KARACHI: After suspending the booking for Suzuki Mehran and Bolan, the Pak Suzuki Motor Company (PSMC) has now decided to pull the plug on Suzuki WagonR and Suzuki Ravi by the middle of this year.

According to vendors, they have received the final official schedule for both the vehicles showing “nil production” beyond June, even though the demand for Ravi is still strong.

They said the demand for Bolan, whose production had been suspended in the last quarter of last year, was also strong.

Vendors said “Pak Suzuki has so far come up with no alternative for WagonR while Ravi will be replaced with Every pick-up”.

The company had stopped the production of Bolan in October and commenced the production of 660cc Every the same month.

“We have already started providing parts and accessories for the new pick-up,” a vendor said.

The company suspended bookings for Suzuki WagonR (all variants) on March 11.

The vendor said small and mid-level dealers may feel the pinch of closure of WagonR and Ravi as it will take time for the new vehicles to lure buyers.

Mashood Khan, a Suzuki auto parts vendor, recalled that Ravi pickup was launched in the late 1980s. This iconic pickup has reached a significant milestone, with over half a million units on the road today.

A breakthrough came in the early 1990s when then Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif launched Taxi Scheme. “Over 66,000 units of Suzuki Mehran, Bolan and Ravi were booked for the scheme, boosting local entrepreneurship and driving small business mobility,” Mashood Khan added.

“Suzuki models hold the distinction of having the highest number of local auto parts manufactu-rers — a key factor in strengthening the domestic auto industry.”

Pak Suzuki became the first company to encourage local auto parts manufacturers, laying the foundation for sustainable industry partnerships. Another milestone was achieved when this model became the first commercial vehicle exported from Pakistan to Asian countries.

The Ravi pickup is more than just a mode of transport — it’s a symbol of strength, reliability and national pride, Mashood said.

Total Ravi sales in July-Feb FY25 swelled to 3,687 units from 1,943 in the same period of the last fiscal. The highest sales of Ravi stood at 29,825 units in FY16 while the lowest were recorded at 2,731 units in FY24.

Suzuki Ravi is a first choice for transporters of low-cost goods. With no competitor, it really rules the new and second-hand market.

The company did not bother to make any change in the Ravi model for over three decades, putting faith in a theory that when the demand for a product is sound, there is no need to change the model.

The price of the standard Ravi model is Rs 1.956 million.

Many buyers have converted Ravi pick-up into a school van and family vehicle by placing a big hood for going to a picnic spot and attending functions.

The pickup also plays a main role in transporting sand and gravel (Reti/Bajri) in limited volumes.

WagonR

Suzuki WagonR (1,000cc) was introduced in March 2014 with an initial production of 314 units, while total production reached 2,532 units three months later.

The model has not seen any change over a decade, except for the launch of the AGS model.

The highest-ever production of 33,176 units of WagonR was recorded in FY19 while the lowest production of 1,783 units was made in FY24. During July-Feb FY25, its sales had plunged to 1,608 units from 2,285 units in the same period of the last fiscal.

The current prices of three WagonR models range between Rs3.21m and Rs3.74m. But the 1000cc vehicle did never match Suzuki Mehran and Bolan in popularity due to its design.

As per a corporate briefing by Pak Suzuki in 2023 to brokerage houses, Suzuki Swift had achieved an indigenisation level of 34pc, Cultus 50pc, Wagon-R 61pc, Alto 61pc, Bolan 72pc and Ravi 68pc.

In order to achieve complete indigenisation, the company stated, a substantial investment in the auto parts industry is needed, but the local production of high-tech auto parts would not begin until the total volume of car sales reaches 500,000 per year.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2025