Proton rolls out first locally-assembled X70 in Pakistan

KUALA LUMPUR: Al-haj Automotive which operates Proton Pakistan has conducted a line-off ceremony marking the roll-out of the first locally-assembled X70 in the country. The arrival of the Completely Knocked Down (CKD) unit was hugely delayed due to the pandemic.

In Pakistan, the CKD X70 is dubbed as ‘the first intelligent SUV’ to be assembled. As per initial plans, Proton Pakistan was due to start the assembly of the X70 in 2020. However, the pandemic, followed by lockdown in Malaysia delayed the shipment of CKD kits along with the delivery of Completely Built Units (CBU) of the SUV and the Saga.

Also Read: Proton sold 114,708 units in 2021; becomes best-selling SUV brand

With the restrictions slowly easing, Pakistan received the required CKD kits and thus rolled out the very first locally-assembled X70 in the country. The news was announced via a post on the company’s social media account that read, “Al-Haj Automotive rolls out the first locally assembled X70 from its state-of-the-art vehicle assembly plan, continuing to set it to industry standards in Pakistan.”

The interesting bit is the CKD X70 in Pakistan will enjoy a slight price reduction of around 100,000 Pakistan rupees (RM 2,375), thanks to the reduced federal excise duty. The custom duty in Pakistan has also been reduced from 7 to 2 percent.

Further, Proton Pakistan has assured the customers about the locally-assembled SUV’s quality, saying, they have “kept quality measures in place to ensure that the CKD units have the same quality as CBU units.” Also, the car is offered with the same specifications and features as before.

Also Read: Roslan Abdullah becomes the new Deputy CEO of Proton