Launching of Compact Cars in Pakistan in 2022

Asadullah

03 Jan 2022

1060

Launching of Compact Cars in Pakistan in 2022

The Automotive Development Policy (ADP) 2016-21 was presented with some incentives, which has created significant changes in car industry in Pakistan. These changes are included with increase in number of automakers. The companies were allowed to provide various options to car buyers and in this way, the selling of the cars was increased and it yielded competition among car companies.

ADP 2016-21 was ended in mid 2021 and the government replaced this old policy with new Automotive Industry Development and Export Policy (AIDEP) 2021-26 and it will support the promotion of local production of the cars and it will comprise of engine displacement up to 1000cc and electric vehicle (EVs). The government has the vision to promote car industry and the automakers started taking action and they start preparation of the new vehicles, which will be launched in 2022.

In this list, there is no car, which is less than 1000 cc category and these cars are all A and B segment vehicles in subcompact class. The two car segments are the vehicles, which are Suzuki Cultus or Kia Stonic. But the automakers did not confirm the exhibition of these vehicles in 2021 and it is expected these cars will be launched in local auto industry of Pakistan in 2022. You can find the detailed information of the subcompact cars, which are intended to be released in 2022.

Proton X50

Proton started promoting its auto business in Pakistan as they stopped or slowed down it because of the spreading of COVID-19 in Malaysia last year. You can find the present lineup of X70 SUV and Saga Sedan, which will get popularity in the local market and the company has the clear intention that it will exhibit its X50 SUV in the local auto market of Pakistan.

X50 is the subcompact crossover SUV, which will be launched in Pakistan and this car will be the potential replacement of Kia Stonic, MG ZS, DFSK Glory 500 and various other B-segment crossovers in Pakistan.

This vehicle was introduced in Malaysian market during last year and it was available with two powertrain options. The base powerplant of this vehicle is 1.5 liter turbocharged 3-cylinder petrol engine and it makes 148 hp and 225 Nm of torque and the top variant is added with 1.5 liter turbocharged 3-cylinder petrol engine to make hefty 177 hp and 250 Nm of torque. The power is sent to front wheels through 7-speed DCT automatic gearbox.

This is the entry-level crossover SUV and this vehicle has various new features, which are comprised of six airbags, traction control, hill descent control, forward collision warning, Electric Stability Control (ESC), hill hold assist, a 360ᵒ camera, parking sensors and autonomous braking and they are included in its new features.

The company has not announced the launching date and price of the vehicle but it is expected that it will be introduced in Pakistani auto market during 2022 and the starting price of the vehicle may be Rs.3.8 million, which is same to Kia Stonic.

DFSK Glory 500

The subcompact crossover SUVs is becoming popular in Pakistan and DFSK will be added with Glory 500. This vehicle is considered as B-segment subcompact crossover SUV and it will be the competitor of MG ZS, Kia Stonic, Proton X50 and other subcompact crossover SUVs.

It was reported that the test units of this car, Glory 500 were seen on the Pakistani roads and it is hoped that this vehicle will be available here soon with naturally aspirated 1.5 liter 4-cylinder petrol engine to make 118 hp and 147 Nm of torque. This power is provided to the front wheels of this car through CVT automatic gearbox.

This new vehicle, Glory 500 is equipped with various new features, which are voice command, panoramic sunroof, dual airbags, electronic parking brakes, anti-lock braking system (ABS) with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) technology, vehicle reverse assist, brake hold assist, automatic headlights, multi-function steering wheel, floating 7-inch touch screen and others.

It is expected that this vehicle will also be launched in Pakistani auto market in 2022 and the price range will be Rs.3.6 million to Rs.4 million and this vehicle will compete with Kia Stonic and MG ZS.

GAC GS3

GAC is the subcompact crossover SUV, which will compete with other vehicles in the similar category like Kia Stonic, MG ZS and DFSK Glory 500. The newly-launched vehicle, GAC GS3 SUV is equipped with two engines in the international market and they are turbocharged 1.3-liter 4-cylinder petrol engine that makes 134 hp and 202 Nm of torque and this vehicle is naturally aspirated 1.5-liter 4-cylinder petrol engine that can produce 114 hp and 150 Nm of torque. The latter has the 5-speed manual or 6-speed automatic transmission and the former has the 6-speed automatic.

GS3 is the modern, first generation product and it is added with various features including Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), traction control, airbags, active headrests, blind-spot warning, Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) and 360ᵒ camera. The teaser of the vehicle, GS3 is going to be launched for last few days and it is hoped that this car will be released in the market with the potential price of Rs.4 million.

Peugeot 2008

Peugeot 2008 is the subcompact crossover SUV, which will be the competitor of Kia Stonic, DFSK Glory 500, MG ZS and Proton X50. According to the information of this vehicle, it will be added with the features of 1.2-liter turbocharged 3-cylinder petrol engine and it can produce 131 hp and 220 Nm of torque and it is sent to the front wheels through 6 speed automatic gearbox.

This vehicle is considered as the latest generation vehicle, which is added with different safety features including hill-start assist, drowsiness detection, adaptive cruise control, electronic stability programming (ESP), forward collision warning, speed limit recognition and recommendation, overhead vehicle view, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot detection, road sign and 180 degree camera.

