagi: We want to expand business in Pakistan and Bangladesh as soon as possible. We had a production venture in Pakistan but we dissolved it five years ago. We are now planning to begin local production again, on our own this time.

In Bangladesh, we import motorcycles from our plant in India on a small scale, but we are studying now the best way of running operations because of rising tariff barrier there.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304520704579128733162622954


Since this interview was conducted in Oct 2013, Yamaha has set up a motorcycle plant that began production last year in Pakistan.

“The new investment from Yamaha will create jobs and bring new technologies,” said Yamaha Motor Company President Hiroyuki Yanagi, adding that, “Pakistan is all set to become one of the top global markets of motorcycles.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/876873/investment-yamaha-resumes-assembly-in-pakistan/

Riaz Haq said...

Honda Pakistan has announced plans to double its production capacity in three years, to cater to the estimated growth of the motorcycle market in the country.

Atlas Honda Ltd. (AHL), the joint venture company that takes care of production and sales of Honda motorcycles in Pakistan, has two manufacturing plants – one in Karachi (in Southern Pakistan) and the other in Sheikhupura (in Northeastern Pakistan). The former produces 1.5 lakh units and the latter rolls out 6 lakh units per annum.

The capacity expansion will be carried out in the Sheikhupura plant, to equip the facility to produce 12 lakh units per year. The plan will be executed phase-wise, with the first part of the operation involving the installation of a new production line which will commence functioning in October 2016. Further stages over a three year period is planned to achieve the target of producing 1.2 million motorcycles a year.

The investment AHL will be making for this plant expansion process is approximately USD 50 million (INR 327.32 crores). About 1,800 jobs are estimated to be created.

http://indianautosblog.com/2015/11/honda-pakistan-double-motorcycle-production-capacity-201659

Riaz Haq said...

KARACHI: Fifteen Pakistani auto part manufacturers are going to participate in upcoming auto show Automechanika Frankfurt – one of the world’s largest auto shows – from September 13-17, 2016.

The five-day exhibition that caters to aftermarket sourcing, garage equipment and retail chains will also be attended by other trade visitors from Pakistan’s auto sector, according to a press release.

Pakistani exporters continue to make inroads into markets of Europe, mainly through export-related skills training imparted by the Dutch CBI (Centre for Promotion of Imports from Low-cost Countries).

Auto Show in Lahore: Auto part makers see surge in demand

CBI has conducted a number of export coaching programmes in Pakistan, which have resulted in grooming engineering companies for the export market and also created a human resource of export managers.

The companies, which see a huge potential for auto spare parts and accessories in the international market, are bearing part of the cost themselves. These companies also attend other auto exhibitions like Automechanika Chicago, Shanghai, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Moscow, etc.

The companies that will participate in the Frankfurt show include A-One Techniques, Darson Industries, Eastern Agro Industries, Harris Silicon & Gas, Infinity Engineering, Jodhala Complex, Kortech Auto Industries, Landhi Engineering, Mannan Shahid Forging, Mehran Commercial Enterprises, Rastgar Engineering Company, Rubatech Manufacturing, Thal Engineering, Thermosole Industries and Ahmed Traders.

Most of the companies are members of the Pakistan Association of Auto Parts and Accessories Manufacturers (Paapam) and are going to exhibit their products from the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) pavilion whereas three will display their products in collaboration with the CBI.

Paapam Senior Vice Chairman Mashhood Ali Khan said the association wanted to increase exports from Pakistan and its vision was to take engineering exports to $5 billion over the next five years. Its members are competing with China, India, Thailand and Vietnam.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/1178935/auto-parts-15-pakistani-manufacturers-participate-german-show/

Riaz Haq said...

#Pakistan flight in force at #Africa Aerospace & Defense Show 2016 | IHS Jane's 360 #AAD2016 http://www.janes.com/article/63857/pakistan-flight-in-force-aad16d3#.V9wLp0OyHnU.twitter …

Visitors to AAD are being treated to the aerial prowess of the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex Mushshak, a light, robust primary flight trainer and utility aircraft, whose display includes deliberate spinning.

PAC (Hangar 7, Stand CE12) entered the field of maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of aircraft in the early 1970s, as well as components of Chinese origin for the Pakistan Air Force. PAC subsequently moved towards MRO of Mirage III and V aircraft.

In the field of aviation manufacturing, PAC progressed from the manufacture of the Mushshak and Super Mushshak aircraft for primary training to the Karakorum-8 (K-8) advanced jet trainer. The Super Mushshak is a powerful two-/three-seat trainer with a more advanced avionics package. The K-8 has a multi-role mission capability including air-to-air and air-to-ground weapon delivery.

Today, PAC has advanced technology to design and manufacture the multi-role JF-17 fighter aircraft and upgrade the avionics of fighter aircraft. The JF-17 Thunder is a new-generation single-seat multi-role light fighter with high manoeuvrability and beyond visual range capability. It has a long-range operational radius and advanced aerodynamic configurations.

The PAC contingent at AAD is headed by chairman Air Marshal Arshad Malik.

Riaz Haq said...

#Kuwait wins approval for setting up #oil refinery in #Balochistan #Pakistan #FDI
http://tribune.com.pk/story/1179648/kuwait-wins-approval-setting-oil-refinery-balochistan/

Economic managers of Pakistan have given the go-ahead to Kuwait Petroleum Corporation for setting up an oil refinery in the coastal area of Balochistan – a welcome investment initiative for the largely under-developed province, which will reduce the need for import of refined petroleum products in the country.

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), the highest economic decision-making body, took the decision in a meeting held on September 7 in response to Kuwait Petroleum’s interest in pouring capital into setting up a refinery in Balochistan, said an official aware of developments.

Chinese company keen to set up oil refinery

The ECC also decided to seek an extension in the timeframe for oil import credit facility from three to four months in an effort to ease pressure on the country’s foreign currency reserves. It directed Pakistan State Oil (PSO), the state oil marketing giant, to try and persuade Kuwait Petroleum to extend the existing credit facility from 90 to 120 days or even more.

In another decision, the ECC permitted import of furnace oil and jet fuel from Kuwait without resorting to competitive bidding. At present, PSO imports diesel from the Gulf Arab state on 90-day deferred payment.

A representative of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources, who was present in the ECC huddle, said before the year 2000, Pakistan purchased diesel from Kuwait under a long-term contract with the Gulf state’s government.

However, in the wake of market deregulation, Pakistan government in 2001-02 asked PSO to enter into a fuel supply contract with Kuwait Petroleum. Immediately after that, the two sides inked an agreement for the sale and purchase of high-speed diesel only with payment guarantees from the government of Pakistan. Now, this agreement has been in place for the last around 15 years.

Earlier, Kuwait Petroleum had expressed interest in exporting furnace oil and jet fuel as part of the existing arrangement and was looking to install an oil refinery in the coastal area of Balochistan with storage facilities.

‘Pakistan has received Rs1.6tr as investment in oil and gas sector’

“Pakistan and Kuwait have an old bilateral relationship in terms of oil trade and Kuwait Petroleum is a time-tested supplier, well-reputed for the most economical supplies, product quality and supply security,” an official told the ECC meeting.

The Ministry of Petroleum and PSO suggested that furnace oil and jet fuel could be included in the existing sale and purchase contract by making an addition to it.

This could be done by invoking rule-5 of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) Rules 2004, which provides for waiving mandatory public procurement procedures in case of an international or inter-governmental commitment of the federal government.

The ministry took up the matter with the PPRA and Law and Justice Division for legal advice.

Later, the PPRA endorsed the proposal. The Law Division, on its part, pointed out that the contract was linked with the agreement between Pakistan government and Kuwait Petroleum and new products could be added. Therefore, it would be treated and read as an integral part of the existing contract.

After examining the proposal from legal point of view, the Law Division cleared it subject to meeting all formalities.

Riaz Haq said...

