Mehran Lookalike Car Goes on Sale in China for just Rs. 250K

[Umair Malik]

A Chinese car manufacturer, Jiangnan Auto (a subsidiary of Zotye Automobile), has released a new car in China.

The car looks exactly like the Suzuki Mehran but costs several times less. It has been named Jaingnan TT and bears resemblance to our Mehran. Jiangnan TT is being called the cheapest car in China and that’s a big achievement considering the tough Chinese market.

Suzuki Mehran has been the most sold car in Pakistan for more than a decade. However, the car which has remained the same for more than three decades, costs several times more than the newly revealed Jiangnan TT.


Constant price hikes means that you can end up paying over PKR 700,000 after registration for a Mehran and that’s part for the reason the public wants new car manufacturers to enter the Pakistani market.

Maruti-800-lives-on-in-China-as-Jiangnan-TT-front
As you can see in the image above, Jiangnan TT, looks a like a Mehran clone but with the right price tag. It starts at about $2,415 or just over Rs. 2.4 lacs. For the price, you get a very basic car which is still more than what Mehran offers. The car can seat 4 people and there’s ample space at the back.

The car is powered by a 0.8 litre three-cylinder petrol engine with 36 horsepower output. The engine is comparable to the Mehran and the TT can reach a top of speed 120 km/h. TT comes with a front wheel drive and its gearbox sports four-speed manual shifting.

The car is a Mehran clone, costs less and offers more features
In terms of dimensions, the car measures 3.3 meters in length and 1.4 meters in width. Yes those are exactly the same as Mehran. Jiangnan sells car parts at reduced prices as well, much less than the Suzuki car parts.

Car mileage is stated to be around 20 kms per liter. Jiangnan will sell the cars in relatively smaller cities and countryside. More details confirm that the car is indeed based on the second generation Suzuki Alto (1984-1988), which Suzuki developed in a joint venture with Changan Automobile. TT includes some minor improvements over the second-gen Alto. The second generation Suzuki Alto is more or less what we call Mehran today.

Suzuki and Changan have licensed the production rights of this car to various Chinese manufacturers. Many other manufacturers have built eccentric cars based on Alto’s designs.

@ProPakistani

[Umair Malik]

Is The Rs 250,000 Chinese Mehran Coming to Pakistan?

So is it Coming to Pakistan?
Sorry to dash your dreams, the cheapest Mehran in the world is not coming to Pakistan. Anybody saying it is coming are false. All the rumors are false. There is no authentic news from the Chinese manufacturer or any importer that they plan to launch the car in Pakistan. Zotye or Jiangnan haven’t even announced any plans for entering the Pakistani market, hence, there’s no chance that they sell the car here.

Can it be Imported to Pakistan?
Yes, it can be imported to Pakistan but there are a lot of things to consider before anyone can even think of importing the Chinese Mehran to Pakistan. Some of the points are listed below.

Jiangnan TT is a car with a left-hand drive while we have right-hand drive cars in Pakistan. So driving it is going to be more difficult. If you think you can alter it to become a right-hand drive, keep in mind that it will cost plenty of cash plus you might lose the good looking dashboard.
Import taxes will raise the price of the car massively. It is true the car’s price translates to 250,000 Pakistani rupees, however, taxes would increase that amount by almost two times.
Shipping costs will also be a major cost if you plan to import the Jiangnan TT.
Keep in mind that despite the looks, not all Mehran parts can be used with the Jiangnan TT. While the body and some of the interior is the same, the engine and some of the better looking interior parts are different. When required, these parts would have to be imported from China.
If we sum up all the import costs, we can estimate that the car’s price would be much higher than the original price tag of Rs. 250,000. You could end up paying almost the same amount as a normal Mehran i.e. somewhere around 500,000-600,000.

Yes, it would still be a better buy than the local Mehran but considering that you would have to make do with a left-hand drive or spend a lot of money to alter the car, it could be the major reason to put off most potential buyers.

Is There Any Chance That Importers Will Bring the Car Here?
There’s always a chance that something like this can happen. However, when considering the point mentioned above, it would not be feasible for importers to risk getting a car which doesn’t have good demand or retail potential due to the left-hand drive.

However, we would like to advise our readers to beware of fraudulent groups who claim to be Jiangnan suppliers in Pakistan, there have been multiple incidents of people paying the money for the car and these fraudulent groups vanishing along with the money.

@ProPakistani