PIDE organizes conference on automobile sector development

Islamabad: The Pakistan Institute of Development Economics hosted a one-day conference titled ‘Revitalizing Pakistan’s Automobile Industry: Moving towards Consumer Welfare, Global Integration, and Sustainable Mobility.

Representatives of automobile companies in Pakistan, automobile parts manufacturers, policymakers, and academicians participated in the conference, said a statement issued on Sunday.

The participants shared their experience and knowledge regarding the issues and the future outlook of the automobile industry in Pakistan.

The conference was attended by a large number of students from the local universities as well.

The discussion in the conference was focused on three sub-themes: localization obsession and supply chain constraints; policy, reforms, and industry development; and electrification and the future of mobility.

Extensive and in-depth analysis and views were shared on all the themes by the experts, while students also actively participated in the discussion sessions as well.

Dr. Nadeem Ul Haque, Vice Chancellor, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), said, “The primary agenda of this conference is to explore why Pakistan’s automobile industry is not progressing and to discuss strategies for its revitalization.”

“The aim of our institution is the economic prosperity of Pakistan, and this conference is a step towards achieving that by focusing on the automobile sector.”

“The key issues to address include the reasons behind the lack of exports from the automobile industry, the delayed introduction of hybrids and EVs, and the future of the industry in terms of research and development,” he added.

“Despite 50 to 70 years of protection, the sector has failed to export, which is a significant concern given the country’s economic crisis.”

He further added, “The discussion will focus on why the industry has not kept pace with global advancements, such as driverless cars and hybrid cars, and why there is a lack of local R&D.”

He said, “The objective is to have a constructive dialogue to develop policies and understand issues that will drive the development of Pakistan’s automobile industry.”

Dr. Nadeem concluded his remarks by reaffirming PIDE’s efforts towards always taking new steps forward, aiming to conduct research and stimulate debate on important topics, as the goal was to foster real, productive conversations that lead to actionable outcomes for the sector’s growth and integration into the global market.

Later, the PIDE team presented the findings of their ongoing research on the state of the automobile industry in Pakistan and the future outlook.

A second presentation focusing specifically on the potential of electric vehicles in Pakistan as well as the challenges in their adoption was also presented by the PIDE team at the conference.

The participants lauded the work done by PIDE and also the organization’s efforts to bring together all stakeholders for the development and promotion of a unified reform plan for the revitalization of the automobile industry in Pakistan.