Byco oil refining capacity goes up to 155,000 barrels per day

http://www.brecorder.com/fuel-a-energy/193:pakistan/1181388:byco-oil-refining-capacity-goes-up-to-155000-barrels-per-day

Byco is now ahead of all refineries in Pakistan following the completion of its second unit, as its crude oil refining capacity has gone up to 155,000 barrels per day from 35,000 barrels per day.

Asad Siddiqui, Byco Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the complex, talking to a select group of journalists here on Monday said the second unit of the refinery has completed, enhancing its refining capacity by 120,000 barrels per day, making it the country's largest refinery. He said that Byco has crossed Pak Arab Refining Company (PARCO) which has the refining capacity of 90,000 barrels per day, followed by 68,000 barrels of National Refinery, 48,000 barrels of Pakistan Refinery Limited and 45,000 barrels of Attock Refinery.

Replying to a question regarding expected removal of international sanctions against Iran, he said that if the sanctions are lifted Byco Refinery is all set to take the advantage of expected crude oil imports from Iran at discounted rates.

Byco CFO said that his company was well placed to benefit from removal of international sanctions against Tehran unlike the country's other refineries which had long term crude supply contracts.

"It is comparatively difficult for other refineries to switch over because of their long term agreements" but Byco has the potential to quickly take advantage of the emerging opportunity.

He said perhaps Iran would also offer discount on crude oil to open up its market and it would be a good omen for Pakistan.

He said Byco had completed one of the two new projects for isomerization and desulphurization and it had relatively short term crude supply agreements that provide flexibility for Iranian crude.

He said the Byco also had past experience of refining Iranian crude before its supply had suspended due to international sanctions.

He said because of consolidated business model, the company would be declaring profit for the first time for the quarter ending June 30, 2015 that would set the direction for its improved financial position in future.

He said the Byco management had decided to consolidate its refining business before going into expansion of retail outlets, adding that so far Byco was operating 250 petrol pumps across the country.

"The focus of our marketing has been on furnace oil sales and we have been able to secure furnace oil business from Nishat Chunia, K-Electric, Tapal, Liberty and Hub Power Company", he maintained.

He said Byco was facing problems because of the issue of turn over tax, but the authorities had not only understood the tax anomaly but was committed to issue an enabling clarification. He explained that refinery was set up under tax-holiday for seven years when there was no turn over tax which was imposed subsequently and the government had agreed to do away with it. He said about 95 per cent of the oil pricing was based on crude price which meant that turn over tax could simply eat away the entire profit.

He said that due to the completion of isomerization and desulphurization of within plants into a couple of months it would convert its entire Naphtha production into motor spirit that would almost double its production from 12,500 barrels per day to cut costs.

He said the government had appreciated the co-operation extended by the Byco in controlling petrol crisis early this year and now looked forward to take benefit of its location and infrastructure.

He said the company could directly provide furnace oil to Hubco next door while Pakistan State Oil was also taking full advantage of Byco's strength of its own port facility in the shape of single point mooring.

Siddiqui said all major oil marketing companies including PSO, Hescol, Caltex and Shell in that order and other smaller companies were lifting products from Byco refinery.

Anonymous said...

Riazhaq said --Not true. It's 16.5 million motorcycles in India last year and growing slower (7%) than in Pakistan (16.5%).

This does not sound right.

Pakistan growth is 16.5% over last year. (2,071,123 over 1,777,251)
http://www.pama.org.pk/statistical-information/historical-information/annual-sales-production

India growth is 18.4% over last year. (18,829,786 over 18,489,311)
http://www.siamindia.com/statistics.aspx?mpgid=8&pgidtrail=13

Riaz Haq said...

Anon: "India growth is 18.4% over last year. (18,829,786 over 18,489,311)"

Your calculation is wrong. It's 1.84% growth in India, not 18.4% as you claim.


Anon: "http://www.pama.org.pk/statistical-information/historical-information/annual-sales-production"

The PAMA data is incomplete. It reports only a subset of 60 motorcycle manufacturers. Pakistan Bureau Statistics has more complete data.


https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/business/motorcycle-production-in-pakistan-up-by-16-54-in-fy16/

Riaz Haq said...

Morgan Stanley's Ruchir Sharma: Prospects of #Pakistan’s #economy "VERY GOOD" & #India's "GOOD" http://tns.thenews.com.pk/pakistans-economy-ready-takeoff/ … via @TheNewsonSunday

Closer to home, he has clubbed four nations of South Asia — Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka. In general the future outlook for South Asia holds ‘Good’ and for Pakistan it looks ‘Very Good’. I started jumping on the couch after reading the outlook for Pakistan and for the rest of the time I was reading the book I was only interested as to what the future outlook holds for Pakistan in the eyes of most influential investor and thinker. But then the author has added a caution and it’s damn important that we read and comprehend this fine print in detail.

Pakistan’s economy is taking off and the future outlook till 2020 has been termed ‘Very Good’. The rationale used in building this argument is that our working age population is growing and that’s a very good sign for the economy. Inflation is under control which is increasing in the vicinity of 3 per cent but on the other hand GDP is growing at 4.5 per cent. Contrary to the populist demagogy, our debt level is pretty low in relation to comparative economies whereby debt to GDP is at 65 per cent. We have a decent manufacturing base with export economy and we are also investing in factories by opening industrial parks as elucidated in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Our trade deficit is on the decline as our import bill is on the wane, thanks to lower oil prices in the international market. We are also not exporting commodities whose prices are plummeting in the international market. We would be getting a shot in the arm once the CPEC starts rolling out as China has committed to invest US$ 46 billion in infrastructure and power related projects in Pakistan over the next 20 years.
Sharma says that even if 50 per cent of this commitment materializes, it would be enough to provide us with the necessary infrastructure that will take us from a low-income to a middle-income country during the next five years.
Though hard to digest, the most influential writer and investor says that we don’t have stale leadership like Vladimir Putin of Russia and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey who have clung to power for more than a decade and are in their fourth terms. But then Nawaz Sharif is in his third term too.
A very important point the author highlights is that for a coup-prone country like ours, the military finally seems to have decided to concentrate on ensuring the internal as well as external security while staying clear of politics.

Riaz Haq said...

#India’s falling #exports killed 70,000 #jobs in just one quarter. #Modi #AchheDin http://qz.com/784625 via @qzindia

India’s dismal export growth is leading to massive job losses. And, after months of shrinking exports without any signs of improvement, the employment situation in Asia’s third-largest economy is set to worsen.
The jobs market is already in pain. In the July-September quarter of the 2015 fiscal year, India recorded the lowest job growth compared to the same period in 2009, 2011, and 2013.
Plummeting exports are adding to the problem. Some 70,000 jobs were lost in the second quarter of 2015 alone due to a fall in India’s exports, according to the Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry in India (Assocham). Most of these were contractual in nature, the joint study by Assocham and Thought Arbitrage, a research institute, said.

“While contractual jobs were lost, not adequate regular jobs were added to compensate that loss. Textile has been most affected,” the industry body, which represents over 450,000 Indian business entities, said in a release on Sept. 18.
India’s export growth has been negative in the last couple of years. Lacklustre global demand is one reason. It also doesn’t help that India’s manufacturing sector is still weak. Private investment in manufacturing is yet to pick up, which means exporters are scrambling for funds. Their funding costs are high too. All this has had an impact on the jobs market because exports have been slacking in sectors that are labour-intensive, such as engineering goods, leather, textiles, and rubber, among others.
Eight of the 14 labour-intensive sectors saw exports shrink in the 2016 financial year. In the previous year, job growth in these sectors was the slowest in seven years.

Riaz Haq said...

Anon: "This boom is not sustainable because it is based entirely on consumption. The table on Page 14 in the following file confirms that total investment is very weak and that it is largely consumption that drives the economy.
http://www.finance.gov.pk/survey/chapters_16/01_Growth_and_Investment.pdf"

I wonder what Honda and Yamaha see that makes them invest to expand capacity in Pakistan? Do they know something you don't?

