GWM Tank 500 buyers complain about delivery delays in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): Those who bought the GWM Tank 500 early on have been complaining that they haven’t gotten their cars yet, despite having booked them back when the vehicle launched in January.

They say that there are some vehicles still to be delivered for January bookings, however. Meanwhile, those who ordered the SUV later appear to already have received theirs, along with the vehicles of dealers and investors.

Buyers claim that they had booked for a PHEV well ahead of time before the official booking process kicked in. However, despite availability reports by dealers in Lahore, this buyer hasn’t been delivered yet.

Complaints over these issues have led to concerns around delivery order.

Large Balance Payments Requested

Some buyers report that they’ve been asked to foot the majority of the costs for a vehicle prior to its delivery.

In a public forum, one Tank 500 PHEV customer has complained about needing to pay Rs. 20.3 million — along with any additional taxes levied when they receive their car.

Tank 500 deliveries delayed

The company originally claimed that you would have to wait anywhere between three and four months to get your hands on a unit. But after hearing of strong interest in the vehicle, this timeline has been adjusted to six to eight months for the PHEV, while deliveries of the HEV will take seven to nine months. This apparently only applies to those who placed orders starting from January 27.

As far as sources tell, though, buyers who placed their orders before this date are entitled to the original delivery timeframe. The vehicle itself costs anything from Rs. 20.5 million (HEV) up to Rs. 22.5 million (PHEV).

The founder, Sazgar, said that delays were a product of more wide-ranging industry disruption. Production had been affected for the last 13 days since “previous auto policy was expired on July 1st and the new one awaits,” according to Sazgar.

“Uncertainty around relevant tariffs has caused a halt in production of HEV/PHEV model vehicles. Production of petrol-powered vehicles continues. Orders placed for Tank 500 vehicle will face delay of equal duration to length of period industry remained closed,” said Sazgar.

New Auto Policy Could Affect Final Prices

Now comes the word that Pakistan’s new auto policy could be unveiled next month, which raises questions about how this will affect final prices.

The change to revise any taxes/duties levied on hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars can lead to an increased invoice price for those with pending booking orders.

This would mean that those who placed orders for the vehicle several months ago might have to pay more than originally thought as they wait longer for delivery.