By Staff Reporter
KARACHI: Car sales plunged 51 percent in September to another historic low, the Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association (PAMA) said on Wednesday, as import restrictions have decimated the auto industry with parts shortages and spiralling prices.
Total car sales fell to 9,213 units in September compared with 18,971 units sold in the same month a year earlier, declining for a third straight month. Sales also crashed 50 percent in the first quarter (July-September) to 28,571 units against 57,539 sold in the same period last year.
Analysts said unavailability of CKD kits which led to non production days by auto manufacturers in September-2022 severely hit the industry.
Sales of 1300 cc and above cars came out at 4,715 units, down 46 percent, compared with 8,803 units in the same period last year. Sales of 1,000 cc cars clocked in at 1,517 units against 4,734 sold in the same month last year. These include 751 units of Suzuki Cultus and 766 of Suzuki WagonR.
Under 1,000 cc category car sales dropped to 2,981 units in the period under review against 5,434 units last year. Sales of buses and trucks dropped to 378 units in September from 507 units in the same period a year ago, while of that of jeeps and pick-ups nearly halved to 1,740 units from 3,270 sold during the same period a year earlier.
Tractors also were hit by a slump as only 2,149 units were booked by farmers in the period, compared to 4,377 units in September last. Sales of rickshaws and motorbikes decreased to 95,006 units in the month under discussion against 155,491 units in the same period in 2021.
Indus Motors Company sales dropped 32 percent month-on-month to 2,617 units in September 2022 from 3,876 units in August 2022. Honda Atlas also recorded a 29 percent month-on-month drop in sales to 1,280 units in September. A 79 percent month-on-month drop in sales of BRV put brakes on the Honda sales. Pak Suzuki sales, however, surged 52 percent month-on-month.
Hyundai sales went down 50 percent month-on-month to 967 units in September courtesy a 62 percent month-on-month drop in Tucson sales.
Among tractor-makers, Millat Tractors sales crashed 75 percent month-on-month and 72 percent year-on-year to 638 units due to the shutdown of the plant for 23 days in September amid floods. Al-Ghazi Tractors (AGTL) sales increased 6 percent to 1,511 units, month-on-month, while they fell 29 percent year-on-year.
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