Atlas Honda Ltd. (AHL), Honda's motorcycle production and sales joint venture in Pakistan, announced plans to double the production capacity of its existing Sheikhupura Plant from the current 600,000 units to 1.2 million units during the next three years to accommodate the expected expansion of the motorcycle market in Pakistan.

http://world.honda.com/news/2015/c151102eng.html


“The new investment from Yamaha will create jobs and bring new technologies,” said Yamaha Motor Company President Hiroyuki Yanagi, adding that, “Pakistan is all set to become one of the top global markets of motorcycles.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/876873/investment-yamaha-resumes-assembly-in-pakistan/

Riaz Haq said...

Asian Development Bank increases #Pakistan's economic growth projection for 2017 from 4.8% to 5.2% #Economy #GDP

"As such-and assuming further improvement in energy supply and security, and likely recovery in cotton and other agriculture-the growth forecast for FY2017 is revised up to 5.2%", the report added.

--
The report added that a major impetus to growth in FY2017 and beyond would be the implementation of $46 billion program of infrastructure spending on roads, railways, pipelines and electric power in an economic corridor project linking Pakistan with the People's Republic of China (PRC), which was announced in April 2015.

Fast-tracking would enable several energy projects to come on stream in FY2018, the report added.

The government significantly strengthened macroeconomic fundamentals and advanced a comprehensive program of structural reform under a 3-year program with the IMF that ended in September 2016.

Inflation has been squashed to the low single digits, foreign reserves rebuilt, and the budget deficit markedly reduced.

---

The general government budget for FY2017 projects further reduction in the deficit to 3.8% of GDP achieved by adopting new revenue measures and streamlining current expenditure.

Tax revenues are projected to increase by half a percentage point, raising the ratio of tax to GDP to 12.8% by eliminating more tax concessions and exemptions, expanding the withholding system as part of administrative reform to widen the tax base, and raising some excise taxes and customs duties, the report added.

Inflation is now expected to average 4.7% in FY2017.

The upward revision takes into account expected oil price rises and stronger domestic demand in an increasingly supply constrained economy.

It is tempered by the prospect of a broad agricultural recovery and only modestly higher global food prices. The July 2016 Monetary Policy Statement covering the first 2 months of FY2017 kept policy rates unchanged as the central bank continues its cautious forward-looking approach, expecting to hold inflation within the range of 4.5%-5.5%.

The report observes that the current account deficit was expected to widen in FY2017 to about $5 billion, or 1.6 % of GDP, which is higher than forecast in March.

The revision reflects a somewhat greater increase in global oil prices than expected and continued expansion in other imports stemming from faster economic growth.

Exports are expected to perform better during the year, increasing by nearly 5% as a recovery in cotton production underpins an upturn in textile sales, and as global prices for non-oil commodities reverse from a sharp decline to a modest increase.

The report added that the mobilization of larger inflows into the capital and financial accounts had been central to the 3-year economic program with the IMF, and these flows are projected to increase to $6.5 billion in FY2017, mainly with more foreign direct investment and continuing sizeable official flows.

Thus, even with the projected widening of the current account deficit, the overall balance should remain in surplus, augmenting official reserves.

The corridor project with the China is expected to attract more foreign direct investment, and already in 2015 investors announced 40 greenfield projects worth a remarkable $19 billion, or 4 times the norm in recent years.

Moreover, the decision by Morgan Stanley Capital International to put Pakistan in its MSCI emerging market index, effective from May 2017, will likely spur equity portfolio inflows.

http://www.brecorder.com/top-news/pakistan/320097-adb-revises-up-pakistans-economic-growth-projection-for-2017.html

https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/197141/ado2016-update.pdf

Riaz Haq said...

Faseeh Mangi ‏@FaseehMangi 9h9 hours ago
Atlas Honda sold record 76,309 units in August, The company is nearing completion of 1.3 million units capacity expansion form 750,000 units

Riaz Haq said...

#Honda’s new plant inaugurated in #Pakistan to produce 1.35 million motorcycles a year in world's 6th largest market

http://www.dawn.com/news/1291204/atlas-hondas-new-facility-inaugurated


LAHORE: Takahiro Hachigo, President, CEO and Representative Director of Honda Motor Co Ltd Japan, on Thursday inaugurated new facility of Atlas Honda Ltd (AHL) in Sheikhupura to expand its motorbike production.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Hachigo announced that Pakistan has now become the sixth largest motorcycle market in the world.

Saquib H. Shirazi, speaking on the occasion, said with the enhancement of the production capacity, Atlas Honda is now well poised to serve the expanding market.

AHL, Honda’s motorcycle production and sales joint venture in Pakistan, discussed its plans to carry out production enhancement in machining and other fields at the Sheikhupura plant during the next three years.

The annual assembly production capacity of AHL has now become 1.35 million units, with 150,000 units from the Karachi plant and 1.2 million units from the Sheikhupura plant.

Riaz Haq said...

#SouthKorea's #Kia to start assembling #cars in #Pakistan: local partner | #automobiles #Karachi

http://www.foxbusiness.com/features/2016/12/08/south-korea-kia-to-start-assembling-cars-in-pakistan-local-partner.html

ISLAMABAD – South Korean carmaker Kia Motor Co <000270.KS> will start assembling cars in Pakistan, according to a local partner that is planning to invest 12 billion rupees ($115 million) to set up a plant and manufacture the Kia vehicles.

Karachi-listed Lucky Cement , which is part of the vast conglomerate Yunus Brothers Group, said in a statement on Thursday it planned to set up a new company to start "manufacturing, assembling" Kia vehicles.

It was not clear how much capital Kia itself would invest in the Pakistani venture. Representatives for the South Korean company could not immediately be reached for comment.

Kia cars had been assembled by Pakistan in the past but disappointing sales led to a halt in manufacturing.

The new venture will also market and sell, besides import and export of, "all types of Kia vehicles, parts and accessories," Lucky Cement told the Pakistan Stock Exchange in a statement.

Kia's re-entry into Pakistan will boost government efforts to shake up the Japanese-dominated car market and loosen the grip of Toyota <7203.T>, Honda <7267.T> and Suzuki <7269.T>, who assemble cars in Pakistan with local partners.

Last month, French carmaker Renault agreed to invest in a new factory in Pakistan and official say they are talking to several other carmakers.

The government believes increased competition should bring down exceptionally high car prices in Pakistan, and in March it introduced a new auto policy favoring new entrants into the market by offering generous import duties.

The incentives have angered existing market players, some of whom have said publicly they should get similar terms.

Pakistan, with a population of nearly 200 million people, is a potentially huge market, but just 180,000 cars were sold in the 2014/2015 fiscal year. That compares with more than 2 million passenger vehicles a year in neighboring India.

Riaz Haq said...

#Suzuki Vitara 'game changing' light SUV launches in #Pakistan
http://www.dawn.com/news/1303460


Trailblazer in the small cars industry and producer of successful 4x4 range sports utility vehicles (SUVs), Pak Suzuki on Wednesday launched one of the lightest SUV’s named Vitara in Pakistan.

The 4th generation crossover Vitara has been introduced in Pakistan in response to the steadily climbing demand of SUVs as trends change in the local vehicle market. To this end, the top of the line Vitara GLX is available for Rs. 3,799,000 and the Vitara GL+ is available for Rs. 3,490,000

Before its launch in Pakistan, Vitara had already received an overwhelmingly positive response in Europe and has won several prestigious awards for its performance.

As far as security is concerned, Vitara also earned high ratings by credible by global inspectors.

Vitara comes with a 1.6L naturally aspirated engine which delivers a decent 118bhp at 6,000 revs. This may not sound much however the USP of this product is its weight. Weighing in at only 1185 kilos the

Vitara is one of the lightest SUV’s on offer. This not only allows it to carry more but also improves its power to weight ratio which stands in at 104 bhp/ton. Other big brands offering turbocharged engines may offer more power however the power to weight ratios remain well under 100 which clearly indicates how well the Vitara is when it comes to performance.

