Cement Giant Thatta Bets on Electric Cars for Pakistan's Roads

Thatta Cement, one of Pakistan's established cement makers, is stepping into the country's electric vehicle market with a new subsidiary — starting with affordable, compact electric cars imported from China, with local assembly possible later.

The move is a sign of how quickly Pakistan's EV story is changing. Until recently, electric cars in Pakistan were a luxury import, priced far beyond most buyers. Now cement companies, assemblers and startups are all racing to offer something ordinary families can actually afford.

Why a cement company is selling cars

On the surface, cement and electric cars have little in common. But Thatta's logic is straightforward: Pakistan's construction and transport sectors are both being reshaped by the same forces — rising fuel prices, pressure to cut emissions, and cheaper Chinese electric technology.

Compact electric cars imported from China are the natural starting point. China now builds more electric vehicles than the rest of the world combined, and its small city cars are among the cheapest EVs on the planet. By importing them first and assembling locally later, Thatta can test demand without building a factory on day one.

A market finally opening up

Pakistan's EV market has been gathering momentum all year. BYD, the world's largest EV maker, is preparing local assembly in Pakistan, and several Chinese brands have already entered the market. Government policy has moved in the same direction, with lower duties on electric vehicles and incentives for local assembly.

The opportunity is large. Pakistan imports billions of dollars of fuel every year, and its cities suffer some of the worst air pollution in Asia. Every petrol car replaced by an electric one saves foreign exchange and cleans the air — which is why policymakers have been unusually welcoming to EV investors.

But the real test is price. Most Pakistanis cannot spend several million rupees on a car, however green it is. That is why Thatta's focus on affordable, compact models matters: a small electric car that costs little to run and little to buy could reach buyers that premium EVs never will.

What to watch next

The first question is timing — when the cars actually reach showrooms, and at what price. The second is charging: Pakistan's charging network is still thin, and compact EVs will need home and workplace charging to work for daily use. The third is local assembly, which would bring prices down further and create factory jobs.

Thatta Cement's entry will not transform Pakistan's roads overnight. But it is another signal that the country's EV shift is no longer a conversation about the future — it is a race, and more and more Pakistani companies want a place in it.

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