News Guides Comparisons Specs & Price

You’ll Miss the Suzuki Mehran When It’s Gone

Suzuki Mehran enjoys cult status in Pakistan. There are pictures of valiant Mehrans going all the way up to Gilgit and Hunza, daredevils in Mehrans outpacing Civics and some have even modified them to become sports cars.

It’s jokingly referred to as “Boss”, it is the subject of a lot of criticism and a above all, symbol of Pakistan’s entrenched auto monopoly. However, all that’s going to come to an end soon as Suzuki is discontinuing the Mehran from April 2019.


ALSO READ

Suzuki Alto 2019 to Replace Mehran by Q1 2019


Reports suggest that providing parts for the Mehran, which has been discontinued everywhere in the world but Pakistan, was becoming expensive for Suzuki Japan.

Loss of jokes and memes aside, the decision has major ramifications for the auto industry in Pakistan going into 2019.

Suzuki Mehran is the Cheapest New Car You Can Buy

Why though? The first reason is the most obvious. The Suzuki Mehran is the cheapest consumer-focused car in Pakistan. Yes, the price is borderline obscene. Yes, it costs too much for what it offers. But despite that, it’s the cheapest new car you can purchase in Pakistan.

The Mehran Euro II costs Rs. 770,000 or Rs. 840,000 depending on whether you get the VX model or the VXR model. You can add around Rs. 40,000 to Rs. 60,000 on top of that for the bazillion taxes we pay nowadays. So the cheapest new car in Pakistan costs Rs. 810,000 minimum.

When the Mehran is discontinued, that number is going to go up to over Rs. 1.2 million (after taxes and registration costs) for the Suzuki WagonR VXR. That’s roughly 50% more and not feasible for anyone on a budget who wants a new car.

You could argue that the United Bravo (price of Rs. 850,000) is Suzuki Mehran’s replacement. But here’s why that is not the case:

  • United is only manufacturing 5000 units annually while Mehran sells well over 25,000 in a year.
  • Mehran’s spare parts are ridiculously cheap. United Bravo does not have the same advantage.
  • It’s a brand new car and United simply isn’t as trusted a manufacturer as Suzuki.
  • We don’t know what its resale value will be (couldn’t not talk about this point).

Can Suzuki Alto Fill the Void?

Suzuki will replace the Mehran with the 2019 Alto.

It’s going to be a higher end car than the Mehran and will come with power steering, a 660cc imported engine, and locally developed transmission. Reports suggest it’ll be available in two manual versions as well as an automatic one.

The headliner feature will be its fuel consumption, which is rumored to be 37 km per liter thanks to Suzuki’s Green Technology.

If you’re thinking the replacement sounds great, well, it does. But it also sounds expensive. It’s foolish to think Suzuki will launch the Alto with more features for the same price. We expect it to be priced lower than the Wagon R but higher than the Mehran.

Experts we’ve talked to suggest a price tag between Rs. 900,000 to Rs. 1 million.

Auto Policy Needs to Work for the Common Man

Don’t get us wrong, we’re absolutely thrilled with the auto policy – even though its promise has been slow to realize.


ALSO READ

Here’s Why Pakistan’s Auto Policy is Still a Distant Dream!

However, we are concerned about the rumored models being launched by new entrants as well as current manufacturers. Most of the cars are mini-SUVs, sedans or hybrids and cost Rs. 1.5 million or more.

The only rumored cars under Rs. 1.2 million are the Nissan Datsun Go and Renault Kwid, and the latter will only launch in 2020. That leaves consumers with very little choice once the Mehran is officially discontinued.

We aren’t seeing a coherent plan for consumers who want to buy a new and affordable car in Pakistan and that’s concerning. When the Mehran is gone, you just might end up missing it.

(Yes, we’re aware that you can buy a used car and end the entire debate).


  • yea i really miss her…
    couple of months ago i hit mehran from back, man came out said “meri gari tabbah kr di tum nay sari, bumper toot gea hai bikul”
    i apologized because it was my fault, i said i ll pay for this,
    he said ok pay me for bumper Rs 600

    i just thanks to Allah it was mehran :D

  • no we won’t… we have been seeing that same piece of garbage for last 55+ years… No choice was given to people in economic cars because of monopoly of like 4-5 companies… but since the bravo has came from united (still not perfect but good enough to break monopoly of suzuki villians), I think in next 5-10 years 7-8 good options will be provided to people in economic price range… allah se dua hah i in ptcl walo ki bhi koi 2-3 main stream companies monopoly tor dain… bohat unfair rates aur service hah in villains ki…

    • InshAllah InshAllah.. Good comment dude and next 5 to 6 years me ptcl ke competitors aa jayen main stream me bcoz companies like NayaTel and Stormfiber etc are expanding themselves.