In addition to push start functionality, the Vitara comes standard with multi-function steering that features cruise control and audio control. The 6 speed Automatic transmission is enabled with a manual mode which allows the driver to have the manual changing sensation with the paddle shifters equipped on the steering wheel. The multifunction display shows the economy, mileage and range of the vehicle along with other variables. The air conditioning system of Vitara can be automatically controlled with input from outside temperature sensors.

The hi-spec Vitara also comes equipped with a panoramic sunroof which makes the drive even more pleasurable. Keyless entry is also enabled for the hi-spec variant along with automatic headlamps and wipers for driver’s convenience.

Riaz Haq said...

#Pakistan -An emerging market for #automobiles, #motorcycles, #auto parts, allied industries | Business Recorder

http://www.brecorder.com/supplements/88/118454/

Pakistan is an emerging market for Automobile and Allied Industry. The Industry plays an important role within the large-scale manufacturing sectors in spurring economic growth having enormous investment opportunities with positive growth of 23.3% FY 2016. Pakistan is among the 40 automobile producing countries and 4 of the top 10 global car makers have plants in Pakistan.

The history of Pakistan's Automotive Industry is one of the oldest in the Asian countries. The Industry started semi knockdown production of trucks (Bedford) in 1949 by (General Motors, which marked the start of the Industry's history after the independence from British India. From this year onwards the Industry has not shown steady growth and thus lags behind and is overtaken by other countries in Asia such as China. Thailand and India which entered in the market in 1980s, consequently its positioning in the global market is also questioned.

The automobile industry in Pakistan includes companies involved in the production/assembling of passenger cars, light commercial vehicles, trucks, buses, tractors and motorcycles. The auto spare parts industry is an allied of the auto industry. The auto & allied industry form a major manufacturing sector in Pakistan.

Car sales hit to 180,079 units in 2015-2016 as compared to 151,134 units in 2014-2015, followed by a jump in truck sales to 5,550 units from 4,111 and bus sales to 1,017 from 569 units. The impressive figures of 2015-16 were backed by 50,000 units of Suzuki Bolan and Ravi sold under Punjab Taxi Scheme.

It is believed that car sales will grow at 5-year (2016-20) compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12 Pc due to improving law and order situation in the country, rising auto financing owing to 42-year low interest rates and increasing disposable income.

However, in the real substance, automobiles and the auto sector mean much more than this. It represents mobility, transportation and communication. It represents an industry that has a strong impact on a dozen other sectors may it be steel, vending, petrol or even employment. Hence auto sales reflect not only the basic human desire for mobility but these are also an important economic indicator. For the development of Automobile Sector Pakistan has many positive factors such as low cost of labor and access to entire Central Asia Market, but at the same time it has to address many shortcomings. Our Academia still has to look into the fact that here is not any public institute which offers majors in Automobile engineering. Moreover transfer of technology and local manufacturing of vehicle components are minimal. Although, the Automotive Parts industry has shown an active growth in the last many years and a variety of automotive parts have been developed locally but still the full implantation of deletion program has not yet been achieved due to vested interests of Vehicle Assemblers resulting the shortage of technology transfer in the vendor industry.

Pakistan has the 6th largest population while 50% of the total population is below 30 years in age. There are 90 million young potential consumers demand for cars and other passenger vehicles is being increased day by day but existing auto manufacturers and assemblers are unable to match the demand. In Automobile Sector such as buses, LCVs, trucks and jeeps & cars registered growth of 81.95%, 68.53%, 41.68% and 29.73%, respectively FY 2016. The only decline witnessed in the production of tractors which declined by 38.63%. After the oil & petroleum sector, auto industry sector in Pakistan is the second largest taxpayer in the country.

Riaz Haq said...

Aurangzeb as never seen or believed!
Title: Shahenshah- The Life of Aurangzeb
♦ Author: N.S. Inamdar/Vikrant Pande (translator)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/books/features/aurangzeb-as-never-seen-or-believed/articleshow/52952504.cms


He tells us his interest in Aurangzeb arose when, while touring Maharashtra, he "wondered how the Mughal Emperor could spend twenty-five years of his life in tents, camps and and living a life of hardship along with thousands of soldiers.... it triggered in me a sense of curiousity to explore the subject further".
And then Inamdar came across a prominent temple whose priest told him that it had come down in his family that not only had Aurangzeb left it intact, but also sanctioned an annual donation for its upkeep. Further diminishing the idea of a puritanical figure, he found old manuscripts with love sonnets penned by the emperor.
Consequently, his account presents Aurangzeb in all his colours - some never seen or even believed possible. While it begins with him as a prince smarting over snubs by his father, family and court, and worse by secretly traitorous aides (and patiently biding his time), it also shows him so besotted by a concubine that he exercises his imperial prerogative to get her for himself and neglects his work, wives and even prayers in her company.
There is, as mentioned, the doting husband and father but stern and principled ruler, a man of strict faith but canny and pragmatic statesman and effective diplomat, who had no qualms in ordering executions of 'heretics' like Sarmad and 'rebels' like Guru Tegh Bahadur but also capable of gauging the real intentions of his own religious hardliners.
Though a considerable part is devoted to Aurangzeb's own eventful family life, the account gives due emphasis to relations with the Rajputs and the Marathas - the ceaseless pursuit of Shivaji but then an indication of arriving at some modus vivendi, the torture and killing of Sambhaji after some initial patronage, but also careful and considerate guardianship of his widow and son Shahu.

Detractors say he overthrew his father Shah Jahan and imprisoned him till death. But, leaving alone his father and grandfather who unsuccessfully attempted the same, so did Ajatashatru of Magadh. He killed his brothers in his path to the throne - so did Ashoka. He destroyed other religions' places of worship - so did the Chalukyas, and the Gaud and the Sena dynasties in Bengal.
What Inamdar's work shows us that we cannot - must not - assess historical figures by norms of our own times, and selective approaches. Aurangzeb was the product of his time and its circumstances and should be viewed in this perspective.

Riaz Haq said...

#Automobile companies eye production in #Pakistan as local market accelerates. #manufacturing #economy https://www.ft.com/content/328ca8ae-f34a-11e6-8758-6876151821a6

When Naeem Khan went into his local automobile dealer in Karachi to replace his five-year-old taxi with a rickshaw, he was not expecting to leave with a brand new air-conditioned car instead.

But after getting a financing package that was cheaper than he expected, Mr Khan became one of an increasing number of Pakistanis who have recently bought vehicles they previously only dreamt of owning.

The national surge in sales has prompted three global carmakers to commit in the past few months to starting production in Pakistan, potentially doubling the number of foreign carmakers in the country.

“The dealer told me it was the right time to get a loan to buy a car,” says Mr Khan. “Five years ago he said he would have told me to buy a second-hand car or a rickshaw, but today I could afford to buy a new car.”

Pakistan’s car market is still small, and dominated by the three Japanese brands that have local manufacturing plants: Toyota, Honda and Suzuki. The trio made all but seven of the country’s domestically manufactured cars in 2015-16, according to the Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers’ Association, though the figures are just a fraction of their total global car sales.

In the past, analysts say, manufacturers have been put off by the country’s relative poverty, as well as political instability and concerns about security.


But in the past few months, France’s Renault and both Hyundai of South Korea and its affiliate Kia have announced they will soon start assemblies in Pakistan, in partnership with local companies. It marks a return for Kia and Hyundai, which left in the previous decade when their local partner suffered financial problems.

The new and returning entrants are being drawn in by several factors.

The first is both the scale of the potential market in a country of 200m people, as well as the rate at which it is already growing. In 2012-13, carmakers sold 118,830 cars in Pakistan. By 2015-16, that had risen 52 per cent to 181,145.

Analysts say the surge has left Toyota, Honda and Suzuki struggling to meet demand with their customers sometimes forced to wait as long as five months before their cars are delivered.

Yong Sohn, general manager at the Hyundai group, says: “Population and growth-wise, Pakistan is very promising.”

Renault declined to talk about its plans while it is in negotiation with local partners.

Part of the reason for the rise in car sales is that Pakistanis are getting richer. Between 2010 and 2015, the amount each person earned per year rose from $4,370 to $5,320 as measured in gross national income per capita at purchasing power parity.


