Auto zone to generate $200m annual surplus

According to The Express Tribune, Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry has unveiled a plan for an automotive hub spread over 150 acres at Port Qasim, as the ministry announced on Wednesday. The site will be built in stages and expanded as demand from the market grows.

Port Qasim Authority chairman Rear Admiral (Retd) Syed Moazzam Ilyas and the PQA board took part in the meeting where the decision was made. Once complete, the complex is planned to hold 264 working units across five specialised categories: 60 are vehicle showrooms, 84 are repair and refurbishment shops, 30 are commercial spaces, 20 are equipment yards and 70 sell spare parts.

The park is to be set up in the industrial belt of Port Qasim, giving direct port access and cutting the need for inland logistics. Backers of the project say the AIRE model, covering import, refurbishment and export, would be the country's first of its kind for vehicles. The promoters put the expected yearly net foreign exchange surplus at roughly $200 million, calculated from projected exports worth $500 million. The park is meant to bring car dealers, refurbishing units and parts suppliers together in one port-linked ecosystem.