Toyota set to roll out electric tricycle in Pakistan

TOKYO: Toyota is all set to introduce electric tricycles in Pakistan to meet the demand of low-cost and fuel-efficient transport mode in the country with growing auto market demand.

An agreement between Hiroyuki Toyoda, chairman of T-Trike Company – a subsidiary of Toyota Motors – and Rana Abid Hussain, president of Pak-Japan Business Council, was recently signed for the distribution rights of electric tricycles.

Hussain told The News that initially 3,000 electric tricycles would be introduced in Pakistan, while in the next phase the electric bicycle will also be manufactured locally for which talks are underway.

The council president said the chairman of the company is scheduled to meet the Ambassador of Pakistan in Japan Imtiaz Ahmed next week after which the formal exports will take place. Electric tricycle is manufactured by Toyota Motors, a world-renowned automobile company of Japanese origin.

The vehicle will be introduced in partnership with the Pak-Japan Business Council. The new electronic tricycle developed under the supervision of Hiroyuki Toyoda, a son of Kiichiro Toyoda, the founder of Toyota Motor Corporation. Hussain said electric tricycle is rapidly gaining popularity in Japan and the company has established 150 sales locations across the country. The modern electric tricycle can carry a weight of 150 kilograms and after a full charge it can run up to 60 kilometres.

Hussain said the tricycle can be easily used for courier services, vegetable hawkers and other small businesses. Without petrol this electric cycle will prove to be very economical, he said. Auto demand is fast increasing in Pakistan. With a wide gap of over 600,000 vehicles in demand and supply, used-cars are the most sought-after option. Cars are still expensive in the country ranked 154th in the world in terms of GDP per capita.

New auto policy is encouraging newcomers in Pakistan’s auto field that are importing semi knocked-down and completely knocked down cars in the country. Their prices are still out of range of majority of customers. Taxation is yet to be rationalised to make car ownership affordable, according to local analysts.