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That trend is expected to continue, partly helped by China’s plans to invest more than $52bn in Pakistan’s infrastructure under the “One Belt, One Road” project. Hyundai forecasts that, consequently, car sales in Pakistan will hit 300,000 a year by 2020.

Just as importantly, say analysts, has been the corresponding fall in interest rates. Since September 2000, the rate at which banks can borrow from the Pakistan central bank has fallen from 13 per cent to 6.25 per cent.

Saleem Memon, who sells finance packages for carsin central Karachi, says: “A few years ago, customers sometimes paid 16 or 17 per cent in annual interest rates. Now, if they are lucky, they can get a good deal for around 11 per cent.”

Another factor drawing carmakers to Pakistan is that security has begun to improve thanks to a two-year campaign by the army. Mr Khan remembers days when he and other taxi driverswere routinely stopped at gunpoint by armed extortionists. “The streets are now safe and people feel comfortable driving till late at night,” he says.

Third, the government has drawn up policies aimed at attracting carmakers, such as cutting the duties applicable to parts shipped from abroad and making it easier to find a site to build a plant.

Riaz Haq said...

India’s 2016 Oil Demand Jumps 11% To Record Highs

http://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Indias-2016-Oil-Demand-Jumps-11-To-Record-Highs.html

India’s economic growth and rising income pushed up vehicle sales and fuel demand last year, with oil consumption soaring 11 percent to the highest on record, according to oil ministry data.
India’s oil products consumption increased to 196.5 million tons last year from 177.5 million tons in 2015, with transport fuels gasoline and diesel making up more than half of the country’s oil products consumption. The increase was driven by rising income, which is encouraging people to buy more passenger cars, scooters and three-wheelers. In addition, the road transportation sector is also growing fast.
Gasoline demand jumped 12 percent last year while consumption of diesel increased by 5.6 percent.

FGE expects oil prices this year at between $50 and $60 per barrel, which is expected to drive “robust growth in transport and consumer fuels in India,” the analyst noted.
In September of 2016, India’s Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that he expected the demand for crude oil in the country to rise in excess of 11 percent for 2016, thanks to “better monsoon rains” and growth in economic activity. In 2015, India recorded an increase of 11 percent in the consumption of oil, versus projections for a rate of 7-8 percent. Year 2016 should see a higher increase, Pradhan said in September of 2016.
According to an India Energy Outlook by the International Energy Agency (IEA), demand for oil in India is expected to grow at the fastest pace through 2040, compared to any other region or country. Demand for oil is seen rising by 6 million bpd to reach 9.8 million bpd in 2040.

Riaz Haq said...

#Pakistan Indus Motor Company unveils Rs4bln (US$400m) investment plan to expand production. #Automobiles #Toyota

https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/195925-Indus-Motor-Company-unveils-Rs4bln-investment-plan-to-expand-production

Indus Motor Company Limited (IMC), a country’s leading automaker, on Saturday unveiled four billion rupees investment plan to expand its annual production capacity by 200,000 units in a bid to capitalise on the growing consumer demand.

Currently, IMC holds an annual production capacity of 54,800 units, which are sold under the brand name of Toyota. The planned capacity enhancement would bring the production to 75,000 vehicles a year.

“Pakistan’s auto industry future looks very promising,” IMC Chief Executive Officer Ali Asghar Jamali told media at its third auto workshop.

“I am hopeful that Pakistan will be producing 500,000 cars per year by 2022,” Jamali said.

The demand for local as well as used cars has exponentially been growing for the last three years due to overall improvement in the macroeconomic activities.

Despite being a world’s biggest densely-populated country, Pakistan has, however, not seen rapid motorisation. The country has only 16 cars per 1,000 people. By 2020 the ratio is likely to reach 20 cars per 1,000.

Industry experts are expecting a fast growth in car sales due to growing and young middle-class in the country.

The experts said the country is the third largest growing economy in emerging market and it could benefit from the ongoing $57 billion worth of China-Pak Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects.

IMC recorded five percent drop in sales during the July-February period of 2016/17, but in light commercial vehicle -- vans and jeeps – sales of Toyota Fortuner increased to 568 during the period from 368 units in the corresponding period.

Analyst Sohaib Subzwari at Taurus Securities Limited attributed the fall in sales to “strong demand for Honda Civic and operational issues restricting production.”

Subzwari, however, said the growing construction and road network development activities on account of CPEC would contribute to growth in volumes of heavy and light commercial vehicles.

In July-February, IMC emerged as the second leading player by number of sold vehicles. Pak Suzuki was the first, while Honda was the third.

The government recently announced auto policy 2016-21 containing a number of incentives for Greenfield and Brownfield projects in the country’s Japanese-dominated auto market.

IMC started its operation as a joint venture of House of Habib of Pakistan, Toyota Motor Corporation and Toyota Tsusho Corporation of Japan in 1989.

Analysts said auto industry generally feels comfortable about the new auto policy, which they say has provided a solid road map to the investors to plan investment for a long period.

On premium (own money) and black marketing, Jamali said the government should impose Rs100,000 as a levy per car if the first owner sells it within six months of the purchase. “This will eliminate the middleman and investors who create artificial shortage of cars in the market,” he added.

Car manufacturers said import of used cars poses the biggest threat to the local industry’s survival.

“We purchase local parts of Rs150 million on every working day, which becomes Rs40 billion per year,” said IMC executive.

Pakistan imports more than 46,500 used cars in a year, around 15 percent of the total car sales of 283,000 units in 2016.

Aamir Allawalla, ex-chairman of Pakistan Association of Automotive Parts and Accessories Manufacturers (Paapam) said import of five-year old used vehicles dented the industry as it led to shutdown of several plants.

“New variants to be introduced by local players in the next years would, however, give a tough competition to the imported cars,” Allawalla said.

He said local industry wants long-term auto policies to get return on their investment and in order to avert ‘sudden shocks’. A huge investment in the sector has been planned, he added.


Riaz Haq said...

#Pakistan #automobile #motorcycle parts Industry looks for joint ventures with #Thailand

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1369096/auto-parts-industry-looks-joint-ventures-thailand/

Pakistan auto part makers have met with their Thai counterparts in Bangkok to discuss the planned free trade agreement (FTA) and the possibility of joint ventures between the two countries.

The delegation from Pakistan was led by Pakistan Association of Automotive Parts and Accessories Manufacturers (Paapam) Chairman Mashood Ali Khan.

Khan said he was optimistic that a Thai delegation would visit Pakistan soon to push forward bilateral talks. Paapam had earlier expressed reservations about the proposed FTA with Thailand, fearing it may hurt interests of the local industry in coming years.

The delegation informed Thai auto part manufacturers about the rapidly growing automotive market in Pakistan, according to a press release. Paapam asked them to provide a complete list of their components with HS code and other details and also discussed the possibility of joint ventures.

Riaz Haq said...

#Volkswagen in Talks to Make Big Push Into #Pakistan With #Audi luxury cars & VW Commercial vehicles http://wardsauto.com/industry/volkswagen-talks-make-big-push-pakistan … via @wardsauto

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Volkswagen has made significant progress in talks to establish manufacturing operations in this South Asian port city of Karachi, a top government official says.

“Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is in final talks with Premier Systems, the authorized importer of Audi vehicles in the country, to set up a manufacturing/assembly plant for its Amarok and T6 models and Volkswagen,” Tariq Ejaz Chaudhary, CEO of Pakistan’s Engineering Development Board, confirms to WardsAuto.

A senior official at Premier Systems adds VW is considering establishing production of Audi luxury vehicles in the country.

“Volkswagen Commercial intends to use the same plant Audi intends to build for the assembly of its own vehicles in Karachi,” the official says, adding VW plans to open about 40 dealerships across Pakistan to accommodate rising demand for its Amarok pickup and T6 vans.