You cannot find the details of the price of the vehicle and it is believed that Lucky Motors Corporation has great attraction of high-end car buyers and this vehicle can be priced between Rs.4.3 million and Rs.4.8 million.

Chery Tiggo 4 Pro

Chery has launched its new vehicle, Tiggo 4 Pro and Tiggo 8 Pro during the exclusive event being managed in Karachi and Tiggo 4 Pro is designed as Right-Hand Drive and it would be the first vehicle, which will be launched in Pakistan. The competitors of this vehicle would be MG ZS, Honda Vezel, Kia Stonic, Toyota C-HR, Hyundai Kona and other SUVs in the similar class.

You can find this vehicle in various engine options in international market, which are 2.0 liter naturally aspirated 4-cylinder petrol engine to make 121 hp and 180 Nm of torque. The other option is added with 1.5-liter 4-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, which can produce 145 hp and 210 Nm of torque.

There are different features like its various competitors, which are hill-start assist, automatic climate control, six airbags, rear parking sensors, modern infotainment unit, TPMS and digital driver display. It is also reported that this company has the intention to introduce this vehicle as the locally assembled car. It is expected that this vehicle would have the price as Kia Stonic, which is ranged between Rs.3.6 million and Rs.3.8 million.

BAIC Vehicles

BAIC is considered as the most anticipated car brand but this brand has not started its operation completely in Pakistan. The company designs excellent cars, which can have modern features so it will be considered as the center of attraction for the car enthusiasts. This brand has already got popularity at 2020 PAPS Auto Show as it has displayed its various vehicles there.

D20

D20 is the subcompact car that competes with the vehicles, Suzuki Swift and Proton Saga and it has the hatchback and sedan variants. This car is launched in the international market with 1.3-liter and 1.5-liter engines that can produce 100 hp and 113 hp respectively. The 1.3-liter variant will be provided in the market with 5-speed manual transmission and 1.5-liter, which will be launched with choice between manual or 4-speed automatic transmission but there is no confirmation of the powertrain of the vehicle, which will be introduced in Pakistani auto markets.

D20 has various stunning features, which are daytime running lights, ABS with EBD technology, smart infotainment system, parking sensors, dual airbags, immobilizer system, electronic headlight leveling and ISO FIX child-seat anchor.

The companies did not confirm the prices of the vehicles and it is expected that the hatchback will have the starting price of Rs.2.1 million and sedan will start its price from Rs. 2.3 million.

X25

This vehicle, BAIC X25 was released at 2020 PAPS Auto Show and this vehicle is considered as one of the most anticipated vehicle and this subcompact SUV will be considered as the likes of Kia Stonic and DFSK Glory 500.

X25 has the features of aspirated 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine that is mated to 5-speed manual and 4-speed automatic transmission and it is capable of getting 116 hp and 148 Nm of torque. When you consider technology and safety features of the vehicle, this car has the similarity to its competitors and there are some other features of dual airbags, blind spot monitoring, stability control, automatic climate control, smart infotainment, traction control, parking assist, lane departure warning and other amenities.

The locally assembled, X25 is offered by Sazgar BAIC and it could be competitively priced vehicle and its price is started at about Rs.3.5 million.

MG 3

MG 3 is the sub-compact hatchback, which competes with Suzuki Swift, Toyota Vitz, Kia Rio and other small hatchbacks. This vehicle is offered in two engine options in the international market like 1.5-liter, which is naturally aspirated 4-cylinder petrol engine to make 105 hp and 137 Nm of torque and there is another vehicle, which is 1.5-liter, 4-cylinder petrol engine to make 109 hp and 150 Nm of torque. The former vehicle has the 5-speed manual transmission and the later is equipped with 4-speed automatic transmission.

This car have various modern features like smart infotainment system with Sat-Nav, multi-media controls on steering wheel, cruise control, four-speaker premium sound system, Bluetooth connectivity, rear parking sensors, AC with dust and pollen filter, USB/AUX connectivity, reverse camera with dynamic guidelines and various driver-assist modes.

This vehicle is designed in attractive design and there are number of features and it can have pocket-friendly price range. It is also said that this car will be released at less than Rs. 2 million. The company has not released the launching dates and price of this vehicle.

Suzuki Swift

Pak-Suzuki Motor Company (PSMC) is going to stop the releasing of Old Yeller (2nd generation Suzuki Swift) and the company has made the decision to introduced their latest generation Suzuki Swift. This car is the subcompact family hatchback and there is no need to introduce and compete it with other similar cars like Proton Saga, Toyota Vitz and the new coming BAIC D20.

This vehicle is offered in Pakistan and it is equipped with aspirated 1.2 liter, 4-cylinder petrol engine to make 90 hp and 113 Nm of torque. This vehicle is also provided with 5-speel manual or 5-speed AGS automatic transmission. The new Swift car is added with various stunning features including dual airbags, reverse camera, smart infotainment system, multi-media controls on steering wheel, various driver-assist modes, parking sensors, AC digital climate control and Bluetooth connectivity.

PSMC is making plan to release 4th generation Swift in 3rd or 4th quarter of 2022 and the starting price of this vehicle is about Rs.2.5 million.