In June 1986, a simple Pak Suzuki invoice showed the price of a brand-new Suzuki Mehran STD at just Rs. 85,000. This document has gone viral online, taking many Pakistanis back to the early days of the country’s car industry.
Pak Suzuki Motor Company started as a joint venture between the Government of Pakistan and Japan’s Suzuki in the early 1980s. It began local assembly to make cars more affordable and create jobs. The Mehran, based on the second-generation Suzuki Alto, replaced the popular Suzuki FX. While the full market launch came around 1989 at about Rs. 90,000, the 1986 invoice shows early local production efforts.
At that time, the Mehran was a big purchase. Average monthly salaries in Pakistan were low, so buying a car meant saving for years. Still, its low price, simple design, and cheap maintenance made it a dream for many middle-class families. It offered reliable personal mobility when few could afford imported cars.
Over the next 30 years, nearly 600,000 Mehrans were sold. The small 800cc hatchback became an icon on Pakistani roads until production ended in 2019.
Today, even old Mehrans cost several lakhs, while new cars cost millions.
