I'll try my best to list cars that could have been better and I'll mostly focus on those offered after the year 2000.
1. Suzuki Alto (2000-2012)
For some reason, this model of Alto never had an EFI engine and was eventually pulled out in 2012. Meanwhile, Mehran's engine was upgraded to EFI.
Features-wise, it seemed decent, probably because it was light enough to have power steering and windows, but it could at least have had a defogger unless its A/C was powerful enough to defog the rear window.
2. Daihatsu Cuore (2000-2012)
Just like the Suzuki Alto, no EFI engine was ever introduced and eventually pulled out in 2012. Decent features, but could also have had a defogger, unless its A/C was also powerful enough to defog the rear window.
3. Suzuki Cultus (2000-2017):
For some reason, it was never offered with the EFI engine until 2007. Although the VXL has power steering and windows, it also has alloy wheels. The VXR could have been forgiving if it had at least had power steering, especially after 2010. Besides the EFI engine, an immobilizer seemed to be the only serious upgrade.
4. Suzuki Liana (2006-2014):
Liana could have saved its legacy and Suzuki's sedan lineup if it had been launched as early as 2004, compared to the 9th-gen Corolla in 2002, and the 4th-gen City in 2003. But it launched in 2006 and was already too late for the competition, while the Corolla and City dominated, especially when their new generation was launched in 2008 and 2009. Liana was pretty much forgotten, and it was discontinued in 2014.
5. Base Variants of Honda Civic (2006-2021):
The base variants of Civic during this time, for some reason, never got the 1.6L engine. If I remember correctly, the prices of the base and Oriel variants with 1.8L were extremely close, which eventually led to the demise of the base Civic. I never drove any Civic of those years, but the 1.6L might have been a good car and a fine competitor to the 1.6 Corolla Altis.
6. Suzuki Jimny (2008-2023), Vitara (2017-2023), and Suzuki Ciaz (2017-2023)
Unlike Potohar, Jimny for some reason was never introduced locally with a price jump, eventually destroying its legacy, and may never gonna be introduced locally ever since its production is mostly in India.
Same fate for Vitara and Ciaz, which were never introduced locally as well.
7. Suzuki Swift Automatic (2012-2021)
Unlike the manual variant, for some reason, the automatic recommends petrol of 97 RON despite the engines of both variants having the same compression ratio. However, RON 97 seems no longer available, as the currently highest one available is RON 95 from most fuel brands. Those whom I knew own the auto variant one complained about its engine knocking and its infamous fuel consumption. This is the car that needs to be recalled regarding its RON requirement, if its even possible.
8. CBU Models (Toyota Camry, RAV-4, Honda Accord, and CR-V) (200?-Present):
Just like Suzuki's, none of these were introduced locally, except that other competitors have pretty much taken over.
9. Suzuki Wagon R (2014-2025)
This car deserved an upgrade, instead of being discontinued. Sure, the price might end up higher, but not as high compared to Cultus.
I cannot list more cars as I'm not too sure about their history, but I would like to hear what other cars in Pakistan were missed/wasted opportunity.
