Pak Suzuki launched the Ciaz sedan in Pakistan as a CBU import back in February 2017 marking their comeback in the sedan segment after the miserable demise of Liana. Although it was claimed that the Ciaz had smashed its critics straight after its launch, selling 760 units alone on the day of its launch, those units were nowhere to be seen and even after more than a year the Ciaz struggles to leave the showroom floors.
There are a couple of reasons attributed towards the Ciaz being unable to attract the buyers here, despite being a Suzuki product. First is the fact that Ciaz missed out more than a dozen features found in international versions, it looked as if it was a version specifically made to be sold in Pakistan.
Related: Suzuki Alivio Pro (Ciaz Facelift) launched in China
Second is the price factor, while the introductory price of Suzuki Ciaz was set at PKR 16.99 lac for the manual and PKR 18.39 lac for the automatic version, which was considered higher even at the time of its launch, courtesy the missing features. However just after a month the prices were increased, with the manual being PKR 18.59 and automatic available for PKR 19.99 lac. And with a price tag this high, people never considered it as a viable option.
Another important factor is that the Ciaz is not assembled locally, which although results in a better built-quality compared to the locally assembled Suzuki models, still a locally assembled version would have been slightly cheaper making it a relatively attractive option for car buyers.
Related: Pak Suzuki May Shelve Its Rs.460 Billion Investment Plan
Pak Suzuki actually had the plans to assemble the Vitara and Ciaz locally, with Rs 460 billion investment to create a state-of-the-art second plant in Pakistan, but that investment was conditional on the basis of similar incentives given to the new entrants, which obviously was rejected by the government.
Times have changed..
Now if we observe the recent trend of price revisions by automakers in Pakistan blaming the falling rupee value against the dollar, the prices of cars have been increased by up to PKR 150,000 within three months. This makes the two popular sedans Toyota Corolla & Honda City Aspire expensive than the imported Suzuki Ciaz. Bear in mind the price tag of Suzuki Ciaz have remain unchanged during the last two rounds of price revisions.
Related: Indus Motors Increase Prices for the 2nd Time in 3 Months
This makes Ciaz a better option for those willing to keep the car for a long period of time. So in order to make things more clear before penning down this article, we headed to Suzuki IG Motors to discuss the matter.
According to the Suzuki representatives there, the prices of Ciaz are in fact unchanged. Furthermore the Ciaz is available for ready delivery and as the cherry on top, there is zero own/ premium, something that’s hard to believe for a four door sedan standing at a Suzuki dealership. Also there is no additional tax amount for filers/ non filers in case of imported vehicles including the Ciaz.
Related: Honda Prices Revised Again
The Suzuki representatives claimed that the sales of Ciaz were quite ‘satisfactory’, but there must be a different meaning for this word in their dictionary versus ours. Obviously the prices have been kept intact in order to attract more buyers, which I believe should work now considering the fact that it’s now available cheaper than the Corolla GLi and City Aspire. According to our information, some dealerships were even offering a discount on Suzuki Ciaz, which however wasn’t the case with IG Motors we visited.
Although the Ciaz misses out on features, the price tag and ready delivery makes it a better option against the 9 year old City Aspire or the Corolla Gli, both of which have surpassed the 2.0 million price barrier. In a nutshell, the plus points of Ciaz are:
- Instant delivery
- No premium/ own
- No additional tax
- Better built quality (being an import)
- Decent looks
- 3 years/ 60,000km warranty
- Safety equipment including Airbags, ABS with EBD and Immobilizer
Related: Ciaz Outsells City in India, Unable to Sell in Pakistan
However the drawbacks are:
- Nearly a dozen missing features that are available in international versions
- Low Resale
- No extended warranty
- Parts not frequently available in open market
We still believe if Pak Suzuki is able to offer at least a few of the missing features including a multi-tone interior, alloy wheels, multimedia system with reversing camera and climate control in a locally assembled Ciaz, it will be a much better option than their previous sedan, the Liana and can create serious problems for Toyota Corolla and the aging Honda City.
What is your opinion regarding the Suzuki Ciaz considering its price in current circumstances, will you buy a Ciaz if you have to spend PKR 2.0 million? Cast your vote below and let us know with the comments.
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A computer animation professional with over 23 years of industry experience having served in leading organizations, TV channels & production facilities in Pakistan. An avid car enthusiast and petrolhead with an affection to deliver quality content to help shape opinions. Formerly written for PakWheels as well as major publications including Dawn. Founder of CarSpiritPK.com
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