Automark

Under the automotive development policy 2016-2021, the government of Pakistan has awarded Greenfield investment status to Dysin Automobiles Ltd.  They have been in the Pakistani market and have been importing commercial vehicles from China for the past few years.

After being granted this status, they plan to assemble commercial vehicles i.e. trucks with Chinese counterparts. The will majorly work on the SINOTRUK and have obtained 25 acres of land to set up the plant in Hub, Balochistan.

Dysin will import trucks in Complete Knock Down and assemble them in Pakistan. Complete Knock Down (CKD) condition, refers to the manufacturing procedure in the automotive industry in which the parts are exported completely and then reassembled in the country where the finished product is to be sold.

The automotive development policy (2016-2021) encourages theformation of new assembly plant facilities, new and upgraded models with new technology.

After the introduction of Auto Policy in 2016 and based on its performance since its incorporation, DYSIN has decided to establish CKD manufacturing facility to harvest the Government incentives and growth opportunity in the market. For this purpose, DYSIN has acquired a land of 25 acres in Hub Industrial and Trading Estate (HITE) under LIEDA, Balochistan. The company has planned to roll over its first locally assembled vehicle in third quarter of calendar year 2020 with an estimate of an investment of two billion rupees in this CKD project.

The Company’s product technology, quality, performance and existing set up along with strong partnership with SINOTRUK has the potential of fulfilling the future market needs. DYSIN enjoys nation-wide presence with headquarters in Lahore and having 3 regional offices, 4 area offices, and a team of sales and after sales of more than 50professionals covering whole the territory; supported by 13 well established 3S dealers and more than 50 1S/2S dealers across entire route from Karachi to Gilgit Baltistan.

With their previous experience in dealing with the sale of trucks in the Pakistani market. This move is ideal for the Dysin Automobiles. At a time when the country’s auto sector is going through a recession, this seems to be a silver lining. Also, its presence in Balochistan is strategic and well planned to promote employment to the locals and take advantage of the huge market to be formed once the CPEC route is operational.

ABOUT SINOTRUK

SINOTRUK stepped into Pakistan market in 2013 by joining hands with a local partner, Dysin Automobiles Limited (DYSIN). DYSIN entered into distribution and technology license agreements with China National Heavy Duty Trucks Group Company (CNHTC) through M/s Sinotruk International, a wholly owned subsidiary of CNHTC, to exclusively import, assemble and market a wide range of Sinotruk vehicles in Pakistan.

From 2014 onwards, the Company imported CBU units and sold in local market. The products received positive feedback from the transporters community and the Company received repeat orders despite the somewhat inferior perception of Chinese origin products in Pakistani market.  DYSIN did show tremendous growth and sold more than 4,000 trucks in Pakistan from which more than 1,800 trucks are sold through direct import on account of DYSIN and remaining are facilitated sales from Sinotruk to clients in Pakistan, majorly Chinese construction companies working on CPEC projects. The Company has developed a strong clientele through product awareness and timely after sales services. It has established a comprehensive after sales network across the country through 3S dealers, 2S dealers, containerized and mobile workshops. The Company has a high tech training facility which is only second besides Hino Pakistan. The Company assured frequent repeat orders and positive customer feedback from large logistics companies which is a proof of acceptance of product by Pakistani market.

Honda has announced details on the refreshed 2020 Honda CR-V, which it says is the most popular crossover in America. The vehicle landed in dealerships earlier this month and for 2020 there is a new powertrain for the LX trim. The 2020 CR-V LX gains a 1.5-liter turbo engine and Honda Sensing safety suite as standard.

Honda notes that the MSRP for the 2020 CR-V starts at $25,050 excluding destination and handling. That makes a $600 price increase compared to last year’s model despite gaining in a new and more powerful engine and Honda Sensing as standard in the LX. All CR-V models get a new front bumper and grille and new headlight designs.

