Pakistani automotive manufacturer Sazgar Engineering Works Limited has expanded its international operations with the inauguration of a vehicle assembly plant in the Philippines, marking a significant development for Pakistan’s automotive exports.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr inaugurated the facility on Thursday, according to his official website, while the Pakistan Embassy announced the development on Friday.
“Pakistan-made three-wheelers have entered the Philippine market!” the embassy said in a post on X.
The embassy said it had facilitated Sazgar’s entry into the Philippine market, where the Lahore-based company will introduce passenger and commercial three-wheelers alongside electric vehicles.
Speaking at the inauguration, President Marcos described the investment as “an important step in our journey to strengthen our country’s manufacturing sector and advancing the transition to cleaner, more sustainable transportation”.
The facility is designed to assemble approximately 12,000 three-wheeled vehicles annually, including both electric and conventional internal combustion engine models.
Highlighting the significance of the investment, Marcos said Sazgar had chosen the Philippines as its first manufacturing base outside Pakistan and as its regional hub for Southeast Asia.
“Sazgar has been building vehicles in Pakistan for over three decades. When it chose its first home outside of Pakistan and its hub for all of Southeast Asia, it chose the Philippines. It placed its confidence in our country,” he said.
Headquartered in Lahore, Sazgar is a publicly listed automotive manufacturer that exports three-wheelers and automotive components to more than 20 countries, including Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka and Nigeria.
The new facility represents an expansion of Pakistan’s automotive manufacturing presence in Southeast Asia and creates opportunities for further industrial and commercial cooperation between Pakistan and the Philippines.