Pakistan Auto Show 2026: A Complete Guide

If you follow Pakistan's automotive scene even a little, you've probably heard the buzz building around PAPS 2026 the 21st edition of the Pakistan International Auto Show, running from 18 to 20 September 2026 at the Lahore International Expo Centre. Organized by the Pakistan Association of Automotive Parts & Accessories Manufacturers (PAAPAM), the show has grown into the country's largest automotive gathering, and this year's edition is being billed as the biggest one yet. The aim is straightforward: bring assemblers, parts manufacturers, dealers, tech companies, and buyers into one venue for three days, so deals get made, products get seen, and Pakistan's auto industry gets a proper stage in front of both local and international audiences. Spread across four exhibition halls and roughly 120,000 sq. ft. of space, PAPS 2026 is expected to host around 400 exhibitors and draw an estimated 300,000 visitors numbers that put it firmly in the same conversation as the region's bigger motor shows.

What the Last Edition Actually Delivered

Before looking at who's showing up this year, it's worth looking at what the previous Lahore edition actually achieved, because the numbers explain why brands keep coming back. The 2024 show recorded 287,721 overall visitors and 145,476 registered trade visitors, spread across three exhibition halls covering 90,000 sq. ft., of which 62,430 sq. ft. was sold space. It pulled in 143 local exhibitors and 60 foreign exhibitors, and organizers logged 67 B2B meetings, with 49 companies walking away having generated real business from those sessions. Social media reach touched 150,000 fans and followers, and the show's website recorded over 12.5 million hits.

Trade visitors weren't just browsing either a good chunk were decision-makers. Managers made up 36% of the registered trade crowd, directors another 24%, and chairmen, CEOs, and presidents accounted for 8% on their own, with the remaining mix split between sales and business development staff, consultants, and department heads. Geographically, the visitor base leaned heavily on the Gulf, with 77% coming from GCC countries, followed by Asia at 10%, Europe at 4%, the rest of the Middle East at 6%, and smaller shares from Africa and the Americas. That's a genuinely international crowd for a Pakistani trade show, and it's a big part of why PAAPAM keeps calling this the leading automotive exhibition in the region's biggest car market. That track record is the reason PAPS has earned trust from assemblers, parts makers, and now tech platforms as a place worth showing up to, not just another trade fair on the calendar.

A Quick Snapshot of Pakistan's Auto Industry

It helps to know the backdrop PAPS is operating against. Pakistan currently has 106 vehicle assemblers and around 1,200 auto part manufacturers, an industry that directly employs roughly 300,000 skilled workers and supports another 1.5 million jobs indirectly. It contributes an estimated $1.26 billion to the national exchequer each year, with locally made auto parts valued at around $2.0 billion and exports estimated at $108 million. Localization is already strong in several categories tractors and motorcycles both sit at 90% local content for skin, body, and cosmetic parts, light commercial trucks around 60%, and passenger cars closer to 15%, with engine, transmission, and suspension localization still catching up across the board.

On the manufacturing side, local plants are already working with a fairly wide technology base casting, forging, CNC machining, sheet metal forming, plastic and polymer processing, and even additive manufacturing (3D printing) for prototyping. Newer additions to the mix include robotic welding, PCB assembly and wire harness manufacturing for modern vehicle electronics, and EV-specific processes like battery pack installation, high-voltage wiring, and end-of-line safety testing all signs that the industry is quietly gearing up for the shift toward electric vehicles, not just talking about it.

Leading Brands in PAPS 2026

Sponsorship tiers at PAPS work a bit like they do at any major trade show the bigger the stall, the bigger the commitment, and the bigger the spotlight. Here's how the brand line-up breaks down this year.

Diamond Sponsors

The Diamond tier is where the show's biggest names sit, and this year it's dominated by vehicle assemblers with serious floor space to match their ambitions:

• Pakistan Suzuki Motorcycle

• Pakistan Suzuki Motor Car

• Chery

• Kaiyi

• Millat Tractors

• Al-Ghazi Tractor

• Sazgar

This list tells you a lot about where Pakistan's auto industry is putting its weight right now. Suzuki holding two separate Diamond slots one for motorcycles, one for cars reflects how much of the country's day-to-day mobility still runs through its two-wheeler and small-car lineups. Chery and Kaiyi represent the newer wave of Chinese brands that have been steadily building assembly and distribution footprints in Pakistan over the last few years. Meanwhile, Millat Tractors and Al-Ghazi Tractor bring the agricultural side of the industry into the spotlight, a reminder that "auto show" in Pakistan isn't limited to passenger cars tractors are a massive local manufacturing category with genuine export potential. Sazgar rounds out the tier, known for its work across three-wheelers, motorcycles, and increasingly, passenger vehicles.

