Automark

Indus Motor, Honda Atlas Cars (Pakistan) Limited, Pak Suzuki Motor Company, Hinopak, FAW Motors, Jwforland, KIA Motors, Hyundai Nishat Motors, Master Motors, JwForland, Dysin Automobile, Regal Automobile, United Bravo and Changhan Motors said on Monday that they have halted operations at their plants in Pakistan due to the spread of the new coronavirus. Announcements issued from the assemblers after recent decision to lockdown by the provinces.

Indus Motors has suspended operations at its plant in Karachi near Port Qasim as employees could not commute to the sites after the Sindh government instructed for complete lockdown and public transportation operators to suspend business.
Indus Motor Company also released a memo stating that they fully support the government’s efforts to stop the spread of CONVID 19. Hence, their production plants have been closed until further notice. They also said that the halt will lead to a delay in the delivery of new vehicles to the customers, for which they apologized.
Indus Motors just introduced Toyota’s new model of Yaris last week and the variants are ready for display and test drive at all dealerships across the country, which have also been delayed.

Honda Atlas Cars (Pakistan) Limited also has stopped operations at vehicle assembly facilities for all models of cars as well as two motorcycle plants until 6th April. Punjab government also announced for lockdown of the whole Punjab province for 2 weeks.
Leading passenger vehicle assembler Pak Suzuki, the market leader in Pakistan stopped output at their Port Qasim, Karachi plant.

FAW, first Chinese vehicle assembler of passenger car, light and heavy commercial vehicle also halt production of all vehicles at their facilities in Karachi.

Similarly Korean assemblers KIA shutdown their newly stablish plant at Port Qasim while Hyuandi Nishat stopped production of recently launch Hyuandi light commercial pickup Porter H-100. Japanese truck assembler in Pakistan Hinopak also halt it’s all truck assembling. Chinese assembler Jwforland, Regal Automobile, United Motors, Master Motors, Changan Motors and Dysin Automobile said it has halted its auto plant in the Pakistan for the safety of employees and will restart after official lockdown from government is over.

Likewise, all trye manufactures including Service Industries Limited, Panther Tyres Limited, General Tyre and other brands also shutdown their manufacture plants.
It is worth to mention here that all parts suppliers of the OEM’s also shutdown their parts manufacturing facilities across the country after announcements of lockdown and OEM shutdown intimation.

Japanese carmakers’ production in Central and South America has also been effected.
Nissan said it will suspend its vehicle manufacturing in Mexico from Wednesday to April 14, while Toyota will halt its plant in Brazil from Tuesday to April 3 and has stopped production at its factory in Argentina from Friday to March 31.

Mitsubishi Motors Corp., meanwhile, stopped operations at its factory on the northern Philippine island of Luzon from March 17 and will continue the measure until April 12th in line with the Philippine government’s measure restricting residents from going outdoors.
Toyota and other Japanese automakers have resumed operations in China, where the coronavirus epidemic started, but have been shutting operations at its factories in the United States and Europe in line with governments’ requests for residents to stay indoors to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The compact SUV comes with an air filtration system capable of preventing viruses such as Covid-19 from entering the cabin, claims the company.
To combat the coronavirus epidemic which has resulted in 95,000 infected patients and over 3,000 deaths globally till date, the Chinese automaker Geely Auto has unveiled its new compact SUV Icon which comes equipped with an air filtration system capable of preventing bacteria and viruses such as Covid-19 from entering the cabin, claims the company.

“In response to the new Coronavirus epidemic, Geely Auto developed in record time a new Intelligent Air Purification System (IAPS) that is N95 certified. This highly efficient air purification system works in tandem with the Icon’s air conditioner to isolate and eliminate harmful elements in the cabin air including bacteria and viruses,” said the company in a press release.

The Icon SUV was launched online on February 24 and reportedly has received 30,000 pre-orders before the official launch, as per the parent company of Volvo and Lotus brands.
Geely had pledged to spend $53m on combating the virus. The N95 standard has the ability to block at least 95% of very small (0.3 microns) particles. However, coronavirus particles often measure less than this, so its effectiveness still needs to be gauged.

The Icon SUV is based on a concept that the Chinese company showed at the 2018 Beijing Motor Show, and is offered in petrol and hybrid setups.

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, the launch of Toyota Yaris by Indus Motor Company (IMC) which was set to be 27^th March 2020 in Lahore is now rescheduled in Karachi at Indus assembly plant at Port Qasim on 24^th March 2020.

However, with the ongoing situation, Toyota Yaris launch plans may be postponed due to corona virus. A new date has not been announced yet.

According to Automark sources “No firm decision has been taken about the launch as the situation is changing daily.”  However, market sources say that the company might do a soft launch.

