Proton to open a new assembly plant in Pakistan

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian auto-manufacturer Proton will set up a new assembly plant in Pakistan. This plant will be Proton's first factory in a South Asian country. To execute this, the company has partnered with Al-Haj Automotive. The Al-Haj group is also known for assembling and manufacturing FAW (a Chinese state-owned automotive manufacturing company) vehicles.

Ikram Mohammad Ibrahim, the Malaysian High Commissioner to Pakistan, said, “Proton felt the potential for its cars in Pakistan is huge, which led to its partnership with Alhaj Automotive to establish an assembly plant near Karachi in Sindh province. This is significant because it will be Proton’s first (assembly) plant in South Asia.

An agreement was signed between Al-Haj Automotive and Proton back in August 2018 at Proton Motors’ head office in Kuala Lumpur. Based on the contract, the Al-Haj group will exclusively assemble and vend crossovers, sedans, EVs, SUVs, and hatchbacks of Proton in the country.

The opening ceremony is expected to happen today as Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is on a three-day official visit to Pakistan. Imran Khan, his Pakistani counterpart is also said to be present in the groundbreaking ceremony.

Ikram Mohammad has also claimed that the construction of the car factory is one of the essential parts of the investment relationship and bilateral trade between Pakistan and Malaysia. He also asserted that both the leaders would engage in discussions to burgeon the trade relationship between the two nations.

The setup plant may later bring the new generation Proton Saga, which was spotted in Pakistan a few weeks ago.