20000115

Automobile

plant at Sujawal

to be operational

today

KARACHI: The Rs. 1.8 billion new automobile plant established in Sujawal by Dewan Farooque Motor Limited goes into production on Saturday (January 15) with the rolling out of first KIA Classic 1300 cc passenger car.

J. I. Kim Executive Vice-President, KIA Motors Corporation, Korea who has specially flown to Karachi for the ceremony will inaugurate the plant and perform the rolling out ceremony.

The provincial minister and managing director Dewan Farooque Motors Limited told APP that the company plans to bring out its 1000cc Santro Plus cars by the end of February with the cooperation of Korea's Hundai Company.

Dewan Yusuf said the deletion target programme as set by Government of Pakistan for the 1000 and 1300 cc cars has already been achieved.

Yusuf Farooqi said that Dewan Motors had entered into an agreement with KIA for production of 1300 cc cars in July and with Hundai in November for production of 1000 cc cars.

To a question, Dewan Yusuf said the plant will provide about 600 direct jobs and thousands others indirectly.

Besides, he said, there would be tremendous uplift of Sujawal area with its rackey matching the international standards.

He said that in the first year, the plant would produce 2500 KIA Classic of 1300 cc and this number would be increased to 3500.

Similarly the 5000 Santro of 1000cc would roll out in the first year and subsequently the number will increase to seven to eight thousand.

He said that Dewan Motors is already producing one-ton capacity Shahzor Pickups for which the facility of Sindh Engineering is being used.

Meanwhile a KIA dealers' signing ceremony took place here on Thursday.

The unique features of this agreement will open new vistas of convenience for customers all over the country.ÑAPP