The number of new car arrivals in Pakistan over the last few years has allowed people to look at the industry from a new perspective. The increase in competition has provided buyers with more options, making for an interesting market dynamic. Resultantly, some new cars such as Changan Alsvin, Kia Sportage, and Toyota Yaris have emerged as popular choices among car buyers.
However, on the other side of the equation, there are many cars that haven’t performed well in terms of sales. We’ll be talking about them in this article, listing the worst-selling cars of 2021.
Note: This list only features cars launched before 2021. Haval Jolion, H6, Kia Sorento, Hyundai Elantra, Sonata, MG ZS, Proton Saga, and United Alpha are low-ranking in sales but are not included here because they were launched in 2021.
Vehicles From Non-PAMA Members
There is no official data available for car companies not under the Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association (PAMA). Their inclusion is based on not being common on the roads despite being launched before the beginning of 2021.
Kia Picanto
It’s been over two years since Picanto debuted in Pakistan as the prime rival of Suzuki Cultus and WagonR but it has since played second fiddle to the much more popular Cultus.
Although Lucky Motor Corporation Limited (LMCL) has not publically shared its official sales figures for Kia, unofficial reports indicate that the company sold over 22,300 vehicles in 2021, with around 35 percent being Picanto’s sales. The latter has been around for two years and is yet to gain significant popularity in the market, which is why it has been included among the worst-selling cars of 2021 in its segment.
Prince Pearl
Suzuki Alto is the undisputed king in the land of locally assembled super-minis, which is mostly because of weak competition. While Prince Pearl is seemingly a decent value proposition, it is still subject to divisive opinions.
Customer reviews on various forums indicate that its owners have not had any critical issues but they do have concerns such as a relatively low fuel average, interior quality, and limited aftersales services. lt also does not help that Pearl has bad resale value due to its lack of popularity.
The exterior styling and the ride quality of Pearl have received positive reviews but they are not enough to make it a credible threat to Suzuki Alto.
United Bravo
Launched in September 2018 as a competitor of Suzuki Mehran, United Bravo was presented as an impressive value proposition but it failed to capture the market like its immensely popular competitor.
It is still struggling, especially after the launch of the new Suzuki Alto and Prince Pearl, both of which are arguably better quality products. According to its reviews on various forums, its most common issues are poor built quality, cramped cabin space, rough ride quality, and aftersales services that leave a lot to be desired.
The low demand for Bravo also means that it has a poor resale value which prompts buyers to opt for Suzuki Alto.
Proton X70
Of all the newly launched crossovers in Pakistan, X70 garnered a lot of excitement as it has several promising attributes, including great looks, strong performance, and modern features.
However, issues like hiked freight charges, shortage of cargo containers, and an extensive pandemic-induced lockdown across Malaysia, left Al-Haj Proton struggling to gain momentum in Pakistan.
These matters, along with a massive delay by the company in setting up its assembling plant in Pakistan, resulted in persistent delays in deliveries, which dulled X70’s hype.
Hopefully, 2022 will be Proton’s year as it has now begun local operations and will also offer locally assembled X70 this year.
Vehicles from PAMA Members
PAMA companies have shared their official sales data publically, according to which the sales of the following cars have lagged significantly.
Honda BR-V
The first mover in the locally assembled crossover SUV market, the Honda BR-V, has been a top seller in its segment for a long time but the arrival of fierce competitors like DFSK Glory 580, Kia Sportage, MG HS affected its sales.
According to the official data, Honda Atlas Cars Limited (HACL) sold only 4,235 units of the BR-V in 2021, which is a relatively low figure. However, BR-V is the only option for those considering a locally-assembled seven-seater crossover SUV in Pakistan for under Rs. 4 million.
Hyundai Tucson
Tucson should have been a popular crossover and a worthy opponent of Kia Sportage since both SUVs are essentially the same but the company has not been able to meet market demand due to Hyundai Nishat’s alleged focus on a small niche of car buyers.
The PAMA data shows that the company sold 3,862 units of the Tucson in 2021, which is significantly less than Sportage that had sales of over 13,000 in the same year.
Also, the sales of Tucson seem to have dipped more after the launch of Hyundai Elantra and Sonata.
Suzuki Swift
Pak Suzuki Motor Company (PSMC) has mercifully finally retired the 2010 Swift after over a decade, mainly due to a drastic decrease in its demand over the last few years.
The data suggest that the PSMC sold only 1,815 units of Swift in Pakistan in 2021, which is almost 3.3 percent of the total sales of Suzuki Alto in 2021. As per several market updates, the company is planning to debut the latest generation Swift in either the second half of 2022 or the first half of the next year, which could boost its sales.
Isuzu D-Max
Although the demand for pickup trucks in Pakistan is not high, Ghandhara Isuzu has performed particularly poorly in the sales of its only passenger vehicle in Pakistan — the D-Max pickup truck.
Toyota Indus Motor Company (IMC) sold a total of 8,750 units of the Hilux (all variants) last year but Isuzu only sold 428 units of the D-Max (all variants) in the same year.
D-Max has struggled to keep up with the competition ever since its launch in 2018, which is a pity as it is a great truck. Regardless, its future in Pakistan seems bleak because of its lack of demand.