Golden Sponsors

One step below Diamond, the Golden tier brings in a mix of vehicle brands, finance, and distribution players:

• New Asia

• Pakistan Amarod Vehicle

• Power Vision

• Arif Habib Limited

• Honda Atlas Cars Pakistan Limited

• Lal Din Engineering

Honda Atlas Cars is the standout name here for most visitors, given how established the brand is in Pakistan's passenger car segment. Arif Habib Limited's presence is worth noting too it signals that PAPS isn't purely a manufacturing showcase anymore; financial and investment players are treating the show as a place to engage with an industry that's growing fast. New Asia, Pakistan Amarod Vehicle, Power Vision, and Lal Din round out this tier, each with their own footprint in vehicle assembly or distribution.

Platinum Sponsors

The Platinum tier features some of the larger booth footprints on the floor plan, occupying prime real estate near the main halls:

• HNMPL

• NEXGEN

• LMC (Lucky Motor Corporation)

• United / Jetour

Link

LMC's presence under the Jetour partnership continues Pakistan's trend of bringing in Chinese SUV and crossover brands through established local assemblers, while NEXGEN and HNMPL add to the growing list of newer entrants competing for space in a market that's shifting fast. United's pairing with Jetour on the floor plan also points to how partnerships between legacy Pakistani manufacturers and newer international brands are becoming the norm rather than the exception.

Beyond these three tiers, the show floor is also filled out with a long list of standard exhibitors names like Covico, Alpha, YES Electromotive, Procon Engineering, Excel Engineering, Nora, Evee, Nova Mobility, Jinpeng, and Okla, plus a dedicated Innovation Area for newer entrants and smaller manufacturers to get visibility without needing a Diamond-sized budget. It's this mix of big sponsors and smaller exhibitors together that gives PAPS its range you get to see where the big money is going and what the next wave of smaller players is building at the same time.

Exhibitors this year are also grouped by what they actually make or service, not just by sponsorship tier. The main categories on the floor include Parts & Systems, Repair & Maintenance, Tyres & Batteries, and Accessories & Tuning a structure that makes it easier for trade visitors to walk the halls with a specific goal instead of wandering the whole venue looking for one supplier.

The Role of DrivePK in PAPS 2026

Alongside the vehicle brands and parts manufacturers, this year's show also features DrivePK, positioned as Pakistan's first AI-powered automotive platform, built to bring smarter search, pricing, and marketplace tools into a space that's traditionally run on word-of-mouth and classified listings. Its inclusion at PAPS reflects a broader shift in the show itself it's no longer just assemblers and parts makers on the floor; digital and AI-driven platforms are now part of the conversation too.

DrivePK's presence at PAPS 2026 comes as an official media partner of the show, following a run of earlier activity that's built up its profile across the country. The platform has already made appearances at industry events in Multan, and it took part in the Lahore expo circuit alongside a dedicated whitepaper summit focused on where AI fits into Pakistan's automotive future. More recently, DrivePK was also present at an event in Karachi, extending its reach into the country's southern auto market. Taken together, this run of appearances Multan, Lahore, and Karachi positions DrivePK as one of the more active tech names trying to establish itself across Pakistan's regional auto show circuit, and PAPS 2026 looks to be its biggest stage yet.

Why Exhibitors Keep Choosing PAPS

Ask PAAPAM why a company should bother booking a stall, and the answer usually comes down to the same handful of reasons: the chance to meet potential buyers face to face, find new markets, appoint agents or seek principals, and build a prospect database without cold outreach. For established brands, it's also a low-pressure way to consolidate existing customer relationships and pick up media exposure. For newer entrants the kind you'll find in the Innovation Area or among the smaller standard exhibitors it's often the fastest way to get real product feedback from an audience that actually buys and specs automotive parts for a living, rather than relying on cold digital outreach alone.

Lahore as the Venue

Choosing Lahore for this edition isn't incidental. The Lahore International Expo Centre is one of the country's most capable exhibition venues, offering around 120,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space, parking for 2,500 vehicles, air-conditioned halls, and a secure, well-managed environment the kind of infrastructure a show expecting 300,000 visitors actually needs.

Lahore itself is well connected internationally through Allama Iqbal International Airport, roughly 20–30 minutes from the city centre, with PIA running daily domestic and international routes and connections through hubs like Qatar and Dubai for visitors travelling in from further afield. For a city often called the cultural heart of Pakistan, hosting the country's biggest auto show is a fitting pairing industrial ambition meeting a city with a long history of building things at scale.

Why PAPS 2026 Is Worth Watching

Put it all together and PAPS 2026 looks like a fair snapshot of where Pakistan's automotive industry stands right now established assemblers like Suzuki and Honda Atlas holding their ground, Chinese brands like Chery, Kaiyi, and Jetour expanding their local presence, tractor manufacturers reminding everyone that agricultural machinery is a real export category, and a first-generation AI platform stepping onto the same floor as all of them. Whether you're a dealer scouting new partnerships, a parts manufacturer looking for buyers, or simply someone who wants to see what's coming next in Pakistan's car market, three days at the Lahore International Expo Centre this September should cover it.

Given how the 2024 edition performed nearly 288,000 visitors and dozens of companies closing real deals on the floor there's a decent chance this edition tops it.

For more updates, visit DrivePK.com