EX and EX-L trims get new alloy wheels, and Touring grades get new 19-inch wheels and tires. 2020 bings three new colors to the mix with Radiant Red Metallic, Sonic Gray Pearl, and Aegean Blue Pearl. The new engine in the LX trim replaces a 2.4-liter engine from the last year. The new turbo engine gives LX buyers six more horsepower and a broader torque curve along with better fuel efficiency than past years.

The 1.5-liter Turbo engine is now standard across the entire line. It makes 190 hp and 179 lb-ft of torque. All versions of the CR-V use a CVT transmission. Honda also has a two-motor hybrid powertrain coming with more information early next year on that version.

The addition of Honda Sensing to the base LX model for 2020 means that the entire range has Honda Sensing as standard. Honda Sensing includes Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) with Forward Collision Warning (FCW) and pedestrian sensing capability, Road Departure Mitigation (RDM) with Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with low-speed follow and Lane Keeping Assist (LKAS). The base CR-V LX 2-door is $26,145 with destination charge, and the all-wheel-drive version is $27,645. The top-of-the-line Touring AWD version sells for $35,845.

Courtesy: Slash Gear

It is about time that Pakistan also steps into producing and promoting electric cars and motorbikes in order to protect the environment. Auj technologies a Lahore base company, are the first to introduce Jolta e-Bikes which will be made in Pakistan.

Inauguration ceremony of environment friendly Jolta e-Bikes was held on 11^th November at Nisar auditorium in Lahore.

With 900 PKR per month expense Jolta e-Bikes will be soon available on showrooms for customers. Cars and rickshaws will also be electrified.

The founder of Jolta e-bikes, Mr. Raheel lqbal told the media at press club that Jolta E-70 and Jolta E-125 e-Bikes will soon be available in the market for sale.  These e-Bikes will work on electricity and have monthly expense of only 900 PKR and its range will be 70 KM.

Another great aspect about the e-bike is that it doesn’t possess parts like lever, mobile oil, chain and gear. It makes it very easy to charge the bikes as well, at home or the office.

While discussing about National Electric Vehicle Policy, Mr. Raheel said they are very pleased with the Prime Minister and Federal Ministry for approving first National Electric vehicle policy. They are thankful to add recommendations of AUJ technologies in the policy draft.

Furthermore, electric vehicles will contribute not only in pollution reduction but it also save the country’s Import Bill significantly. In Pakistan, 40% pollution is because of transport which causes problems like smog. By reducing the usage of these vehicles, another factor that also comes into play is oil import. Using electric cars and bikes will also reduce the import of oil. In addition to this, local industries will be installed which offer millions of jobs opportunities for local people.

Director marketing of a company (which produces e-Bikes that work with electrical energy) says AUJ technologies is first company in Pakistan that produce e-Bikes that work with electrical energy and design them locally.  All parts of e-Bikes like battery system, chargers, controller etc are produced locally, and therefore they will be available easily which will give a boost to our automotive industry. Pretty soon, rickshaws or cars will be electrified.

The Sindh government plans to stop the operation of ride-hailing van services ‘Airlift and Swvl’

Sindh and Mass transit secretary, Ghulam Abbas Detho has written a letter to Regional Transport Authority,secretary Nadir Shah, to put a hold on Airlift and Swvl services. He says that both companies have started their operations without first obtaining Non-objection certificate (NOC), fitness certificates of their vans and route permit.

“They have started operations in Karachi without getting registered with the regulatory authority,” Detho said, adding it is a violation of Section 2(5)(20) and Section 39 and 40 of the Motor Vehicle Ordinance, 1965.

The RTA secretary, Nazar Hussain Shahani has said that the authority has given these apps based services ‘Airlift and Swvl’ a week to fulfill the registration process or else DIG will be informed to take action against the service providers. 

He also that at present, Pakistan does not have legislation that deals with online transport services, however, the lawyers are working on this and it will soon be completed.