The possible launch of the three vehicles in Pakistan’s market of 190 million people follows forecasted demand arising from the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor program of development projects backed by the Chinese government. A VW manufacturing presence also would be among the latest results of the business-friendly policies pursued by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

The Amarok is a direct competitor to Toyota’s HiLux Revo and the T6 is a multipassenger van.

Wilhlem Kramer, a spokesperson for Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, says no firm decisions have yet been made about an investment in Pakistan, saying only, “A global corporation such as Volkswagen continuously explores market potential – including in South Asia.”

Federal Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan confirms to WardsAuto that VW “is in talks with government of Pakistan to launch its passenger/commercial plants in Pakistan,” although he doesn’t comment on the status of the negotiations.

Another possible motive for VW to enter Pakistan is the scheduled July launch of refineries able to produce high-quality diesel fuel.

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Other automakers considering production in Pakistan include Hyundai, which may form a joint venture with textiles manufacturer Nishat Mills; Kia, which may partner with Lucky Cement, one of the country’s largest cement makers; and Renault, which is in talks with India’s Ghandhara Nissan Motors to use its Karachi plant for car assembly.

Riaz Haq said...

#Yamaha launches new 125cc #motorcycle in #Pakistan. CEO says Pakistan is the world's 5th largest motorcycle market

https://www.dawn.com/news/1324844

Yamaha Motor Pakistan announced the launch of their new 125cc bike vowing to cater the need of common motorcycle users in Pakistan, read a statement issued by the company.

The latest model YB125Z is equipped with features like longer and wider size seat, engine balancer to reduce vibration, powerful headlight halogen lamp, self-starter and gear indication on speedometer, it said.

Yamaha earlier introduced two sporty versions in the 125cc category as it introduced YBR125 & YBR125G models around two years back.

YB125Z is priced at Rs115,900 and this model will be available in the market from the middle of April 2017.

Speaking at the launch, Executive General Manager of Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. (Japan) Hiroyuki Seto said that Pakistan was now the fifth largest motorcycle market in the world, and Yamaha was looking at Pakistan as a huge potential market.

“We want to establish our presence in the 125cc standard segment in Pakistan,” he said.

Also speaking on the occasion, Yamaha Motor Pakistan’s Managing Director Shigeru Ishikawa highlighted YB125Z as new weapon to cut into mass segment.

“We have big confidence in our new product and it’s a time for us entering the next stage so our valued customers can now experience the real,” he was quoted as saying.

Riaz Haq said...

The Pakistan motorcycle market is growing at the rate of 15 per cent annually. This is an appreciable static growth which anticipates the importance of presence of the local assemblers.
Atlas Honda is the market leader in the Pakistani motorcycle industry with over 65 per cent market share. Atlas Honda motorcycle industry showed a phenomenal jump from 1 million motorcycles a year in 2000-01 to currently 2 million a year .This is an evidence of dramatic change in consumer behavior in Pakistan.
In the past year over 1.5 million motorcycles were produced in the country out of which most were of 70cc engine capacity. A phenomenal growth has been observed in 100cc, 125cc and above segments with a growth trend of around 34 per cent and 20 per cent respectively. A decline in production of around 10 per cent is seen in the most popular 70cc motorcycles.
Due to Honda's 100 per cent motorcycle localisation and the prices of it being reasonable in the domestic market, the new international markets like South Africa and Iran are being explored. Already it has gained foreign markets like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Local assembly of motorcycles started in 1964 when Atlas Group put up assembly facilities in Karachi to assemble Honda motorcycles before that the market was haunted by Japanese brands Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki.
The market experienced a major breakthrough in the late 1990's with the advent of assemblers. At present, there are around 100 assemblers in the country. Out of these around 81 are active assemblers. The popular 70cc brand still carries more than 80 per cent of the market share. The Honda Japan recently declared Pakistan as a hub for 70cc technology in the region.
From the years 2007 till 2011, the Honda motorcycle's price has gone up from Rs 58000 to Rs 68500. According to the Senior Managing Director of Honda Motor Company Japan, T Oyama, Pakistan will be amongst the top five countries in the world which will produce and export high quality motorcycles in the coming next few years.
Atlas Honda has achieved a lot of success in Pakistan and with its high sales and production; it will bring a boom to Pakistan's economy in an impressive way. Atlas Honda has invested $35 million this year alone in Pakistan and increased its motorcycle production capacity to 750,000 per year. Pakistan has one of the largest motorcycle consumer markets and it exports to regional buyers too.
The production capacity will be increased to one million units in the next few years with an estimated cost of an additional $50 million. This collaboration between Atlas Group Pakistan and Honda Japan is amongst the oldest in joint venture history of Honda Motor Company anywhere in the world, and together Atlas Honda Ltd. has brought about the drive for motorcycle industry in Pakistan.
Observing from recent growth in motorcycle sales in the 100cc and other categories, Pak Suzuki Motors Company has launched a new model of 110cc motorcycle. The company says it is keen to cater to the growing market of higher engine specification motorcycles. The launch price of the GD-110 has been set at Rs99, 999. The bike employs a 4-Stroke CDI engine which complies with Euro II emission standards.
Pak Suzuki remains the dominant player in Pakistan's four-wheelers market with over 60 per cent of the market. However, its share in the motorcycles market is just less than 2 percent.

http://www.thefinancialdaily.com/NewsDetail/172818.aspx

Riaz Haq said...

#Honda Atlas launches BR-V, first locally produced subcompact SUV, in #Pakistan, starts from Rs2.23m. #automobile

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1390278/honda-atlas-launches-br-v-pakistan-heres-everything-need-know/

Honda Atlas launched its first locally produced subcompact Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) on Friday, comprising 45% local components, stated the company.


The Bold Runabout Vehicle (BR-V) – which seats seven people – costs about Rs2.23 million and Rs2.33 million for its i-VTEC and i-VTEC S variants, respectively. It features a 1.5litre engine.

According to the company, the low price is courtesy local components used in the manufacturing. Additionally, through this price, Honda is looking to boost its sales by attracting existing as well as new customers who are willing to enter the SUV family.

“SUVs in Pakistan are too costly and are mostly out of range for many customers,” said Honda Atlas Cars Pakistan Limited General Manager Sales and Marketing Nadeem Azam. “With the price range we are offering, about 90% of customers can now afford the new variants, which will attract new as well as existing customers of other companies too.”

The company is also looking to tap rural as well as urban markets with the newly-launched SUV. “We are confident that BR-V will strongly appeal to the urban and rural customers and accelerate our growth while strengthening our brand presence in the country,” said Honda Atlas Cars Pakistan Limited President and CEO Toichi Ishiyama. “Pakistan is a key market for Honda and as part of our business expansion; we are focusing on increasing our customer base and will be bringing a lot of new and innovative products in the future.”

Riaz Haq said...

#Pakistan car sales in July 2017 jump 41% to 19,577 units in July 2017, from July 2016 #Tractor sales spike 125% YoY

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1478567/locally-assembled-car-sales-accelerate-july/

Sales of locally assembled vehicles, including jeeps and light commercial vehicles, jumped to 19,577 units in July 2017, up 41% compared to 13,932 units in the same month of 2016, according to latest data released by the Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association (PAMA).

A Topline Securities’ report said the numbers were in line with its estimates. The apparently large difference in monthly sales may be attributed to reduced working days in July 2016 because of Eid holidays, the report said.

Pakistan could soon see these electric cars on its roads
Sales of Pak Suzuki Motor Company increased 37% year-on-year (YoY) in July 2017 due to strong demand for Wagon-R, up 77%.

With the introduction of a new model, sales of Cultus rose 66% YoY while Ravi sales were up 41%, which also supported the company’s growth.

Honda outperformed its peers in vehicle sales, posting 113% growth due to successful introduction of a new Civic model and new sports utility vehicle (SUV) BR-V.

Indus Motor sold 4,618 units in July 2017, up 11% YoY. The company’s focus remained on production of higher-margin Fortuner, which recorded a stellar growth of 543%.

Moreover, buyers were postponing their purchase of Toyota Corolla, waiting for the face-lift model, which has arrived now.

