Used car imports to break monopolies

KARACHI:

All Pakistan Car Dealers & Importers Association (APCDIA) Chairman Mian Shoaib Ahmed has called for an end to discriminatory policies favouring a handful of automobile assemblers, stressing that allowing fair competition through regulated commercial imports of used vehicles will benefit consumers, create new business opportunities and compel local manufacturers to improve vehicle quality, safety standards and competitiveness.

Leading an APCDIA delegation during its visit to the Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Ahmed referred to the longstanding protection afforded to local assemblers and argued that prolonged protection had failed to deliver the desired improvements in vehicle quality, localisation and export performance. He underlined the need for a competitive and transparent automotive market in which manufacturers would have to improve their products and efficiency rather than depending on restrictive policies.

Welcoming progress towards the commercial import of used vehicles, Ahmed said that, despite the issuance of a notification, implementation had faced delays.