After almost 40 years, Suzuki is planning to discontinue the Suzuki Bolan minivan and the Ravi pickup, and replace them with the 660cc Suzuki Every by 2023.
The news has been confirmed by reliable sources within the market.
The Bolan had been launched as the ‘Hi-Roof’ in 1982 but was later renamed the ‘Bolan’ in 1991 when the local assembly began at the Bin Qasim plant in Karachi. It has been one of the widely popular products in Pakistan ever since.
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Auto manufacturers are required to inform the Pakistan Stock Exchange if they plan to discontinue a vehicle but Suzuki has denied such a development. On the contrary, an official from a Suzuki dealership said, “Yes, we have been told that the newest sixth-generation minivan Every will be launched next year and Bolan will be discontinued”.
Reports also suggest that the Pakistan Suzuki Motor Company (PSMC) has instructed the auto parts manufacturers and suppliers to make and procure parts that are compatible with the Suzuki Every minivan, which implies that the launch may be imminent.
In a related development, the Lahore High Court had directed the Engineering Development Board (EDB) in February to ensure the installation of airbags in motor vehicles as a mandatory safety measure. Sources in the automotive industry speculate that this decision may have forced the PSMC to finally retire the Suzuki Bolan and Ravi.
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Engineer Asim Ayaz of the EDB affirmed that auto manufacturers and importers have been told to adhere to the WP-29 (internationally accepted safety standards that require the installation of airbags) by the end of 2021. However, manufacturers can get an 18-month waiver to ensure compliance with the WP-29 clause by mid-2023.
The Suzuki Mehran and the Daihatsu Cuore were discontinued in Pakistan due to lack of Euro-2 compliance, and the Bolan and the Ravi will probably have the same fate as their interiors do not have the space required to install airbags.
The Suzuki Every is already being imported and sold in the Pakistani market as a CBU but the PSMC plans to offer it as a locally assembled vehicle soon.
