Automark

The passenger car segment in Pakistan has been pre dominated and monopolized by Japanese based OEM’s. The prior efforts to introduce and expand the competition till this very instant have been not very successful either due to the lack of Brand Recognition and Brand Prestige, Quality flaws in the products introduced or failure of establishment of Aftersales network. Previous attempts made belonged to both globally recognized brands as well as local industrial tycoons however all have had to bite the dust till this point on.
Al-HajFAW is a brand name which is well known in the heavy vehicle and trucking sector of Pakistan after having established its strong hold as the major shareholder in the Pakistani market and breaking the back of monopolistic industry. Until this very instant, Al-HajFAW has not made a serious push into the passenger car segment the only previous effort made from Al-HajFAW includes the introduction of passenger carriers named X-PV; however, with the introduction of FAWV2 the Chinese backed OEM has now placed its first foot hold in the car segment of Pakistan..
The V2 is based on a small hatchback platform based on Toyota Vitz, however the package on offer is a brilliant surprise.
Starting from the power plant the car is equipped with a 1.3L EFI engine equipped with VCT-i more commonly known to us as VVT or electronically controlled Variable valve timing, this technology is 100% acquired from Internationally very known Japanese brand. This means that the engine churns out 90bhp and that too with the availability of power and torque throughout the entire RPM band while not compromising the fuel economy. Claims for the approximated theoretical fuel economy have been made by the official FAW personnel to be somewhere around 16 Km/l however practical testing has revealed the fuel economy figures of around 11-13 Km/l depending obviously on the driving conditions and the accessories used by the driver.
The exterior is not as aesthetically appealing as compared to the stylish rival hatchbacks, however acloser observation reveals features that are eye catching and worth having. The tail lamps comprise of LED illumination while the car comes equipped with standard High Mount tail lamp mounted on rear spoiler featured alongside with the turn signal lamps available on the side view mirrors. The next big attraction is the standard 6 spoke alloy wheels that illuminate the exterior package.
When it comes to features of interior, the V2 surprises us with excellent illumination of the central console coupled with the barrel type instrument panel which houses the speedometer and tachometer. When it comes to electronic featuresV2 is fully equipped with the standard features one could possibly imagine within a local top end model. V2 comes with standard power windows and central locking features. The car also comes equipped with power steering for the ease of maneuvering across the urban environment.
For any car being spacious is a must these days. The height of the car is suitable enough to accommodate the tallest of passengers while the interior has enough room to easily accommodate 5 passengers. Talking about the boot, the space provided is comparable to the rival hatchbacks.
Safety is a prime concern of any family man willing to go for the purchase of any vehicle. The car comes equipped with standard twin frontal Airbags for driver and passenger not forgetting the fact that Seatbelts come as standard for all four passengers. The USP of the vehicle is availability of standard built in Crash door beams which reduce the body crumble in case of a side impact. This feature is found as an option in the prestige vehicles on offer by our local OEMS. FAW V2 also comes equipped with Bosch ABS and EBDsystems which ensure that braking effort is optimized even for the naive drivers.
The driving comfort is assured as the car houses independent suspension for all four wheels. This means that handling the odd pot holes and speed bumps is a charm and the passenger remains isolated from the resulting harm. With the local Emission standards compliance a necessity as per the instructions of EPA, the V2 comes with a Euro 4 emission rating standard, which outmatches most of its rivals.
As far as my personal perspectives are concerned, the V2 is fairly reasonable when it comes to comparison in between the imported vehicles, the V2 should be a better option. What we have observed in the past is a fact that though the imported used cars is worth buying only however when it comes to the availability and cost of spares the customer is left in tears. For the V2, this won’t be a problem as the vehicle comes from an already established OEM in Pakistan and it is certain that the customer would be able to find the spare parts at the nationwide 3Sdealerships network, if not road side vendors. So for those considering imported used car purchase in the near future due to additional features and performance on offer at an affordable price, it is recommended that they go for aVizi V2 test drive which won’t disappoint for sure amid their expectations.
We have to keep the fact in mind that European Automotive sector has clearly claimed that the streets of Europe would start pouring with Chinese based passenger cars within a matter of five years based on study that the Economic giant has taken over the manufacturing industry of the world. Considering this fact we have to consider the case of FAW V2 seriously. If the Chinese based cars would be able to take over the western world within a short time based on the fact that the product and manufacturing quality over the time has increased drastically while keeping the costs fairly very reasonable to the global competition mainly Japanese and Korean why isn’t it possible that they could establish a stronghold in our local sector as well? Let’s hope for the very best for V2 laying our trust on it to bring the winds of change for our local market. Cheers!
by Team Monthly AutoMark Magazine