On the other hand, Executive Director Airlift, Syed Maher Hyder has said that they are ready to cooperate with Sindh authorities and fulfill all legal requirements, however; they have yet to receive any letter from the authorities. He also said that we have been assured by the government that the company is a part of the system and taxable. So the news of operations being stopped is just a mismatch of conversation. Further adding he said that the government should accept technological advancements as this will open roads to employment and ease of transport for the civilians. 

In regards of the law being drafted, minister transport Owais Shah said to Airlift, that the bill will be tailored to impose lesser taxes on online taxi and vans services in Sindh as compared to other provinces and the van services will be given a route permit. The bill will be discussed in the next Sindh Cabinet meeting.  

Airlift and Swvl are app-based van services which started operations last month. They have been quite popular amongst the citizens due to their A/C vans, the ease of booking rides and having cheaper rates than the online taxi services. Quickly gaining stardom ‘Airlift’ recently gained 12 million worth of investments and it seems to fulfill the lack of local transport system in a densely populated city like Karachi.

While the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade took the centre stage for Honda at this year’s EICMA, another interesting model that was unveiled was the Rebel 300 and Rebel 500. The updated models are one of the most popular offerings in the company’s line-up in the international markets.

Updates for the motorcycle for the upcoming model year comes in the form of new slipper-clutch that Honda claims reduce clutch lever effort by 30 per cent, this also supplements the control over the motorcycle during hard braking. In addition to this, the motorcycle also gets receive an updated front fork with stiffer springs and revised oil levels. The motorcycle also receives a new instrument cluster that displays gear position and fuel. This comes along with the thicker seat and a new LED headlight.

At the heart of the Rebel 500 is a 471cc parallel-twin, liquid-cooled engine, while the engine on the Rebel 300 is a 286cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled unit. Honda has announced that the motorcycle will go on sale in March 2020. While there has been no official word from the company about its scope in India, Honda did announce that it is planning to bring 5 brand-new models in the next fiscal year.

Courtesy: News18.com

Airlift was born in April 2019, with a vision to build a decentralized mass transit system—one that enables the use of higher-capacity vehicles, as opposed to single-car ownership and usage. The core belief is that this makes urban commute more efficient, while reducing traffic volume and carbon emissions in the increasingly congested, polluted cities of South Asia. The team are also driven by the mission of making daily commute safer and hassle-free for vulnerable groups like women, whose lack of mobility inhibits their economic and social participation.

With tens of thousands of daily commuters now relying on Airlift, they are excited to announce having secured $12M Series A financing, led by First Round Capital, a New York based venture capital firm, that has previously invested in companies like Uber and Square. This is not only First Round’s first investment outside the US, but also the first time that a leading US fund has invested in Pakistan. They are grateful to have played a role in this, and hope this signals a spurt for the country’s startup ecosystem.

In the wake of this financing round, they look forward to expanding our current team of 25, as well as scaling our network of buses and vans beyond Lahore and Karachi. This is also the right time for us to actively seek out exceptional teammates, and to invite their customers’ and fellow Pakistanis’ ideas and feedback. They are here to listen, adapt, and deliver! Their team would love to hear your thoughts about cities we should go to next, additional services we should provide, or other ways in which Airlift can make your commute easier. You can reach them at [email protected].

The Series A financing marks a key milestone in their vision for a progressive Pakistan – a Pakistan in which daily commute is neither unsafe nor a struggle, a Pakistan that is a profitable prospect for foreign investors, a Pakistan that provides exciting, meaningful work opportunities for young people, and a Pakistan that supports and enables ambitious entrepreneurs with a global vision. This has been, and continues to be, the vision of their founding team (Ahmed Ayub, Awaab Khakwany, Muhammad Owais, Meher Farrukh and Zohaib Ali).

Airlift is built in Pakistan, for Pakistan, and by Pakistan.

Courtesy: Linkedin