Truck and bus sales of PAMA member companies in July 2017 remained strong, growing 13% YoY. The trend is expected to continue, fuelled by the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) led growth, higher road connectivity, lower financing rates and enforcement of the axle load limit per truck on highways by the National Highway Authority.

Two and three-wheel vehicle sales for July 2017 grew strongly by 42% YoY due to rising disposable income of the lower middle class, the report added.

Why Pakistan should switch to hybrid cars

Tractor sales continued to exhibit an upward trajectory with sales growing by 125% YoY in July 2017.

Lower general sales tax, improved crop yield due to Punjab government’s Kisan Package and continuation of fertiliser subsidy to improve farmers’ purchasing power contributed to the strong tractor sales.

Moreover, in the provincial budget for fiscal year 2018, the Sindh government has set aside Rs2 billion in subsidy on tractor purchases by farmers.

Riaz Haq said...

Pakistan Government asks auto investors to conclude committed investments

https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/216089-Government-asks-auto-investors-to-conclude-committed-investments

The government on Wednesday asked four investors, which was given approval to invest around $3 billion in setting up auto assembling plants in the country, to furnish all the necessary documents in order to finalise the agreements by next week.

In June, ministry of industries and production allowed United Motors Private Limited, Kia-Lucky Motors Pakistan Limited, Regal Automobiles Industries Ltd, and Nishat Group to set up units for assembly and manufacturing of vehicles under the Greenfield investment category.

A senior official at BoI told The News that the four companies would likely to bring in investment of around three billion dollars, “which will help in breaking the existing cartel of three Japanese car assemblers and bringing down prices and create job opportunities.”

A statement said Khizar Hayat Gondal, secretary ministry of industries and production and Azhar Ali Chaudhry, secretary Board of Investment held a meeting on Wednesday with the four awardees of Greenfield status under the Auto Development Policy (ADP) 2016-21 as a follow-up of the meeting held on June 6.

The investors were urged to meet the necessary codal requirements under the policy as early as possible. They were asked to prepare their agreements to be effected pursuant to the award of ‘Greenfield status’ without any loss of time.

All concerned assured that these agreements would be finalised over the next week. Most of them expressed the resolve to present all necessary documentation by the 20th of this month, according to the statement.

Secretary ministry said companies awarded with Greenfield investment would be required to separately enter into agreements with the ministry of industries and production to ensure compliance with ADP 2016-21, relevant statutory regulatory orders and various timelines for completion of the projects for availing incentives under this policy.

The meeting asked the Engineering Development Board (EDB) to examine and put up these cases for approval as and when complete documentation is received.

Next monthly meeting with investors will be convened in the ministry of industries and production in the 2nd week of August 2017.

EDB will issue manufacturing certificate and list of importable components to new investors after verifying that their manufacturing facilities are adequate to produce roadworthy vehicles. The investors appreciated efforts of the ministry and the board for being pro-active in finalising investment proposals in record time.

Applicants for award of Greenfield status also participated during the meeting and showed their level of preparedness. The applicants are Habib Rafiq (Pvt.) Ltd., Khalid Mushtaq Motors (Pvt) Ltd., Pak-China Motors (Pvt) Limited, Foton JW Auto Park (Pvt) Ltd, Cavalier Automotive Corporation (Pvt) Ltd.

Riaz Haq said...

Two bike makers of Pakistan, Atlas Honda Limited and United Auto Motorcycle broke all previous production and sales records in August. 187,249 bikes were sold in July-Aug 2017-18 in comparison to 136,476 units in 2016-17 by Atlas Honda Limited.

Similarly, production and sales in May 2017 were 90,800 and 93,060 units while in August 2017 it was 95,200 and 91,599 units.

United Auto Motorcycle also made new records as its production and sales surged to 35,555 and 36,084 in August 2017 in comparison to its previous record in November 2016 of 32,773 units.
In July-Aug 2016-17 the sales by UAM were 49,464 while this year during same period UAM sales increased to 67,023 units.
Moreover, statistics by Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association confirmed that Road Prince Bike Assembler also made record production of 23,650 units in Aug 2017 compared to its last record of 19,508 units in October 2016.
Other than this sale of Honda Civic/City, Suzuki Swift and Toyota surged from 5,295, 689 and 8,250 units during July-August 2016 to 7,766, 722 and 8,657 units this August 2017. Sales of Suzuki Cultus and Suzuki WagonR climbed up from 2,190 and 2,352 units to 3,670 and 4,137 units. Similarly, Suzuki Mehran and Suzuki Bolan sales increased from 5,676 and 2,865 units to 6,826 and 3,224 this August 2017. Trucks, Jeeps, Vans, Tractors sales also showed a considerable rise from the previous year.
CPEC played a significant role in high sales of trucks and other vehicles.

https://www.researchsnipers.com/bike-makers-break-previous-production-sales-records-pakistan/

Riaz Haq said...

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE > BUSINESS
Memon inaugurates Aisha Steel Mills’ expansion project
By Our CorrespondentPublished: December 31, 2017

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1597176/2-memon-inaugurates-aisha-steel-mills-expansion-project/

Sindh Board of Investment (SBI) Chairperson Naheed Memon presided over a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday to mark the beginning of construction on Aisha Steel Mills’ (ASM) expansion plans.

ASM, an Arif Habib Group company, has laid out plans to expand its capacity to a total of 700,000 tons per annum from its current capacity of 220,000 tons.

Addressing the ceremony, Memon said, “Initiation of expansion of Aisha Steel Mills reflects the confidence investors have in Sindh and Pakistan, strengthening our resolve to continue on this path of progress. “We are seeing expansion and new projects in almost all areas of manufacturing in Sindh,” the chairperson added, in a statement released by Arif Habib Corp.

She said that the board is committed to facilitate industrial investment in Sindh, which has the best infrastructure for setting up industries.

Also speaking on the occasion, ASM CEO Dr Munir said, “Our product mix, subsequent to the completion of expansion, will include 450,000 tons of Cold Rolled Coils (CRC) and 250,000 tons galvanised coils.”

He said, “The project is progressing on schedule and we are targeting phase-wise production to commence from the second quarter of the next financial year.”

On completion of expansion, ASM is expected to contribute over Rs10 billion to the revenues of the government.

Riaz Haq said...

50 Auto Factories' Production Improved With JICA Support

https://www.urdupoint.com/en/business/50-auto-factories-production-improved-with-j-425957.html

Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) has improved production systems of 50 Auto Factories with the support of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) has improved production systems of 50 Auto Factories with the support of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

SMEDA Chief Executive Officer Sher Ayub disclosed this here Wednesday while commenting on second term of SMEDA-JICA joint project being run for technical support of auto parts manufacturing industry in Pakistan.

The project, he said, was being conducted in coordination with Pakistan Association of Automotive Parts and Accessories Manufacturers (PAAPAM).

He acknowledged services of the Provincial Chief SMEDA-Sindh Mukesh Kumar to make this project successful in close coordination with PAAPAM.

He said that Auto sector was one of the rapidly growing sectors in Pakistan. Its contribution towards the national economy in the form of technology transfer, employment and revenue generation is visible, he said and pointed out that the sector had a significant room to further improve quality, bring innovation and flexibility of manufacturing system which is being addressed with the support of JICA. He observed that Japan's technical support had helped the local auto parts manufacturers to get prepared for export market by improving quality and productivity of their products, as per world's requirements.

Earlier, at a ceremony held at PAAPAM Office, the SMEDA (Sindh) Provincial Chief Mukesh Kumar gave a briefing on the activities to be conducted under second term of SMEDA-JICA joint project for technical support of Auto sector in the country.

Yoshihisa Onoe - senior representative of JICA Pakistan Office, Hiroshi KANEKI - Chief of JICA Technical Team, Hiroshi SASAKI-Deputy Chief of JICA Team, Ikuta, Ishitaki, Sato (JICA Experts) and Muhammad Ashraf Sheikh, Senior Vice Chairman PAAPAM also spoke on this occasion.

