KARACHI: Passenger car sales plunged by 71.8 per cent to 5,796 units in March, as compared to the same period last year, amid the coronavirus lockdown in the country.
The data released by the Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association (PAMA) shows that passenger car sales dropped to only 5,796 units last month from 19,897 units sold during the same period last year, which is the largest ever decline in any month’s sales.
Passenger car sales during July-March dropped by 46.8 per cent to 85,330 units, compared to 160,359 units sold during the corresponding period last year. Apart from Suzuki’s Alto, as it was not produced in March last year, all variants of four-wheelers and above recorded a decline in sales.
Sales of 1300cc and above engine power dropped by 59.2 per cent to 3,498 units only as compared with 8,576 units sold during the same month in the previous year.
Buses and trucks saw a decline of 40 per cent in sales (July-March) to 3,265 units, from 5,428 units during the same period last year. Sale of jeeps decreased by 44.8 per cent to 3,140 units during the period under review, from 5,688 units sold during July-March FY19.
Similarly, tractor sales also decreased by 37.7 per cent to 23,506 units in the nine months of FY20, from 37,742 units sold during the corresponding period last year. Rickshaws and motorbike sales dropped by 12.3 per cent to 1.17 million units in the period under review from 1.33 million units sold last year.
