BAIC D20- An Ideal Alternative of Proton Saga?

In presence of a flurry of expensive crossovers introduced in recent times, we were badly waiting for an affordable sedan to be launched in Pakistan that’s targeted towards the mass-market buyers.

Changan Alsvin first emerged on the scene with company making huge claims to have challenged the status quo, however with multiple price increments announced in quick successions, it no longer seems to be challenging the established players, although the base variant is available for PKR 21.49 lac, it remains the least desirable one amongst the Alsvin variants as far as the sales are concerned.

Then came Proton Saga which was touted as the cheapest sedan in Pakistan, but with the assembly plant yet to become operational, Proton was heavily counting on CBUs. However the COVID-19 lockdowns in Malaysia caused a complete stop to the CKDs and CBUs thus leaving a bad impression on the brand with Proton yet to deliver a single locally assembled unit as of date, even after 7 months of launching the Saga sedan.

Now however the BAIC D20 sedan by Sazgar Engineering Works Limited (SEWL) is the ray of hope for auto consumers of Pakistan. Initially Sazgar was only testing the D20 hatchback but later on decided to bring in the sedan derivative among its offerings. Whats good is that unlike Proton, the Sazgar plant is complete and operational and has already went through the test production phase. The company has also recently informed the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) that it will commence commercial production from 1st September 2021.

Recently, Sazgar-BAIC on its official Facebook page posted a video hinting the launch of the BJ40 SUV, which will be first locally assembled BAIC vehicle in Pakistan to go on sale. However one can notice in the video above, that the production of X25 crossover, D20 hatchback as well as the D20 sedan is already underway. This is a sound move to have the plant in operational condition prior to the formal launch which will ensure quicker deliveries due to ample stocks at company’s disposal.