Yoshihisa Onoe-the Senior Representative of JICA, in his address, assured to continue the technical support for Pakistan's industry to compete in the world market in terms of technical know-how and the modern manufacturing techniques.

He acknowledged that JICA's collaboration with SMEDA and PAAPAM had proved to be very useful for the local auto parts' manufacturing industry in Pakistan.

He was glad to note that productivity of the sector had increased to an optimal level, whereas, the rejection rates to be witnessed in the manufacturing processes had reduced to the lowest possible level. He said that the SMEs, engaged in auto parts manufacturing, had a great potential to compete the world market and assured to extend fullest technical support of JICA to impart the best practices being exercised in auto sector of the developed world.

Muhammad Ashraf Sheikh, Senior Vice Chairman (PAAPAM) appreciated SMEDA initiatives to get JICA's technical cooperation for auto parts industry.

He said that PAAPAM members had greatly availed of the assistance to increase their productivity and reduce rejection rates in their manufacturing processes. He urged SMEDA and JICA to continue the program even after completion of the set period.

Riaz Haq said...

Kumho to supply tech to new #Pakistani tire player. #SouthKorea company signed a 10-year #technology-transfer agreement with #Pakistan #battery maker Century Engineering for manufacturing 28 tire products for passenger, commercial vehicles." #automobile
http://disq.us/t/36u4mye

SEOUL, South Korea—Kumho Tire Co. Inc. has agreed to provide tire manufacturing technology to a Pakistani battery producer that is planning to branch into tire production.

At a Sept. 27 ceremony in Seoul, Kumho signed a 10-year technology-transfer agreement with Century Engineering Industries (Pvt.) Ltd. covering technologies "required to manufacture 28 tire products for passenger and commercial vehicles."

Based in Karachi, Pakistan, Century Engineering—d.b.a Phoenix Batteries—is a car-battery manufacturer that aims to build a tire plant with a capacity of 5 million units.

Under the deal, Kumho Tire will receive $5 million for the supplied technology as well as royalties equal to 2.5 percent of Century's annual sales for 10 years, the South Korean company said in a statement.

The scope of the agreement covers design, quality control, training as well as manufacturing process.

Century Engineering has as yet not disclosed other details about its plans for tire production, including the site and timetable.

Riaz Haq said...

Pakistani two and three wheeler sales further recovered in December (+22%) ending the 2020 with a single digit lost although the sharp Q2 fall. In the 2020 sales at 1.5 million (-8.9%) were the fifth highest world-wide. Honda dominates the market ahead of a group of local manufacturers.

https://www.motorcyclesdata.com/2021/01/20/pakistan-motorcycles/
Economic Environment
Pakistani economy likely recovered in Q1 of this fiscal year—which began in July 2020—after GDP growth slowed significantly in FY 2020 (July 2019–June 2020) due to lockdown measures imposed at the tail end of the year. In July–September, industrial production rebounded, mainly due to healthier manufacturing activity.

Moreover, average remittances growth surged in the quarter, which, coupled with easing containment measures, should have boosted private spending.

However, an uptick in new Covid-19 cases prompted a snap-back of some restrictions in mid-November, which should be weighing on activity somewhat; that said, a full lockdown is unlikely in the coming months.

Two-wheelers market trend
After the acceleration in sales recovery scored in the third quarter of this calendar year (+22%), in October the two and three wheeler market kept to grow in double digit with 175.568 sales (+12.0%), further accelerating in November with 171.122 sales (+17.0%) and in December with 157.269 sales (+22.1%) scoring the highest sales level of the year.

The calendar year 2020 ended with 1.52 million sales (-8.9%) and the market gained one place in the global ranking, overtaking Thailand, and now ranks in fifth place.

Brand-wise, Honda is leading the scene with 976.000 sales (-3.5%), followed by United Auto with 334.000 (-10.0%) and Road Prince with 135.000 (-23.1%).

Riaz Haq said...

#Pakistan to increase #automobile production to 8 million units per year to meet growing demand. Representatives of over 50 renowned automobile companies from different parts of China attended the seminar addressed by Pak envoy in #Beijing. #manufacturing https://dailytimes.com.pk/831684/pakistan-to-enhance-auto-production-to-8m-units-per-year/

“It is a bit ambitious target but it is possible to achieve this target due to the yearly growth in production as well as interest showed by different automobile companies from across the world especially from China which plans to invest in Pakistan,” he said while addressing Pakistan Automobile Industry Roundtable Seminar held at Pakistan Embassy, Beijing.

While addressing the participants, the ambassador said that a number of the Chinese companies are already in Pakistan in automobile manufacturing sector while up to 10 new companies have shown interest to invest in Pakistan and are in the process of having joint ventures with their local partners in the private sector. He informed that the government is formulating a new and very attractive automobile sector policy which will be announced soon, adding, more incentives and concessions in taxes are likely to be offered in the new policy.

Ambassador Haque said that automobile companies including manufacturers of energy vehicles from China will be invited to set up their plants both in the Greenfield and Brownfield sectors.

Giving details about the automobile sector in Pakistan, he said that the automobile is the fastest growing sector in Pakistan because of the large demand in view of the population which is close to 220 million people. In the past, the Japanese manufacturers had set up their production units but in recent times the Chinese automobile companies also started looking at the opportunities available in Pakistan.

Riaz Haq said...

Bilal I Gilani
@bilalgilani
From just 3 million motorcycles 15 year ago , we now have over 22 million motorcycles

Ppl had disposable income to afford this

Much of these motorcycle are used for rural to urban mobility

Motorcycles r environmentally less harmful than cars ( ideal is public transport)

https://twitter.com/bilalgilani/status/1496406817794056194?s=20&t=EOfusXP1cOjYlIWztngEZA

Riaz Haq said...

Bilal I Gilani
@bilalgilani
Poverty picture based on World Bank data

Don't believe the gloom spreaders

If you have one foot in US , every day you try to justify your exit by dissing Pakistan

Facts belie your gloom story

Long way to go but Pakistan is progressing

https://twitter.com/bilalgilani/status/1496405609096351746?s=20&t=5RWyuRFkBRfeFG_Djqk90Q

(Graph shows poverty declining from 64% in 2001 to 40% in 2008 and 21.9% in 2018

Riaz Haq said...


Bilal I Gilani
@bilalgilani
Pakistan produced 2.4 million motorcycles last year

200k in a month 8000 in a day 1000 every hour

https://twitter.com/bilalgilani/status/1535717946273804299?s=20&t=kWjUCwUx68n1wKxf9W8siw

--------------

Bilal I Gilani
@bilalgilani
In one decade motorcycle on road increases from 5 million to 25 million !

https://twitter.com/bilalgilani/status/1535718216215011328?s=20&t=lRW-xQXmWcEf7sY6zn6ajg

Riaz Haq said...

Ritesh Kumar Singh
@RiteshEconomist
While domestic #demand is hampered by high taxes on both vehicles, fuels, motor insurance and repair and maintenance as well as traffic congestion that jack up the cost of owning #vehicles relatively stronger rupee is hurting #Exports, for instance, of 2W.


https://twitter.com/RiteshEconomist/status/1611901898642321409?s=20&t=FIhHrWvDf922ge89Kn5sKg

Two-wheeler sales stuttering, how long before it gets better?
After signs of recovery, two-wheeler sales slipped in December showing weakness in domestic demand as well as exports. Expectations are that improving rural demand will drive sales, albeit after a couple of quarters

https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/opinion/two-wheeler-sales-stuttering-how-long-before-it-gets-better-9814021.html


ighlights December saw leading two-wheeler firms report a sales drop both year-on-year and month-on-month Domestic demand is yet to grow beyond 2019 pre-pandemic levels Rural sentiment is turning positive but yet to translate into two-wheeler purchases Exports were hit due to devaluation in currencies of importing markets After a couple months of improvement, a weak December for two-wheeler (2W) sales is a setback for forecasts of recovery in 2023. This auto segment registered a marginal year-on-year (yoy) sales rise, while declining compared to the previous...