Economic troubles and operational issues due to import restrictions continued to hammer the automakers. As per their official notification to Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), Pak Suzuki Motor Company (PSMC) has also decided to extend the bike production shutdown by two more weeks.
The notification cites an inventory shortage causing the assembly plant shutdown. It adds that the bike assembly will remain shut till April 15.
The last production pause took place between March 20 and 31. This means that, by the end of the latest production pause, Suzuki will not have produced a single bike for 26 days.
February’s data from Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers’ Association (PAMA) highlighted that Suzuki sold less than 2,000 bikes in a month, which amounts to a monthly decrease of 10% in sales compared to January.
Furthermore, the company has increased the prices of its bikes astronomically. Suzuki’s cheapest commuter bike, GD110 S, costs Rs. 293,000. The second in line is GS150 which costs Rs. 318,000. Next to that is GSX125 which costs Rs. 422,000 and the most expensive bike in Suzuki’s lineup is GR150, which costs a whopping Rs. 455,000.
The latest production pause will also likely end with a price hike, which may reduce their demand further.