In the past decade, the demand of imported cars has grown to an immense level, giving a tough time to the local manufacturers, who once used to enjoy the monopoly of selling their cars with whatever they had to offer. Now, with the technological advancement and a vast variety of substitutes available, the local manufacturers are facing a hard time keeping up with the market.

This article highlights the prominent facts which make the buyer more inclined towards a used imported car rather than a brand new locally manufactured one.
Imported cars, though they’re used, still have more value for your cash compared to a local one. For reference, let’s make a comparison. In the budget of 2 million rupees, the local automakers only 2 choices, while the imported used cars market offer at least 6 choices.

In imports, you can get the fuel saving hybrids with all latest gadgets and safety options, and in locals, you get the older technology equipped Honda City or Toyota Corolla. Not that they are bad cars, but they are expensive and do not offer the same value for money like the imported ones offer. In simple words, the locally available cars are over-priced and under-equipped vehicles.

Let’s take the same cars we’ve discussed above and squeeze them a bit more. The locally assembled cars offer no airbags, average in-car-entertainment systems, manual air conditioning systems, limited and manual seat adjustments and a few more features, which can be ignored, but they still matter. The imports, on the other hand have a lot more to offer than these local ones, and that too with a superior material and build quality. They are equipped with over 6 airbags, Assisted Anti-Lock Braking (ABS) systems, great in-car-entertainment systems, and almost everything is electrically controlled including the air-conditioning.

In the Hybrid car category of the imports, the fuel consumption is cut to half of as compared to the local ones. Moreover, they still cost less than the new ones, because you don’t get to pay the recently introduced ‘sales tax’ which varies upon engine capacity.

In a nutshell, it is clear why the imported used cars are taking over the roads of Pakistan, because in this age of technology, the average buyer if well informed and know that imports offer much more value and squeeze more out of the money spent on them when compared to the locally assembled cars, all while knowing and not caring that the imported cars are actually used cars.

Author Bio:

Fahad Mehmood is a keen car enthusiast and a photographer by profession. He’s been an active PakWheels member since the beginning. When he’s not writing about cars, he’s shooting people and things with his camera.

Islamabad—Almost all the federal educational institutions lack proper transport facilities to fulfill the needs of their students. Only 30 out of 422 institutions of Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) have less than 100 buses.

A large number of students sitting on rooftops or stuffed inside private buses is a common sight both in the morning and after school hours. Some of them travel while hanging along doors put their lives at risk. Shazia, a student at Islamabad Model Postgraduate College F-7/2, said she could not remember a day since taking admission that when she travelled to or from the college sitting on seat as the bus was always overcrowded.

“Sometimes as many as 80 students are crowded in the bus having capacity of 50 seats,” she added. A significant number of the college buses are old, worn out and defective with faulty brakes, bald tyres, dysfunctional rear brake lights and warning lights putting the lives of students at stake. Imran, a student of H-8 College said, “My college bus has broken seats and damaged roof which leaks when it rains. Travelling during rain becomes a nightmare. I have to spend first hour in college recuperating from the bus ride and another hour at home after return journey.”

A bus driver of H-8 College said, “There are four buses in this college, two of them are very old (1972 model). There are no spare parts in the store and even the ones procured are not of good quality.” Professor Mehmood Ali Khokher of H-8 College said the college despite being postgraduate, had only four old buses.—APP