The Malaysian Car brand?s flagship SUV Proton X70 is performing great in Pakistan since its launch earlier this year. The company was only offering CBUs (Completely Built Units) in the local market. Now, According to the carmaker, Al-Haj Automotive, Proton’s exclusive distributor in Pakistan, the local assembly of the C-segment SUV will begin in December this year.
The Proton X70 will be the second Proton model to assemble in Pakistan. Following the Proton Saga, which began production at Al-Haj Automotive’s Karachi plant on October 13. On October 17, a final batch of 154 Proton X70 units has been shipped to Pakistan. It is the last shipment before the start of the local assembly. The total number of CBU units exported to the country now stands at 602.
According to Proton Edar CEO Roslan Abdullah, demand for Proton models in Pakistan remains strong, with 2,500 and 2,000 orders for the Saga and X70, respectively, received. Meanwhile, Al-Haj Automotive CEO Hilal Khan Afridi praised Proton, the Al-Haj team, its suppliers, and vendors for their contributions to the successful assembly of the Proton Saga in Pakistan.
The plant costs $20 million and has an initial annual capacity of 25,000 units, according to the automaker. Proton’s Greenfield factory in Karachi is now operational. The company hopes to begin local assembly of the Proton X70 units as soon as the CKD kits arrive. Reports suggest, Proton Pakistan will begin importing the CKD (Completely Knocked Down kits in December this year.
