Each to be sold at Tk 60 lakh, import price now Tk 1.2 crore
Pragati Industries Limited (PIL), the lone state-run automobile assembling industry of the country, has started assembling Mitsubishi’s most modern Pajero jeep in Bangladesh.
PIL has already completed assembling of two jeeps in its own plant in Chittagong on experimental basis and is likely to go for commercial production soon.
As part of a five-year agreement, signed between Managing Director of PIL Engineer Jahir Uddin Chowdhury and Corporate General Manager of Mitsubishi’s Asia and ASEAN offices Zenichiro Nichina, PIL started assembling the Mitsubishi Jeep in Bangladesh.
The Mitsubishi authorities has also expressed their keenness to assist in setting up of a plant in Bangladesh for manufacturing spare parts of Mitsubishi jeep.
With this achievement of the state-owned industry, the customers in future will have the scope to buy a worldwide popular ‘Pajero Sports Jeep’ at around Tk 60 lakh whereas its present imported price is Tk 1.2 core.
Jahir Uddin Chowdhury told the news agency that a four-member engineers team of Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) had imparted training to Bangladeshi motor workers on assembling sports jeeps from October 18 to November 5 this year.
Chowdhury also said they had successfully assembled two Pajero jeeps and would assemble 10 more in between January and March next year.
“We will start large scale commercial production after successfully selling these 10 jeeps in the Bangladesh market, Jahir said adding that after assembling a jeep here, it would be available at only Tk 60 lakh though its present market price is Tk 1.2 crore.
Asked about its quality, he said the MC authority is determined to maintain their standard and practically assessed the quality of PIL three times through sample tests before work orders.
“No internationally reputed company wants to undermine the quality of its products wherever it is assembled,” the MD asserted.
Mitsubishi engineers after visiting the PIL in July, 2009, expressed satisfaction over its overall condition and working atmosphere.
A four-member Bangladeshi delegation from PIL including its MD visited Mitsubishi Pajero Manufacturing industry in Thailand on September 9 last year and interacted in details on different technical and infrastructure aspects at PIL.
Reciprocally, another four-member Mitsubishi delegates led by its Asia Region manger Kajuhidi Ogata also visited the Pragati Industry.
The then Gandhara Industries, now PIL, came into being with logistics supports of General Motors of England on January 20 in 1966 near Barabkunda, Chittagong on Dhaka-Chittagong highway.
After the independence, Bangladesh government acquired the industry and renamed it Pragati Industries Limited (PIL), which was then enlisted with Bangladesh Steel and Engineering Corporation (BSEC).
PIL, which earned a profit of Tk 16.5 crore last fiscal year, has an annual capacity of assembling 1,500 vehicles like bus, truck, jeep and private car.
