Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun said that state-owned company Pragati Industries will make its own brand of cars.
He said, ‘Soon Pragati will modernize Pragati Industries Limited and manufacture Pragti cars with technical support from Korea. There are also plans to develop fuel-efficient, environment-friendly electric vehicles (EVs).
He said these things on Wednesday (February 28) at the inauguration of the modern showroom and sales center of Pragati Industries Limited, a Bangladesh Steel and Engineering Corporation (BSEC) under the Ministry of Industry.
Speaking as the chief guest at the event, the Industries Minister said, ‘We could not reach the place where Pragati Industries was supposed to reach as a state-owned enterprise. Pragati imports parts from abroad and assembles them here. There is a lot of development going on in the country today. The time has come to work towards the goal that we have made to build a smart Bangladesh. We have to survive by competing in the age of globalization. Quality and up-to-date products should be produced. Not only sedan cars, affordable cars and motorcycles should be produced.’
Zakia Sultana, senior secretary of the Ministry of Industries, was the special guest at the inauguration of the showroom and sales center at the Dhaka office premises of Pragati Industries Limited at Tezgaon in the capital. Besides, senior officials of various ministries and departments of the government and acting managing director of Pragati Industries Limited. Abul Kalam Azad was present.
The current government has undertaken extensive activities to make the country Smart Bangladesh. Pragati Industries Limited is being modernized and developed. For this purpose, modern showrooms and sales centers have been set up to facilitate and improve customer service. It has a modern warehouse. Customers can now easily view and buy cars from this showroom. You can take after sales service. Customers will be able to receive the vehicle directly through the work order within a short period of time. Pragati 3-S Center will be launched soon. Pragati has also planned to offer sedan cars considering the needs of all levels of customers.
In 1966, Gandhara Industries Limited was established under private ownership with the technical support of England’s General Motors to manufacture cars at Barbakunda, Chittagong. In 1972, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman nationalized Pragti Industries Limited through the Nationalization of Industries Ordinance. In the post-war period, development of the transport sector in Bangladesh began with the addition of buses and trucks by the Bedford Company of England. After that, the work of improving the road communication system started by importing Superior buses and Bedford trucks from England. Later, the CKD of various brands of cars from India, China, Korea, including Japan’s Mitsubishi, Nissan and Isuzu, were imported and marketed widely.
Currently Japan’s Mitsubishi Motors Corporation continues to import and market the Pajero Sport (QX) Jeep, Mitsubishi L-200 Double Cabin Pickup CKD. Moreover, Mitsubishi brand ASX Jeep (Complete Built In) from Japan is imported and marketed in CBU condition.
