KARACHI: Amid mixed trend in country’s external trade and improvement in large-scale manufacturing, the truck sector posted over 100 per cent rise in production and sales in July-September 2014 as compared to July-September 2013.

A total of 1,020 trucks were produced with sales hitting to 830 units as compared to production of 452 and sales of 417 units in July-September 2013.

The production and sales of Hinopak trucks rose to 342 and 269 units from 196 and 197 units while that of Nissan trucks to 194 and 159 units from 66 and 63 units respectively.

A total of 218 and 178 units of Master trucks were produced and sold in July-September 2014 as compared to 94 and 86 units in same period last year. Isuzu’s production and sales also grew to 266 and 224 units from 96 and 71 units.

A truck assembler said that introduction of age restriction on import of used commercial vehicles last year was one of the main reasons in boosting the production and sales of trucks.

Earlier, import of used trucks under the garb of water sprinklers (PCT 8705-9000 special purpose vehicle category) had been thriving with no age limit, but on the request of the local industry, the Ministry of Commerce put an age restriction of five years.

However, the producers of trucks faced a bit tough time in selling buses in the last three months of the current fiscal year.

Production and sales of Hino buses dropped to 111 and 102 units as compared to 134 and 140 units while production and sales of Nissan buses remained nil in July-September 2014 as compared to six units produced and sold each in the same period last year.

Production and sales of Isuzu buses stood at 24 and 17 as compared to 25 and 17 units while Master’s production and sales recorded at 10 and 7 units in July-September 2014 as compared to 9 and 3 units in same period last year respectively.

A bus maker attributed slowdown in sales to low buying by government, semi-government and private sector.

Published in Dawn, October 15th , 2014