ISLAMABAD: More than 15, 000 less vehicles were imported in year 2013-14 as compared to the previous fiscal year from nine countries. Some 49,360 vehicles were imported in 2012-13 whereas 34,501 vehicles were imported in 2013-14.
This trend marks decreasing buying power of the customers as well as reducing tendency of investors in putting capital in the market. A well-placed source at Finance Ministry told this scribe here on Monday that in previous years vehicle importers went for making huge investment in vehicle imports with a hope to get good profit and they definitely got good profit, but in the financial year 2013-14 the reducing buying power of the customers pushed the importers back from putting capital in the market.
As per official data available with this scribe demonstrated that 2530 buses, 461,56 cars, 334 trucks and 103 motorcycles were imported in fiscal year 2012-2013 as compared to 506 buses, 32068 cars, 420 trucks, and 83 motorcycles were imported in fiscal year 2013-14. However, the source said that number of vehicles imported for special purpose significantly rose in fiscal year 2013-14 to 1422 from 235 vehicles in the previous year.
The source said that nine countries from where the vehicles had been imported included Japan, UAE, UK, USA, Australia, Germany, China, Thailand, South Africa and Indonesia. Interestingly United Arab Emirates remained third largest vehicle exporter country to Pakistan .“UAE is the exporter of used vehicles to Pakistan because as an international market vehicles from round the globe are brought to UAE, refurbished and then exported to other countries,” the source observed.
It is pertinent to note here that China with a production of 18-14 million production units remained at the top of the list of vehicle manufacturing countries followed by United States with a production of 8.6 production units. Japan stands third with production of 8.3 million production units, Germany at fourth position with 6.3 million vehicle unit production, South Korea fifth with 4.6 vehicle production units, India sixth with 3.9 million units, Brazil seventh with production of 3.4 million production units, Mexico stands eighth with production of 2.6 million vehicle units, Spain remains ninth with production of 2.3 million vehicle units while France is the tenth largest vehicle manufacturing country in the world.
Moreover, Toyota, General Motors, Volkswagen Group, Nissan Pathfinder, Hyundai-Kia, Ford Focus Titanium, Fiat-Chrysler, Honda CR-V Touring, PSA Peugeot Citroen and BMW Group remained grasped top ten positions as per sale of their production units in the world market.
