Pragoti

Pragoti

Pragoti Industries Limited is a Bangladeshi car assembling and car parts manufacturing company headquartered in Chittagong with a manufacturing plant in Agrabad. Founded in 1966, it is country's largest car assembling plant and it has assembled and marketed more than 50,000 vehicles such as cars, Jeeps, Buses, Trucks, Pickups, Ambulances, Tractors of multiple models by importing CKD (Complete Knocked Down ) kits from overseas.

History

Progoti Industries was established in 1966 as Ghandhara Industries by MR Habibulah, a pasthun and a retired army Major General from Pakistan Army. Ghandhara Industries was set up with joint venture with General Motors. In late 60's they rolled out Vauxhall Viva cars and Bedford trucks. Habibullah also set up a factory at Karachi, but Ghandhara Industries was more advanced and larger. Gen Habibullah's son, Maj Ali Quli Khan flew out of Dhaka during end of independence of Bangladesh. Upon independence of Bangladesh, the government nationalised the company and renamed it Progoti Industries.
Progoti Industries continued assembling Vauxhall Viva cars, a luxurious sedan car of that time and showed in Asia 1972 Trade fair in with caption " Bangladesh produce quality".
Things decline since 1980s and no more assembling were taking part only joining CKD for large vehicles.
However, in 2010, Japanese car giant Mitsubishi Corporation led by Asia Regional Manager Kazuhide Ogata made a formal proposal to Bangladesh government to manufacture Mitsubishi Lancer Sedan and Mitsubishi Pajero Sport in Pragoti, which already has been assembling Mitsubishi Pajero Sport since last few years. Along with Pajero Sport, it also assembles Tata Motors buses and mini trucks, Ashok Leyland minibuses.^[4] Due to cheap labour cost, the company officials hoping to reduce the price of cars that will be built here are heavily comparing the same cars manufactured elsewhere.