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Proton Launches Assembly JV in Pakistan

Malaysian carmaker Proton Holdings Bhd and partner Alhaj Automotive are building a plant to assemble complete knock-down (CKD) vehicles outside Karachi, Pakistan.

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Malaysian carmaker Proton Holdings Bhd and partner Alhaj Automotive are building a plant to assemble complete knock-down (CKD) vehicles outside Karachi, Pakistan.

The $30 million facility aims to roll out its first model, Proton’s Saga subcompact sedan, in 2020. The partners say the factory will have capacity to make 25,000 vehicle per year.

Proton and Alhaj launched a joint venture last August to import complete Saga models made at the carmaker’s 34-year-old Shah Alam Manufacturing Complex in Malaysia. The Pakastani plant will be Proton’s first foreign assembly operation.

Proton’s “seven stars” strategy, which was launched in 2017, hopes to build the company’s global sales to 400,000 units by 2027 through a combination of exported cars and local CKD assembly operations.

Proton, Malaysia’s third-largest carmaker, saw its total sales drop 9% to 64,700 units last year in a total market that grew 4% to 533,200 units, according to the Malaysian Automotive Assn.

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