Techies gadgets (HD video players, front and rear cameras and graphic map displays ) usually found in used cars that are imported into Pakistan have put pressure on local manufacture to install local devices in their locally assembled cars. While this has enriched the driving experience, any ensuing problems with such complex electronic require expertise in troubleshooting that is vastly expensive, if available with in the local automobile services sector.
However, despite these limitation, advancement like key-less entry, electronic power steering, 7-gear transmission, immobilisers and airbags are becoming commonplace, primarily in high-end cars locally marketed by manufactures such as Honda and Toyota. Furthermore, advance gadgets and features such as vision cameras, traction control, touch-enabled in-dash navigation system and multimedia are now readily available as add-ons upon extra payment.
These advancement will only become more widely available across lower-end models if prices are managed; one way of doing this by prospecting for cheaper company-ratified Indian and Chinese sourcing options. This means jumpstarting the Most Favored Nation (MFN) status with india, a move that local car parts manufacture believe will impact the industry negatively, especially given the government’s ambitious Deletion Programme, which calls for progressively ‘deleting’ imported part from locally assembled vehicles and replacing them with locally manufactured ones. But, granting the Most favored nation (MFN) status to India will reverse the progress made in achieving the deletions targets by the industry, aggravating an already-tense industry-government relationship over duties and used cars import policies.
Globally, the automobile industry remains the biggest consumer of technology for any product sold in the marketplace. In Pakistan however, the industry, limited in resources, planning and policy, is a long way from coming to Terms with the breakneck speed of development and cost of car technologies. Until then, the industry will have to only a few models and a bare slice of the consumer market.
By Mazhar M Chinoy