KARACHI: A quiet tug-of-war is going on in the auto sector as a Chinese assembler and a local importer, who presents himself as an “automaker” despite having no production facility, is reportedly lobbying the Customs Classification Committee to reclassify Range-Extended Electric Vehicles (REEVs) as pure Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs).

Industry insiders warn that the move seeks to secure zero-emission tax benefits for vehicles that still rely on internal combustion engines (ICE), a step that could distort market competition and drain billions of rupees from the national exchequer.

While REEVs use electric motors to drive the wheels, they carry an on-board petrol engine that acts as a generator to recharge........

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