You probably wouldn’t have heard of Al-Haj, as they are an up and coming car manufacturer, interested in making Pakistan a market for their products, especially one which goes by the name PROTON.
They have been granted the Greenfield investment status by the Ministry of Industries and Production which means that they can purchase land and start their production. The current plans include a first CKD plant in Karachi, which will be occupying a 55-acre area and an initial investment of $30 million. Available stats produce positive results as this would open employment opportunities which is numbered at around 2000 at first and then later on an additional 20,000, through indirect ways like promotional teams and local vendors. The capacity of the plant would be to produce 25,000 units of the PROTON.
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Syed Faisal Albar has stated that the first car that they would be producing would the Proton however, as the market grows they aim to produce other cars as well. By the look of it, it seems to be the cars for the majority of middle-class Pakistanis. However, uncertainty regarding taxes has created a very volatile business situation in Pakistan with the major car producers like Honda and Toyota halting their production for a brief period of time in protest, but to little gain. Similarly, it is expected that Al-Haj cars might be in the tax bracket, however, to encourage further investment they could initially be exempted from any taxation.
The eta on the project is that it would be completed by fall of next year. The aim is to establish itself in Pakistan and then move on with other countries to expand its network. This itself is a huge achievement for Al-Haj Automotive group as they are a company that thrive on fast-growth and quick results.
