The latest vehicle sales figures by the Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association (PAMA) have revealed a lot of interesting developments for December 2021. One such development was the sales of the Hyundai Tucson that had a Month-over-Month (MOM) growth of 370 percent, outselling both Elantra and Sonata.
Hyundai Nishat sold 230 units of Tucson in December 2021, while the sales of both Sonata and Elantra dropped to 169 and 228 units respectively. Sonata had previously been Hyundai’s top seller, selling upwards of 250 units in October and November.
About Tucson
Tucson is a compact crossover SUV that competes directly with Kia Sportage, MG HS, and other similar SUVs, and it debuted in Pakistan in mid-2020.
It has a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter 4-cylinder petrol engine that puts out a maximum of 155 horsepower and 196 Newton-meters of torque and comes standard with a 6-speed automatic transmission that also sends power to all four wheels.
It is equipped with several modern features such as parking sensors, a backup camera, hill-start assist, electronic parking brake, electronic stability control, modern infotainment system, powered seats, panoramic sunroof, cool-box, among other features.
It has a starting price of Rs. 5,179,000, which places it among the more expensive mid-range SUVs in Pakistan.
Reason for the Rise in Sales
Overall, the car industry has had an exponential rise in demand in the previous year due to lowered interest rates on car finance, a temporary price decrease, and the arrival of several new cars.
Industry experts opine that the rise is probably due to the impending price hikes against various vehicles. However, the demand is likely to decrease in the coming days as the government and the State Bank of Pakistan are planning ways to curb the soaring import bill.
With these possible developments ahead, it will be interesting to see how the auto industry proceeds.
