Pakistan has exported its first vehicle, made by Master Changan Motors, under the new Auto Industry Development and Export Policy (AIDEP 2021-26), according to a press release issued by the company on Thursday.
The Changan Oshan X7, the country’s first export unit under the new policy, is the first vehicle to be launched through a global right-hand drive (RHD) premiere earlier in March 2022. The press release stated that under the new auto policy, all OEMs would require initiating vehicle exports to help develop the local industry and expand the country’s export capability.
Pakistan is the only country outside of China to produce the latest model of Changan Oshan X7.
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The company has exported the first unit to a market in the Oceania region. Together with the management, the company’s CEO attended the shipping-off ceremony that commemorated Pakistan’s first car industry export.
Oshan X7 has Changan’s latest 1.5-liter turbocharged blue whale Euro-6 petrol engine that — through its 7-speed DCT automatic gearbox — sends 300 Newton meters of torque and 185 horsepower to the front wheels.
It is among the few passenger vehicles in Pakistan to offer advanced features such as adaptive cruise control, collision warning, and auto braking.
On occasion, CEO of MCML Danial Malik said, “We are delighted and proud to lead Pakistan into a new chapter for the auto industry and make its mark on a global level.”
“The Changan Oshan X7 is the first of many more vehicles to be exported under our vision to stay Future Forward, Forever and the Auto Industry Development and Export Policy (AIDEP 2021-26)”, he added.
Read more: Massive price hike announced for Changan cars
The company further added that Pakistan is Changan’s first and only right-hand drive (RHD) manufacturing base and is helping the brand expand globally. It added that the state-of-the-art plant was completed in just 13 months and can now produce 50,000 vehicles annually.
“Master Changan is our first RHD production base. We are very happy to export our RHD Oshan X7 SUV from Pakistan”, Steven Zhao, Vice CEO of Master Changan Motors Limited, stated.
Changan recently celebrated delivering 150 units of Oshan X7 across Pakistan. After a recent price hike, the midsize SUV starts from Rs. 6,050,000 and goes up to Rs. 6,350,000. Even at its current price, Oshan X7 is the cheapest and most well-equipped SUV among its competitor.