Proton to (Finally) Start Local Assembly of X70 SUV

The Malaysian car brand Proton is gaining momentum here in Pakistan. The company has recently inaugurated its first vehicle assembly plant in Karachi and rolled out the first locally assembled unit of Proton Saga. With the great news, all eyes are now on the Proton X70. Everyone wants to know when the company will start locally assembling the X70 SUV, and the answer is before the end of this year.

Malaysian-Made CBU Units of Proton X70

According to a Malaysian media outlet, the final batch of 154 Proton X70 CBU units has been shipped from Malaysia to Pakistan. That means the delivery of booked CBU units of X70 will hopefully start in a month or so. 

Locally-Made CKD Units of Proton X70

The same media outlet also shared the news that Proton Pakistan will start importing the CKD kits of X70 in December. Now that Proton’s greenfield factory is up and running in Karachi, the company will hopefully start the local assembly of X70 CKD units as soon as the kits arrive. 

Proton Pakistan’s original plan was to start the CKD assembly of its vehicles in the first quarter of 2020. But COVID-19 put everything on hold. Months-long lockdown in Malaysia caused a delay in the import of CBU units and CKD kits to Pakistan. The COVID-19 situation has finally gotten better in Malaysia, so the shipments are back on, and the local assembly of Proton cars has started in Pakistan. 

“Despite Covid-19 severely affecting our project timelines in Pakistan, demand for Proton models in the country remains high for both the Saga and X70 attracting a strong following. Al-Haj has received 2,500 orders for the Saga and over 2,000 orders for the X70, so we wish to thank the customers for their belief in our products and especially their patience and understanding over the delays in receiving their cars,” said Roslan Abdullah, CEO of Proton.

The final shipment of X70 CBUs and the import of CKD kits in December are both great news for X70 buyers and lovers in Pakistan.