KARACHI: Nexus Automotive (Pvt) Limited may be a new name in the auto industry in Pakistan, but its chairman and other staff have experience in the automobile business. M. A. Razaq, Chairman Nexus Automotive (Pvt) Limited worked with General Motors USA for over 30 years. He retired as executive vice president, General Motors Overseas Division, and vice president of General Motors Corporation.
During his career Razaq managed and directed General Motors' subsidiaries in Greece, Saudi Arabia, Spain and Germany. As the executive vice president he was responsible for sales, marketing and after sales operations in Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia-Pacific and Latin America.
The Vice President of Nexus Automotive (Pvt) Ltd, Saeed-ur-Rahman is another seasoned auto industry professional. He started his career some 29 years ago with National Motors and took responsibility for the sales and promotion of Toyota brand of vehicles in Pakistan and from 1981 to 2001 was associated in senior capacities with Gandhara, where he was responsible for the introduction of Daihatsu Charade 1000cc and Nissan Sunny 1000cc cars in Pakistan.
Saeed-ur-Rahman is confident that the Chevrolet Optra will be greeted in Pakistan with immense enthusiasm and market approval because it is superbly designed and engineered with many extraordinary features. He says it is the avowed aim of Nexus Automotive to restore the ethics discipline of the market and extend as many benefits as possible right from the booking of the car to the delivery and after sales service.
In Saeed-ur-Rahman's view, the arrival of the Chevrolet Optra in Pakistan has also ushered in a new era of customer care and service. He says that at present the conditions in the automobile market, as far as the customer is concerned, are quite disappointing as manufacturers are taking undue advantage of the surge in demand for cars.
He says that in the present scenario, only 15 to 20 percent of automobiles are sold at ex-factory price, while 80 percent of cars sold in the country are against hefty premiums that dealers charge in collusion with manufacturers. This is creating a bad name for the automobile sector, despite the fact that the industry is, today, producing more units and is earning profit of 7 to 8 percent, according to its own claims. Saeed-ur-Rahman feels that this rate of profit by international industry norms is very high.