Business

Slight uptick in passenger car sales reported during November 2022

Published

1 year ago

Farwa

Increase was of 39% on month-on-month basis.
Car sales decreased by 39% in first five months of FY23
Further improvement expected in coming months after increase in issuance of LCs.

KARACHI: Passenger cars saw a slight uptick in sales during November 2022 compared with the data of the same month of 2021, reported The News on Tuesday citing data from the Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association (PAMA).

In percentage terms, the increase was 39% on a month-on-month basis, with analysts foreseeing a further improvement in the coming months due to the improved availability of raw materials for the car manufacturers after an increase in the issuance of letters of credit.

However, apart from the Suzuki Alto, sales of all other variants of cars, trucks, buses, tractors, jeeps, pick-ups, and three-wheelers as well as two-wheelers saw a decline in November 2022 compared with November 2021.

On the other hand, car sales decreased by 39% in the first five months of FY23 to 55,144 units against 90,303 units sold in the same period last year.

The data released by PAMA, passenger car sales increased by 0.60% or 93 units to 15,444 units in November 22 compared with 15,351 units sold during the same month last year. November 2022 sales increased by 39% or 4,315 units compared with 11,129 units sold in October 2022.

During this period, sales of 1300cc and above cars were recorded at 5,831 units, down 28% compared with the same period last year, when 8,102 units were sold. In November 2022, 1000cc cars recorded sales of 1,854 units, (1,136 units of Suzuki Cultus and 718 units of Suzuki WagonR) against 3,641 units in the same month last year.

Below 1000cc vehicles recorded a sale of 7,759 units, higher by 115% or 4,150 units against 3,609 units last year. Suzuki’s new Alto saw remarkable sales of 7,255 units, up by 282% to last year’s sales of 2,420 units.

Meanwhile, buses and trucks witnessed a decrease to 342 units in November 22 from 532 units in November 2021. The sale of jeeps and pick-ups went down to 2,947 units from 3,363 units sold during the same period last year.

On the other hand, sales of tractors dropped to 1,240 units from 4,617 units during November last year. The sale of rickshaws and motorbikes decreased to 110,529 units in November 2022 against 166,731 units in the same period last year.

According to a report of Topline Securities, Pakistan’s overall car sales were around 20,000 units, up 35% month-on-month, primarily due to the availability of CKD parts which led to higher production in November 2022 as compared to October 2022.

Pak Suzuki reported an increase of 55% month-on-month to 12,400 units in November 2022 followed by Honda Car’s increase of 38% month-on-month to 1,973 units in November 2022.

Business

There are US$13,280.5 million in foreign exchange reserves in Pakistan.

Published

15 hours ago

Farwa

According to a representative for the central bank, as of April 19, 2024, the nation’s total liquid foreign reserves were valued at US$ 13,280.5 million. A loss of US$74 million left the State Bank of Pakistan’s foreign reserves at US$7,981.2 million.

Commercial banks have $5,299.3 million in reserves for Pakistan.

In the week that concluded on April 12, the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) foreign exchange reserves increased by $14.4 million to $8.055 billion.

“In a weekly statement, SBP stated that it has repaid US$ 1 billion in principal and interest on Pakistan’s International Bond, which matures this week.”

But at $13.374 billion, the nation’s total reserves decreased by $68 million. In the same way, commercial banks’ reserves dropped to $5.319 billion, a reduction of $82 million.

Business

NIMA seminar to increase Pakistan’s ship recycling industry’s capacity

Published

15 hours ago

Farwa

According to a release, important players from a range of maritime industries attended the conference to discuss issues facing the shipping sector.

It further stated that the symposium cleared the path for the resurgence of a sustainable future in ship recycling.

Participants in the conference included representatives of the Gadani Ship Breaking Labour Union, PSBA, KS&EW, KPT, PMSA, GEMS, and the federal and Balochistani governments.

Furthermore, global perspectives and ideas were offered by international specialists such as Rabia Razzaque from UN-ILO and Professor Raphael Baumler from the World Maritime University.

The seminar emphasized Pakistan’s capacity to emerge as a pioneer in the field of environmentally friendly ship recycling.

In order to protect the environment and the safety of employees, the participants emphasized the importance of following international standards and regulations.

During his speech, Chief Guest Senator Nisar Ahmed Khoro emphasized the importance of the maritime industry’s resurgence and the crucial necessity for coordinated efforts from all parties involved.

A new age of economic prosperity, worker safety, and environmental responsibility for Pakistan’s maritime industry was called for as he urged the stakeholders to work together on a comprehensive SENSREC program.

Vice Admiral Ahmed Saeed (Retd), the president of NIMA, emphasized the significance of environmental stewardship and safety in ship recycling procedures.

Business

Inflows into the Roshan Digital Account surged to $7.660 billion on March 24.

Published

15 hours ago

Farwa

According to the data, remittance inflows for the month of March totaled US$ 182 million, whereas they were US$ 141 million in February and US$ 142 million in January 2024.

Millions of Non-Resident Pakistanis (NRPs), including those who own Non-Resident Pakistan Origin Cards (POCs), can now engage in banking, payment, and investing activities in Pakistan with the help of these accounts, which offer cutting-edge banking solutions.

According to a statement from the State Bank of Pakistan, the number of accounts registered under the program increased by 11,091 from 668,701 accounts in February 2024 to 679,792 accounts in March 2024.

As of March 2024, the central bank reported that foreign nationals of Pakistan have invested US $312 million in Naya Pakistan Certificates, US $528 million in Naya Pakistan Islamic Certificates, and US $31 million in Roshan Equity Investment.

It is important to note that former prime minister Imran Khan introduced the Roshan Digital Account initiative in September 2020 with the goal of giving Pakistanis living abroad access to digital banking services for the first time.