Monitoring Desk
What started as a car discussion forum for enthusiasts now has a 80% market share of the automobiles classified ads market. 14 years on Pakwheels has created new revenue streams and eventually hope to provide a one stop solution for complete automotive transactions.
The automobiles market in Pakistan has grown exponentially over the last ten to fifteen years. Growing competition between the big three indigenous players (Suzuki, Toyota and Honda), a used imported car market with more variety than ever before and the introduction of German brands such as Audi means there is a car out there for everyone.
That growth along with increasing internet penetration created a gap for an online automobile trading portal. PakWheels.com sufficiently filled that gap and then some with other automotive related online services.
And in the process It’s gotten powerful too. It’s more like a kingmaker in the automobile industry, with big car manufacturers like Honda and Toyota conceding to the power it holds over their customers. Why, one may ask? Because, it is the first and largest forum/blog (amongst other things) on automobiles in Pakistan and people naturally come to PakWheels to discuss matters related to automobiles.
Recall the reviews that rolled out after Honda launched its much-awaited 10th Generation Honda Civic 2016. People complained about the interior of the car and welding marks on the front doors of the newly launched Civic. And where was all this talk taking place? PakWheels! It generated loads of bad publicity for Honda.
Some accused PakWheels of being biased towards Honda, others agreed and contributed to the assertions of low quality made therein. Whatever the case, Honda did subsequently accept the flaws and sought to remove them. It goes to show that PakWheels has an immense power to influence the perception of its users through its forums; evidenced by the fact that Toyota got its latest Fortuner 2017 reviewed by none other than the co-founder and Chairman of PakWheels, SuneelSarfrazMunj. Unlike the Honda Civic review, Munj was all praises for the new Fortuner which he feels addresses most if not all of the problems in the previous model.
What initially began as a forum and a community centre for car enthusiasts back in 2003 is now the largest online classifieds portal for automobiles in Pakistan. Last year alone, the portal attracted over 25 million unique visitors to its platform which makes it one of the most visited online destination in Pakistan.
“It wasn’t a commercial venture when we started PakWheels. It was just a place where likeminded people could get together,” says SuneelSarfrazMunj, co-founder and Chairman of PakWheels.