The company at the start of March did a line-off ceremony of Toyota Yaris in the Karachi plant at Port Qasim and the car was only displayed to the dealers.

Also Read : Indus Motor Company finally reveals the awaited model ‘Toyota Yaris’ in Pakistan

According to market sources, the corona outbreak has to have an adverse effect on the automotive market in Pakistan and vendors are facing a shortage of vehicle spare parts. Like most of the world, corona has hit Pakistan and the question is whether the industry is able to sustain these delays and shortages?

Toyota Yaris has been in replacement of the discontinued models namely XLI and GLI which were the most popular models of Toyota since their introduction back in 2000-2001 and they gave Toyota about 65% of their sales.

The features of the car are yet to be released. However, the car enthusiasts say that the length, width, and height of the car would be as 4425mm, 1730mm, 1475mm. Whereas the wheelbases would be 2250mm.

The engine of the car is in line 4 cylinders, 16-valve DOHC with it-i. The engine capacity is 1496cc. The highest power output is 6000rpm and the torque us 4200 rpm. The speed is 170km/h, fuel consumption 5.8/100 km and the tank capacity is 42 liters.

The price of Toyota Yaris is expected to be set around a bracket of 23-24 lacs.  The Yaris is a popular model that has been popular in many countries. It was first introduced in Thailand with the name Yaris Ativ.

The delay and the closing of plants have already left the industry at a loss. If the coronavirus lasts longer, the effects will be larger than one can imagine now.

Fiat Chrysler is temporarily closing four plants in Italy as the novel coronavirus takes its toll on the world’s eighth biggest economy.

The move follows a decision by the Italian government to impose sweeping restrictions on travel and public gatherings as it tries to contain the worst outbreak of the coronavirus, or Covid-19, outside China.

The Italian-American automaker said in a statement Wednesday that plants will be closed and production rates reduced “to support the nationwide campaign addressing the Covid-19 crisis.”

The closure of plants in Europe illustrates how the impact on the auto industry from coronavirus is going global. The pandemic has already resulted in extended factory closures and a steep drop in vehicle sales in China.

A spokesperson for Fiat Chrysler said the plants affected in Italy will be closed for the rest of the week to “minimize the risk” of contagion among employees. They are expected to reopen on March 16.

To limit contact among workers, the company said it will increase space between employees at their workstations. This will require a change to manufacturing processes and lead to lower daily production rates.

Other measures to contain the spread of the virus include enabling some employees to work from home and controlling numbers at company cafeterias.

Italy on Monday imposed widespread restrictions on travel and public life across the country, including closing schools, movie theaters, museums and gyms, and limiting opening hours for bars, restaurants and shops.

Economists say the measures are likely to push the country’s already fragile economy into a sharp downturn that will put Italian hotels, travel companies and restaurants under intense pressure.

Another threat to carmakers

Global automakers have been battling supply chain disruptions after a coronavirus lockdown in China idled parts suppliers and forced some carmakers to temporarily halt production in the country.

Volkswagen, the world’s largest carmaker, said Wednesday that almost all its locations in China are producing again. Nissan was able to restart three of its plants in China last month. But two others — one located near ground zero for the virus in Hubei province and the other in neighboring Henan — are only expected to reopen later this week.

A steep drop in demand in China has threatened to push the industry deeper into recession. Passenger vehicle sales in China, the world’s largest market for cars, fell 92% in the first half of February.

The emergence of a large number of coronavirus cases in Europe threatens another key sales and production hub for global carmakers.

Europe’s automotive industry is highly integrated, with supply chains that cross multiple countries. Germany is home to Volkswagen, as well as BMW and Daimler. Renault and Peugeot, which is merging with Fiat Chrysler, are based in France.

If France and Germany are forced to follow Italy in implementing sweeping restrictions to contain the spread of coronavirus, car manufacturers will be in for much more pain.

A spokesperson for Volkswagen said that its factories outside China are working “without any significant restrictions.” But the company, which owns Lamborghini, said it’s watching the situation in Italy “very closely.”

Source: This article was originally published on “news-daily.com“

Providing a glimpse of normalcy for an auto industry and world gripped by fear of the coronavirus, Honda Motor’s car assembly plant in Wuhan, China — the city at the epicenter of the global pandemic, partially resumed production Wednesday 11th March.

Honda has now put all of its production bases in China back to work. Honda initially aimed to restart production in the capital of Hubei province as early as Feb. 24, but was compelled to extend the suspension until Tuesday in accordance with the policy of the Chinese provincial government.

