The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has imposed a hefty fine of Rs25 million on Hyundai Nishat Motors for employing deceptive marketing tactics during the launch of its Hyundai Tucson SUV in 2020.
The CCP initiated an investigation after Hyundai introduced the Tucson during a Facebook Live event, advertising it with “introductory prices.” According to the announcement, the GLS/FWD model was priced at Rs4,899,000, while the Ultimate/AWD variant was listed at Rs5,399,000.
However, the Commission found that the offer was only available for less than 24 hours, and the “limited time offer” disclaimer was hidden in fine print, making it difficult for consumers to notice. Shortly after the brief booking window, Hyundai increased the prices by Rs200,000 and removed all mentions of the original prices from its website and social media pages.
Declaring the strategy misleading and unfair, the CCP stated that Hyundai failed to clearly disclose the terms and conditions of the offer, creating confusion among consumers.
The Commission categorised this as a case of “bait advertising,” where customers are lured by attractively low prices that disappear almost immediately.
The CCP further noted that Hyundai follows better marketing practices in other countries, and Pakistani consumers deserve the same level of transparency.
“This fine serves as a strong warning to all companies,” the CCP said in its statement, stressing that transparent marketing is critical and misleading the public carries serious consequences.
