Sazgar Opens First Overseas Plant in Philippines: Pakistani Rickshaws Go International
Lahore, Oct 31, 2026 — A Pakistani company has put its name on the map in Southeast Asia in a way no local automaker has before. Sazgar Engineering Works Limited, the Lahore-based maker of three-wheelers, has opened its first factory outside Pakistan — a new assembly plant in Biñan, Laguna, in the Philippines, inaugurated by…
Lahore, Oct 31, 2026 — A Pakistani company has put its name on the map in Southeast Asia in a way no local automaker has before. Sazgar Engineering Works Limited, the Lahore-based maker of three-wheelers, has opened its first factory outside Pakistan — a new assembly plant in Biñan, Laguna, in the Philippines, inaugurated by Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday, October 29.
For a company that has spent more than three decades building vehicles in Lahore, this is a genuine first: the Philippines plant is Sazgar’s first overseas base, and the company plans to use it as its hub for all of Southeast Asia. The Pakistan Embassy in the Philippines, which helped bring the project together, announced the opening on Friday, saying simply that Pakistan-made three-wheelers had entered the Philippine market.
Key facts: Sazgar’s Philippines plant
| Detail | Confirmed figure |
|---|---|
| Company | Sazgar Engineering Works Limited, Lahore (founded 1991 as a private limited company; public limited since 1994) |
| New plant | Manufacturing and assembly plant, Biñan City, Laguna province, Philippines — Sazgar Philippines Inc. |
| Inaugurated | Thursday, October 29, 2026, by Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. |
| Annual capacity | About 12,000 three-wheeled vehicles a year |
| Initial production mix | 60% electric models, 40% internal-combustion models |
| Ownership | 60% Filipino-owned, per President Marcos |
| Role | First plant outside Pakistan; hub for Southeast Asia (ASEAN) markets |
| Electric range | 100 to 210 kilometres on a single charge, per President Marcos |
| Local-parts goal | 100% locally manufactured parts within about a year, per President Marcos |
| Export footprint | Three-wheelers and parts exported to more than 20 countries, including Japan, the UAE, Sri Lanka and Nigeria |
What the plant will actually build
The Biñan plant will assemble passenger and commercial three-wheelers, in both electric and petrol-powered versions. That split matters: the initial mix is 60% electric and 40% internal-combustion, and the electric share is expected to rise as demand grows. The plant’s electric three-wheelers are designed to travel between 100 and 210 kilometres on a single charge — enough, President Marcos noted, for a full day of trips without needing petrol.
The facility can assemble about 12,000 three-wheeled vehicles a year. That is not a giant car factory, and it should not be oversold as one — but for a first overseas plant, and for a market where three-wheelers are everyday transport, it is a serious foothold. The plant is also expected to create jobs in Laguna and business for local suppliers of batteries, glass, seat foam, upholstery, rubber and lubricants.
Why Marcos made a point of local parts
President Marcos used the inauguration to set Sazgar a public challenge, and it is worth quoting because it shows what the Philippines wants from this investment. “At present, many of your parts still come from abroad,” he said. “I ask you to grow your Filipino supply chain year after year.” He added that the company expects to be able to produce all of its parts locally within about a year.
The plant qualified under the Philippines’ Strategic Investment Priority Plan because at least a quarter of the value of every unit is generated locally, with the Board of Investments projecting even more. The wider goal behind that is the Philippine government’s target of electric vehicles making up 50% of the country’s vehicle fleet by 2040.
Sazgar Philippines President and Chief Executive Officer Muhammad Fahim said the company plans to support that EV programme through local manufacturing, workforce development, partnerships with Philippine suppliers and future exports to Southeast Asian markets. Pakistan’s Ambassador to the Philippines, Dr. Asima Rabbani, congratulated Sazgar on the achievement.
From Lahore to Southeast Asia
This did not come out of nowhere. Sazgar is one of Pakistan’s largest rickshaw manufacturers, with plants in Lahore, and it has been exporting three-wheelers and parts to more than 20 countries for years — Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Qatar and Afghanistan among them. In September 2025, the company announced plans to expand into new export markets, specifically targeting the Philippines, Mexico and Afghanistan, as part of a strategy to diversify revenues.
The Philippines plant marks a shift in that strategy: from relying solely on vehicle exports to establishing overseas assembly operations. Instead of shipping finished vehicles from Lahore, Sazgar can now assemble them in Laguna, closer to Southeast Asian buyers, with local partners and a local supply chain. That is exactly why the company calls the plant its hub for the region.
For Pakistan’s auto industry, the signal is bigger than one plant. A Lahore company founded in 1991, best known at home for three-wheelers, has now been chosen — and welcomed at presidential level — as a manufacturing partner in another country. If the local-parts plan delivers and the ASEAN hub grows, Sazgar’s next overseas step will not be a surprise. It will be the pattern.
Related reading on TimelyUps: Pakistan to raise over $1 billion from privatisation of 5-6 entities, Aurangzeb tells Reuters, Goods transporters announce 5% fare hike after fuel-price surge, and OnePlus 16 launched in China: price, specs and what it could cost in Pakistan.
Frequently asked questions
What has Sazgar opened in the Philippines?
Sazgar Engineering Works Limited has opened its first overseas plant — a three-wheeler manufacturing and assembly facility in Biñan City, Laguna, Philippines, run by Sazgar Philippines Inc. It was inaugurated by Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on October 29, 2026.
How many vehicles can the Philippines plant build?
The plant is designed to assemble approximately 12,000 three-wheeled vehicles a year, covering both electric and internal-combustion models. The initial production mix is 60% electric and 40% conventional.
Is the plant Pakistani-owned?
President Marcos said Sazgar Philippines is 60% Filipino-owned. It is the first manufacturing plant of the Lahore-based Sazgar Engineering Works outside Pakistan, and it will serve as its hub for Southeast Asia.
How far can Sazgar’s electric three-wheelers travel on a charge?
President Marcos said the electric three-wheelers are designed to travel between 100 and 210 kilometres on a single charge, potentially covering a full day’s trips without petrol.
What is Sazgar’s local-parts plan in the Philippines?
President Marcos challenged Sazgar to grow its Filipino supply chain year after year, saying the company anticipates being able to produce all parts locally within about a year. The plant qualified under the Strategic Investment Priority Plan because at least a quarter of each unit’s value is generated locally.
Where does Sazgar already export?
Sazgar exports three-wheelers and parts to more than 20 countries, including Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Qatar and Afghanistan. In September 2025 it named the Philippines, Mexico and Afghanistan as target export markets.
