Weekly Auto News Roundup: Major Launches, Policy Changes & Market Updates

The past week was a busy one for Pakistan’s auto sector, with developments spanning policy changes, new vehicle launches, fuel price movements, safety alerts, and growing momentum in electrification.

From the government’s decision to scrap the personal baggage car import scheme to the local launch of hybrid and electric SUVs, the industry saw several updates that could directly impact buyers, importers, and everyday commuters.

Here’s a complete roundup of the most important auto and transport-related news from the week:

1) Policy & Trade

The Federal Cabinet has approved an S.R.O. that abolishes the “Personal Baggage” used-car import scheme and tightens eligibility for Gift and Transfer-of-Residence imports, introducing a new 850-day waiting rule, a country-of-residence restriction, and a one-year resale ban.

2) New Launches & Local Assembly

Chery’s Tiggo 8 PHEV was launched locally and priced for Pakistan this week. The locally assembled variant and the announced price positioning make it a competitor in the mainstream PHEV space, likely to attract buyers looking for hybrid/plug-in options without premium EV pricing. Another car launched this week was the Dongfeng Vigo EV, a compact EV SUV brought by Chawla Motors.

3) Fuel prices & Consumer Cost News 

A drop in global oil prices pushed local analysts and market watchers to expect a petrol price cut, a welcome short-term relief for consumers and fleet operators. However, this week, petrol prices were also revised: ex-refinery rates were reduced, but the government added a petroleum levy of up to Rs 4, and hence petrol and diesel prices remain unchanged.

4) Safety & Incidents

Dense winter fog continues to cause disruption and tragedy: this week a truck crash in Sargodha tied to poor visibility killed 14 people. This series of incidents is a prompt for practical safety coverage (driver guidance, PMD warnings, motorway advisories).

5) Industry Momentum & Financing 

Auto financing reached a record high this week, with the reported figure of Rs 319 billion, signaling continued consumer appetite for car purchases despite macro uncertainty.

6) BYD’s Two New Upcoming Cars

BYD is preparing two new launches for Pakistan: Atto 2 and Sealion 7, both of which will be all-electric vehicles, with confirmed launch dates by the end of this month.

Other Key Developments This Week:

• Jaecoo J5: multiple items this week (launch, specs, first-look and price comparisons).

• Jetour announced limited-time price reductions.

• Overspeeding bus accident: 9 killed, 36 injured.

• Punjab to allow re-registration of vehicles from other provinces.

• Islamabad police stopping vehicles without M-tags.

• Dense-fog motorway disruptions across routes.

• Toyota Hilux small-battery electric/EV pilot rumours and concept coverage.

• Audi launches advanced EV; Audi A6 e-tron cost analysis coming.

• Dongfeng VIGO: exclusive coverage and spec snippets (EV candidate for Pakistan).