Proton started local-assembly of Saga in Pakistan

KUALA LUMPUR: The popularity of Proton continues to grow in several markets like Pakistan, Egypt, and Brunei. And as a result, the Malaysian automaker started the production of the Proton Saga in Pakistan; the first unit of the sedan rolled out in the country on October 13, 2021.

The authorized distributor of Proton cars in Pakistan, Al-Haj Automotive’s greenfield production plant is located in Karachi. It was built at a cost of US$20 million, which is approximately equal to RM 83 million. Its initial annual capacity is rated at 25,000 units that is supposed to be increased as per market demand.

The plant equips all advanced technologies for the production of the cars like the use of robots in Weld and Paint shops, Manufacturing Execution System (MES) for computerized monitoring and control of production, and more. To ensure the best quality vehicles, it gets high-end vehicle testing equipment including Advance Driver Assistance System and Multi-function Testing Equipment.

During the inauguration, Chief Executive Officer of Al-Haj Automotive Hilal Khan Alfridi said, “The successful assembly of the Proton Saga in Pakistan is the culmination of the hard work and untiring efforts of Proton, the entire Al-Haj team, its suppliers, and vendors. Even with Covid-19 restrictions in place, we continued to push to build our new assembly plant and as such, we are confident it will set new industry standards and enable us to introduce more products that meet the international quality levels set by Proton.”

After the Saga, Proton Pakistan is set to start the local assembly of the X70 before the end of the year, confirmed Roslan Abdullah, Chief Executive Officer, Proton Edar. “This will allow Al-Haj Automotive and Proton to establish a strong market presence in the country to benefit future sales growth,” he concluded.

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