The assembly plant, which built 791,518 vehicles last year, shut down for the annual Chinese spring holiday Jan. 23. Scheduled to reopen Feb. 3, the plant was closed indefinitely when the Chinese government sealed off Hubei province to control the virus’ spread.

“This is important, good news,” Eric Noble of consultant The Carlab said. “Never underestimate the resiliency of the auto industry.”

Honda’s joint venture with local automaker Dongfeng Honda Automobile Co. Ltd. employs 12,000. Honda said parts of three four-wheel vehicle plants in the city restarted operations on Wednesday in what it called “small volumes.” The plants have a combined output of 600,000 units a year.

Meanwhile, Nissan Motor Co. plans to restart is plants in Xiangyang, also in Hubei province, and Zhengzhou in Henan province within this week. “We are preparing for the resumption while trying to ensure the safety of workers and closely monitoring supply chain conditions,” a Nissan official said.

Courtesy: Japantimes.co.jp

Chinese President Xi Jinping in his visit to Pakistan in June will be inaugurating Foton JW Auto Park (Pvt.) Ltd. which is the biggest private venture of electric car manufacturing in Pakistan, According to sources.

JW Auto Park are also going to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Morris garages for electric vehicles. MG was previously a British brand and has recently been taken over by Chinese Company.

About JW Auto Park
Their plant was launched in 2018 in November and they are the first Pakistani company which has a 50% partnership with a Chinese company which is Changsha Foton Vehicle Technology Co. Ltd. The initial investment was 150 million by both companies and the joint venture established an assembly plant after receiving Greenfield status.

The plant capacity, in its initial phase, is producing 30,000 units per annum, which is located over 50-acre land in Lahore. Light and medium commercial cargo and dump trucks, SUVs and minivans are included in the Phase-I product range that employs more than 500 people. According to the sources, both the companies are planning to expand the plant set up in Phase II & III with an investment of $300 million in the auto sector.

This joint venture is aiming to expand the plant capacity to 100,000 units per year with 100 acres of land to increase its product range in the future as well. The completion of Phase II & III will also result in increased employment of around 3500. The expansion of product range would later include assembling heavy trucks, buses, and various energy vehicles.

JW has been the silent leader in the Auto Industry and quiets the newsmaker. In its plans for the next 5 years, Foton JW Auto Park also aims to become the leading commercial vehicle manufacturer in Pakistan.

About MG Motor UK Limited (MG Motor)

MG Motor UK Limited (MG Motor) is a British automotive company headquartered in Longbridge, Birmingham, England,[2] and a subsidiary of SAIC Motor UK, which in turn is owned by the Shanghai-based Chinese state-owned automotive SAIC Motor. MG Motor designs, develops and markets cars sold under the MG marque. MG Motor is the largest importer of Chinese made cars into the United Kingdom. The marque returned to competitive motorsport in 2012, and won the 2014 British Touring Car Manufacturers Championship.

Indus Motor Company (IMC) held Toyota Yaris line-off ceremony in Karachi at their plant in Port Qasim. The car was displayed for the dealers whereas the official launch of the car will be done on 27th March 2020 in Lahore. The deliveries of the Toyota Yaris are expected to commence from April 2020.

The car has been in replacement of the discontinued models namely XLI and GLI which were the most popular models of Toyota since their introduction back in 2000-2001 and they gave Toyota about 65% of their sales.

The features of the car are yet to be released. However, the car enthusiasts say that the length, width, and height of the car would be as 4425mm, 1730mm, 1475mm. whereas the wheelbases would be 2250mm.

The engine of the car is in line 4 cylinders, 16-valve DOHC with it-i. The engine capacity is 1496cc. The highest power output is 6000rpm and the torque us 4200 rpm. The speed is 170km/h, fuel consumption 5.8/100 km and the tank capacity is 42 liters.

The price of Toyota Yaris is expected to be set around a bracket of 23-24 lacs.
The Yaris is a popular model that has been popular in many countries. It was first introduced in Thailand with the name Yaris Ativ.

With the official launch and a glance of the Yaris feature on 27th March 2020 in Lahore. We will finally be able to answer the questions that will this car be a good replacement for the popular models. Moreover, the customer’s reaction to the car will tell if this car will be able to help Indus Motor Company (IMC) hold the same market value it did with Xli and GLi.

Another all-electric Honda, and maybe also some plug-in hybrids are coming to Europe.

By 2022, Honda intends to introduce its second all-electric model in Europe after the Honda e enters the market this summer with a sales target of 10,000 units annually.

The news comes from Honda Motor Europe’s Senior Vice President Tom Gardner, who didn’t share any details about the new BEV though.

The Japanese manufacturer is accelerating its electrification strategy, based mostly on conventional hybrids, to comply with stricter CO2 emission requirements in the European Union.

