Bangladesh to produce Pajero jeep.

Pragoti to begin assembling Pajero Sports in 2011

Our Correspondent

CHITTAGONG, Oct 30: The country’s biggest vehicle assembling industry Pragoti will bring in the market a new model jeep – Pajero Sports – a modern version of its V-31 Pajero in 2011.

The new model jeep will be assembled at the factory of Pragoti Industries Ltd (PIL) at Barabkunda under Sitakunda of Chittagong under joint venture with Mitsubishi Motors Corporation of Japan, PIL sources said.

The sources said, the PIL management has already held primary consultation with the Mitsubishi Motors. A four-member team of Mitsubishi Motors visited the PIL factory at Barabkunda on July 13 last. The team also had a meeting with the senior officials of Bangladesh Steel and Engineering Corporation (BSEC) in Dhaka on July 15.

The sources said, the sales representative of Mitsubishi in Bangladesh and other officials of the company agreed to assemble Pajero Sports and Sedan at the PIL factory. The PIL is currently assembling V-31 Pajero under long-term agreement with the Mitsubishi.

Following that visit a team from Bangladesh headed by a joint secretary of the Ministry of Industries (MoI) visited the Mitsubishi factory in Thailand for three days from September 9 last. The team included senior officials from BSEC and PIL, the sources said.

PIL Managing Director Zahiruddin Chowdhury said, the price of Pajero Sports is yet to be fixed. “The price will be fixed after completion of the production process. But the new model Pajero will be an upgraded version of V-31. So the price will be more than that of V-31,” he said.

Chowdhury said, the PIL is not in a position to go for assembling bus, truck or light vehicle except V-31 due to absence of long term agreement with any other company. “That is why we are trying to procure such vehicles from other countries under joint venture or we will assemble those vehicles by importing completely knocked-down (CKD) vehicles under long-term agreement and assemble them in our factory,” he said.

Although the PIL has the capacity to produce as many as 500 vehicles a year it has no factory of its own for repairing and maintenance of the vehicles. So the PIL has currently decided to invite proposals for a service-cum-maintenance workshop at its 43,560 square feet vacant land at Tejgaon in Dhaka under public private partnership, the MD added.

Source: The Financial Express, Dhaka.

Tags: Bangladesh, Mitsubishi, Pajero, PIL