Pak Suzuki to discontinue its minivan Bolan in Pakistan
The company plans to launch Suzuki Every in its place
Fatima Maqsood recalls going to picnics and attending events with her family in their second-hand Suzuki Hi-Roof which they had bought 28 years ago.
It was the first car in our extended family, the 59-year-old shared, adding that the car allowed them all to travel together. “We still own that 1988 Hi-Roof. We have it repainted. It was bought by my late father-in-law,” she said.
Bolan holds a special place in the heart of many people from the 1990s and has been used by many for carrying big families or pick and drop services. Eight people including the driver can sit in the vehicle.
It is, however, being speculated that Pak Suzuki may discontinue Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV) 800cc Bolan by next year, which will mark its 40th year in Pakistan.
“Suzuki Bolan was launched as Hi-Roof in 1982/83,” said auto sector expert Usman Ansari, who runs an auto blog carspiritpk.com. “It was later renamed Bolan and its pickup version Ravi in 1991 when its local assembly started in 1991 at Karachi’s Bin Qasim plant.”
“Suzuki localised the names of all of its cars, including Margalla (Swift sedan), Mehran (Alto), Khyber (Swift hatchback), and Potohar (Jimny),” he added.
At least four independent sources, who are privy to the matter, said that the eleventh-generation 660cc Suzuki Every is on Pak Suzuki’s cards to replace the seventh-generation Bolan.
This was denied by the company, which is a listed entity and required by the law to first inform the stock exchange about any such plans.
“Yes, we have been told that the newest sixth-generation minivan Every will be launched next year and Bolan will be discontinued,” said an official at a Suzuki dealership.
An official of an auto part company also said that they have gotten orders from Pak Suzuki to manufacture parts that are supposed to be used in Every minivan.
A former chairman of the Pakistan Association of Automotive Parts and Accessories Manufacturers Aamir Allawala said that Suzuki is planning to launch Every but it will take time and perhaps it may not be launched before 2023.
A source in the auto industry said that the new high court ruling of making installing airbags in all cars mandatory will mostly affect 800cc Bolan and Ravi.
“Both vehicles don’t have any space to install airbags in the front part of the vehicle,” the source said.
In February, the Lahore High Court directed the Engineering Development Board, which is the regulatory agency for the auto industry, to ensure car companies assemble cars with airbags.
Engineer Asim Ayaz of the Engineering Development Board has confirmed to SAMAA Digital that carmakers and importers have been told to adapt to the list of internationally accepted safety standards called WP-29, which includes installation of airbags, by the end of 2021. However, manufacturers can get an 18-month waiver.
It is understood that the mandatory airbags restriction of the government will force companies to only produce cars with airbags by mid of 2023. Technically, this will force Pak Suzuki to discontinue manufacturing of Bolan or Ravi pickup after June 2023 since airbags can’t be installed in them because of a lack of space.
Suzuki Every’s used imported units are already being sold in the Pakistan market.
“Suzuki Every has airbags,” said Anjum Rizvi, a car dealer at Khalid bin Walid Road. “The market talks are rife that Suzuki will now be making it locally.”
In 2019, after 30 years of its launch, Pak Suzuki also discontinued Mehran, which was actually the localized version of Alto. Suzuki later launched Alto again in the year 2000 and manufactured older second-generation Alto (Mehran) and newer fifth-generation Alto side by side.
“But Pakistan officially adopted Euro-2 fuel standards in 2012, which forced production of Alto and Coure to be stopped as they cannot be upgraded to new standards. Mehran was upgraded with the EFI system and is adapted to Euro 2 standards,” said Usman Ansari.
Mehran was eventually discontinued and was replaced by eighth-generation 660cc Suzuki Alto 2019.
