since 1976
since 1976
When the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Yang Amat Berhormat Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad visited Pakistan for the country’s Resolution Day Celebrations in March this year, he gifted the Prime Minister of Pakistan, His Excellency Mr. Imran Khan, a unit of the Proton X70 during a ceremonial plaque signing ceremony. Yesterday, Malaysian car manufacturer PROTON delivered a Proton X70 to the government of Pakistan.
Representing Malaysia at the handover ceremony were His Excellency Mr. Ikram Mohammad Ibrahim, Malaysian High Commissioner to Pakistan, as well as En. Mohd Khalid Yusof, Director of Investment and Promotion, PROTON. Receiving on behalf of the Pakistan Government were Mr. Abdul Razak Dawood, Advisor to the Prime Minister for Commerce, Textile, Industry & Production, and Investment of Pakistan. Also present was Mr. Al-Haj Shah Jee Gul Afridi, Chairman of ALHAJ Automotive the official distributor for Proton vehicles in Pakistan.
While the first unit is earmarked for Mr Imran Khan, it will not be the only Proton X70 in Pakistan. Work is underway at a Greenfield site in Karachi to build a new CKD assembly plant that will be owned and operated by ALHAJ Automotive. Production activities are currently scheduled to begin in 2021 with plans being formulated for the assembly of several models in the country.
New assembly plant to help PROTON achieve its goals and create local jobs
By building an assembly plant in Pakistan with ALHAJ Automotive, PROTON hopes to take advantage of reduced duties for CKD vehicles in the country. This will assist the Company in achieving its long term goals to sell 400,000 vehicles by 2027.
The new CKD assembly plant in Karachi will be built with an initial investment of USD30 million and will create 2,000 direct employment opportunities in its first three years of operations. It is estimated that a further 20,000 indirect jobs will also be created as a result of the new plant being commissioned.
