Toyota To Transform Pakistan’s Auto-Sector by Launching Hybrid Cars
Indus Motor Company (IMC) CEO Ali Asghar Jamali has revealed his company’s plan to launch its first locally assembled Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) SUV, Toyota Corolla Cross, by next year. He was speaking at the 6th Journalists Summit 2022.
“Yes, we are planning to launch our first-ever locally-assembled HEV SUV – Toyota Corolla Cross by 2023,” he said. Ali Asghar Jamali added that as part of its ‘Make in Pakistan’ philosophy, IMC has invested $100 million to produce HEVs in Pakistan.
Responding to a question, CEO IMC said that the Toyota Corolla Cross will be launched in the price between Rs 5 million to Rs 7 million. We will see whether Toyota will actually launch the Toyota Corolla Cross – HEV or is it just a media statement.
Jamali went on to add that launching Electric Vehicle (EV) in Pakistan is part of his company’s longterm policy. However, at the moment, Pakistan lacks the infrastructure for EVs which is why Hybrid vehicles are a midterm solution.
“We can confidently claim that with existing power generation mix HEVs can serve all the objectives of EVs, including a cap on carbon emission, reduction in oil import bill while contributing to the localization and increase in GDP,” he added.
According to CEO IMC Ali Asghar Jamali, Pakistan’s import bill can be reduced by up to 50% if the entire country shifts to hybrid electric vehicles. “Pakistan imports $9.7 billion worth of crude oil for refineries to produce petrol and diesel and the largest category of import is petroleum commodities,” he stated.
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