Honda recently introduced the new Jazz, which comes only as a regular hybrid. Between 2021-2022 there will be four new electrified models (one BEV and three hybrids with small chances for some plug-in hybrid options).

• new Civic compact hybrid (maybe plug-in hybrid)
• new HR-V small SUV hybrid
• maybe Accord midsize saloon or Clarity midsize plug-in hybrid

It seems that Honda modifies the plan more towards BEVs/PHEVs in Europe.

Courtesy: UK.motor1.com

In 2019, Turkey’s Leading International Automotive Industry Fair hosted 1.397 exhibitors from 37 countries and 48.737 visitors from 130 countries breaking its own records once more.

Although 2020 edition was expected to break a new record again and there are no cases confirmed in Turkey, unfortunately in light of the recent unforeseeable developments concerning the increasing speed of virus spread, COVID-19 (Coronavirus) for which the World Health Organization classified as epidemic and its widespread to an unprecedent area in a great speed, taking into consideration the public health and as a result of liaising with the industry’s leading associations and the stakeholders of Automechanika Istanbul and corresponding the various requests received from attendees and exhibitors of the fair and in order to not result with any forfeiture of rights or aggrievement, Automechanika Istanbul fair which was initially projected to be held between the dates of 02-05 April 2020 is postponed to 25-28 June 2020.

Turkey’s Leading International Automotive Industry Fair shall now be held on 25-28 June 2020 at the TUYAP Fair and Exhibition Center instead of 02-05 April 2020.

The Coronavirus epidemic has spread at an unforeseeable pace and form and has been classified as an infectious disease by the World Health Organization with the adverse ripple effects of this epidemic being felt globally, ranging from the economy to healthcare, with national and international authorities all aggreging that it poses a grave and great public health risk. In this aspect, we have taken into consideration the hinderance that the international travel restrictions and Turkish domestic travel restrictions could cause on potential visitors and exhibitor entities, together with our duties towards the elimination of public health risks, as well as many similar international fairs within the industry, we have decided to amend the dates of the fair and postpone it.

New Dates: Automechanika Istanbul to be held at 25-28 June 2020.

The world’s third largest and Turkey’s leading international automotive industry fair shall convene for a 14th time between 18-21 June 2020 at TUYAP Fair and Exhibition Center. 2019 was a record shattering year for Automechanika Istanbul with 1397 attendees hosting a grand total of 48,737 visitors hailing from all over the globe. The fair gathers the Turkish, North African, European, and Middle Eastern automotive industries and acts as an indispensable meeting hub for Turkey and the surrounding region.

For further information: www.automechanika.com.tr

Automechanika Istanbul is made possible with the help of the Turkish Trade Ministry

Our Partners & Contributors

AASA – Automotive Aftersales Supplies Association, APRA – Automotive Parts Remanufacturers Association, AKUDER – Automotive Battery and Recycles Association, ASA – Automotive Service Equipment Manufacturers and Importers Association (Germany), AUS Turkey – Intelligent Transport Systems Association, EGEA – European Garage Equipment Association (Belgium), FIGIEFA – Automotive Aftermarket Distributors (Belgium), HDMA – Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association, Turkish Composites Manufacturers Association, MEMA – Motor Equipment Manufacturers Association, OAC – Overseas Automotive Council, OIB – Automotive Industry Exporters’ Association, OSS – Turkish Automotive Aftermarket Association, OTOMDER – Automotive Engineers Association, TAYSAD – Automotive Suppliers Association of Turkey, TEHAD – Turkish Electric and Hybrid Autos Association, Italian Chamber of Commerce in Turkey, ITO – Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, TOBFED – Turkish Automotive Servicing Associations Federation, ZDK – German Federation for Motor Trades and Repairs, KOSGEB – Small and Medium Enterprises Development Organization of Turkey.

Background information on Messe Frankfurt

Messe Frankfurt is the world’s largest trade fair, congress and event organiser with its own exhibition grounds. With more than 2,600* employees at 30 locations, the company generates annual sales of around €733* million. We have close ties with our industry sectors and serve our customers’ business interests efficiently within the framework of our Fairs & Events, Locations and Services business fields. One of the Group’s key USPs is its closely knit global sales network, which extends throughout the world. Our comprehensive range of services – both onsite and online – ensures that customers worldwide enjoy consistently high quality and flexibility when planning, organising and running their events. The wide range of services includes renting exhibition grounds, trade fair construction and marketing, personnel and food services. Headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, the company is owned by the City of Frankfurt (60 percent) and the State of Hesse (40 percent).

For more information, please visit our website at: www.messefrankfurt.com