  • Don’t worry, it wont go, just like Suzuki FX, which was offered for only 4 years still can be seen easy, Mehran that is still being sold since 1986, will be seen for next 30 years+.

  • Hamesha ulti bat hi likhna…. Kal ye sabit krny pe lga hua tha k ufone boht successful ja rha… Or may be this is your way to seek attention of readers.

  • Having driven a European made and a Japanese Made Suzuki , I would say na Pak Suzuki deserves no sympathy

  • Thabks God mehran is will be no more..
    It is the worst ever car in terms of ride quality and finishes…
    And on top of that, poor after sale services of suzuki really irk the buyers..
    There should be more competition in this price range by other companies. Hopefully in coming years, we will be seeing new low budget cars which will be much better than mehran..

  • yes it it looks like a car from its shape with four wheels a steering wheel and an engine that sucks i agree. it doesn’t mean one keep calling a junk a “car”
    we used to blame these three Japanese car manufacturers frequently but never criticize govt of their policies which let them play with the people of Pakistan for decades.

  • Mr Talal, you DO realise that mehran DESTROYED the budget sector of pakistan, no ?

    a car costing 8 LAKH PKR is NOT a budget car, alright ?
    it’s a LOWER MID RANGER.

    since the nation has chosen to IGNORE this glaring discrepancy and bought mehran after mehran for years, it’s only obvious that the automotive industry was going to implode.

    Just go compare what Indians can buy at this price range. the DIVERSITY of options they have at this price range. compared to the HORRIBLE crap we have at this price range.

    • The automakers are in the business of making money. Why would a company stop selling something people are buying? Forget the quality for a minute – which other company was offering a cheaper solution than Suzuki? I’m far from an admirer of Mehran, as we all know it was not up to the mark but not many cars in Pakistan are to begin with.

      • ” Why would a company stop selling something people are buying? ”

        ” which other company was offering a cheaper solution than Suzuki? ”

        This is where people were supposed to be smarter. sadly Pakistani nation follows a moronic mindset and many people, including some i know very well, buy without thinking too much. no consideration or attention goes into the impact of a purchase.

        I will simply say, necessity forces us to think. At least thats what happened when i started observing the market. When i noticed that public transport was shambolic and i would prefer a private transport, i started considering options. It was then i came to realize, and this is something i have said countless times, that there was NO BUDGET SECTOR in Pakistan’s auto market. Starting prices of 6,7 or 8 lacs are NOT JUSTIFIED no matter what reasons anyone can put down. Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) is very much a real term and the govt should realize that the PPP of a Pakistani customer is quite weak ! That means it is ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE to buy a car unless they have ALOT of spare cash lying around. Well done Pakistan. you have a wretched public transport system and now your automobile sector costs a fortune to partake in as well.

        Hatchbacks should start from 2.5 to 3 lacs, NOT 7 lacs or 8 lacs. Even then there should be MULTIPLE OPTIONS at every price bracket ! you can’t just have ONE SINGLE PIECE OF JUNK monopolizing the entire price bracket ! no where in the world that is a fair market practice.

        7 lacs and 8 lacs should constitute the price bracket for entry level SEDANS not underperforming hatchbacks !

        Mr. Zarar, with all due respect, my rant was less about the quality. It will sound strange, but i consider it quality as a secondary aspect. The shellshock, that is the 8 lac price tag on Mehran, is a problem the newcomers AND the govt should deal with first !

        The fact that there are NO CHEAPER cars than Mehran, the fact there we DO NOT have options other than mehran at the same price range AND the fact that there is in fact NO BUDGET SEGMENT Cars available for purchase in the Pakistani market, should be among the primary concerns. Those should also be the targets a newcomer should seek to deal with.

        Every company has the core intention to make money and that’s fine. but defrauding a market, charging UNFAIR PRICES, marketing OUTDATED modes and offering little to no variety in terms of available options. heck, if this was the US, they’d be drowning in multiple lawsuits right now and probably filing for bankruptcy !

      • “Why would a company stop selling something people are buying”

        Lets accept the fact that even after more than 30 years Pak Suzuki has yet to develop the simplest of cars like Mehran on its own. And when tech like regenerative breaking and auto idling becoming a norm in Japan, it was much of a headache for the Japs to keep providing stuff to Pak Suzuki for something that belongs to stone age.

  • Suzuki FX discontinued in 88 is still surviving.. Mehran discontinued in 2019 will last for another 30-40 years in pristine condition on our roads.. plus with the absence of similar available options (remember Bravo can never match the production figures of Mehran), there will be a huge demand-supply gap and used Mehran will be enjoying a precious resale value in years to come


  • Get Alerts

    Follow ProPakistani to get latest news and updates.


    ProPakistani Community

    Join the groups below to get latest news and updates.



    >