08-30-2005, 02:47 AM
[b] Pakistan's first car[b]
Feroze Khan believes his future was already determined when his homeless mother gave birth to him on a car porch. More than half a century later, he has launched Pakistan's first home-grown automobile.It's been a long road for the boy from a poor Karachi neighbourhood whose life-long fascination with engines, gears and wheels has just driven his native country into the exclusive club of nations designing and producing cars."Every nation in the world has taken a lot of pride in making cars, and I wanted to contribute it to my country," says a proud Khan, whose Adam Motor Company has just rolled out his pride and joy -- the Revo.The compact, five-door 800cc model has made a splash on the roads of Karachi in recent weeks. The snub-nosed model costs 270,000 rupees (about 4,500 dollars), some 30 to 40 percent cheaper than entry-level rivals.The company has orders for 400 cars on its books and plans to manufacture 5,000 units this year, taking 2.5 percent of market share."Everyone has liked the way the car looks," Khan says. "Everyone has liked the engine sound, and the ride is more comfortable than the competitors'."The clients' response is good since it is the first Pakistani car."Khan, 56, is undaunted by the competition he faces from global auto giants from Japan, South Korea, Europe and the United States and says that perseverance pays off."It's a marathon," he explains. "I am not running a 100-metre race."Growing up in Aamil Colony, a poor and rough Karachi neighbourhood, Khan learnt to dream big early.By his early twenties he was a graduate engineer, going on to build a major car parts company that supplies the Daihatsu, Toyota, Honda and Suzuki brands."I started on the Revo project seven years ago," Khan says, "four years for preparations of technology, and three years to work actively on the car."In April, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz visited the Revo's roll-out ceremony in Karachi."This is a red-letter day in the history of our manufacturing sector," the premier told the assembled guests. "With this, Pakistan has joined the club of 16 countries having the capability of designing an original car."Like a proud father, Khan praises the virtues of the little Revo -- a car born and bred in Pakistan with the not so well maintained roads and hot climate of the South Asian country in mind."We have a sounder suspension, we have designed the radiator bigger with a cooling system, and we are very confident of its road performance," said Khan. "But still our team is working day and night to make it even better."He acknowledges that the car may not yet have the long-refined reliability of its Pakistani-assembled but foreign-designed rivals such as Japanese market-leader Suzuki, Daihatsu and South Korea's Hyundai."I am sure that the car is very reliable. I have made sure that we have not cut any corner on the quality. It may not be 100 percent Japanese (standard) ... but functionally it will be a wonderful car."With a top speed of 150 kilometres (93 miles) per hour and the option to run on natural gas, the Revo can claim both reasonable performance and economy.The car has been launched into a booming market, where foreign car plants have stepped up production to meet growing demand fuelled by Pakistan's eight-per-cent annual economic growth and the advent of cheap car loans.Khan is confident his tiny newcomer can squeeze into a gap in the market, based on its budget price and what he says is the Revo's advantage on strength and space designed specifically with the needs of Pakistani families in mind.The car's handling and ride are firmer and more stable than its competitors, he says.Pakistan has seen an annual 46 percent growth in car production over the past three years but there is still a gap in supply of 20,000 to 25,000 cars, Khan says.Still, not everyone is excited. Critics have grumbled that the Revo has foreign components, including a Chinese-made engine and transmission. But that is about to change now that Pakistan's Millat Tractor has agreed to build the Revo's transmission, Khan says."And in September we will start setting up an engine assembling plant next to our present plant," he boasts. "By 2007, we will have this engine being manufactured here in Pakistan."
http//pakistanidefenceforum.com/index.php?showtopic=47682
"Allah does not change the state of people unless they change what is within themselves" Quran 1311
Feroze Khan believes his future was already determined when his homeless mother gave birth to him on a car porch. More than half a century later, he has launched Pakistan's first home-grown automobile.It's been a long road for the boy from a poor Karachi neighbourhood whose life-long fascination with engines, gears and wheels has just driven his native country into the exclusive club of nations designing and producing cars."Every nation in the world has taken a lot of pride in making cars, and I wanted to contribute it to my country," says a proud Khan, whose Adam Motor Company has just rolled out his pride and joy -- the Revo.The compact, five-door 800cc model has made a splash on the roads of Karachi in recent weeks. The snub-nosed model costs 270,000 rupees (about 4,500 dollars), some 30 to 40 percent cheaper than entry-level rivals.The company has orders for 400 cars on its books and plans to manufacture 5,000 units this year, taking 2.5 percent of market share."Everyone has liked the way the car looks," Khan says. "Everyone has liked the engine sound, and the ride is more comfortable than the competitors'."The clients' response is good since it is the first Pakistani car."Khan, 56, is undaunted by the competition he faces from global auto giants from Japan, South Korea, Europe and the United States and says that perseverance pays off."It's a marathon," he explains. "I am not running a 100-metre race."Growing up in Aamil Colony, a poor and rough Karachi neighbourhood, Khan learnt to dream big early.By his early twenties he was a graduate engineer, going on to build a major car parts company that supplies the Daihatsu, Toyota, Honda and Suzuki brands."I started on the Revo project seven years ago," Khan says, "four years for preparations of technology, and three years to work actively on the car."In April, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz visited the Revo's roll-out ceremony in Karachi."This is a red-letter day in the history of our manufacturing sector," the premier told the assembled guests. "With this, Pakistan has joined the club of 16 countries having the capability of designing an original car."Like a proud father, Khan praises the virtues of the little Revo -- a car born and bred in Pakistan with the not so well maintained roads and hot climate of the South Asian country in mind."We have a sounder suspension, we have designed the radiator bigger with a cooling system, and we are very confident of its road performance," said Khan. "But still our team is working day and night to make it even better."He acknowledges that the car may not yet have the long-refined reliability of its Pakistani-assembled but foreign-designed rivals such as Japanese market-leader Suzuki, Daihatsu and South Korea's Hyundai."I am sure that the car is very reliable. I have made sure that we have not cut any corner on the quality. It may not be 100 percent Japanese (standard) ... but functionally it will be a wonderful car."With a top speed of 150 kilometres (93 miles) per hour and the option to run on natural gas, the Revo can claim both reasonable performance and economy.The car has been launched into a booming market, where foreign car plants have stepped up production to meet growing demand fuelled by Pakistan's eight-per-cent annual economic growth and the advent of cheap car loans.Khan is confident his tiny newcomer can squeeze into a gap in the market, based on its budget price and what he says is the Revo's advantage on strength and space designed specifically with the needs of Pakistani families in mind.The car's handling and ride are firmer and more stable than its competitors, he says.Pakistan has seen an annual 46 percent growth in car production over the past three years but there is still a gap in supply of 20,000 to 25,000 cars, Khan says.Still, not everyone is excited. Critics have grumbled that the Revo has foreign components, including a Chinese-made engine and transmission. But that is about to change now that Pakistan's Millat Tractor has agreed to build the Revo's transmission, Khan says."And in September we will start setting up an engine assembling plant next to our present plant," he boasts. "By 2007, we will have this engine being manufactured here in Pakistan."
http//pakistanidefenceforum.com/index.php?showtopic=47682
"Allah does not change the state of people unless they change what is within themselves" Quran 1311
