To improve the quality and safety features of domestic cars, the Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran has obliged domestic automakers to follow 15 directives, according to Mehdi Eslampanah, the head of ISIRI.
In case of any discrepancy in the final product vis-à-vis standards, or noncompliance with ISIRI’s directives, automakers will be liable to pay for criminal and legal fines.
According to the first directive of ISIRI, a car manufacturer needs to submit a declaration showing a vehicle’s conformity with the features declared by the automotive company to ISIRI at the time of seeking the production permit.
According to the second directive, if the interval between the production of a car and its supply to dealerships is more than two months, carmakers are obliged to inspect and verify the good condition of rubber, plastic and polymer parts, batteries, body dents and other components, the news portal of Donyaye Khodro reported.
The third directive states that automakers should notify ISIRI of any modifications that affect the compliance of the product with the relevant national standards.
According to the fourth directive, in case of non-fulfillment of obligations and any harm suffered by the people because of it at present or in future, manufacturers must pay compensation.
The fifth directive requires car manufacturers to control the production process and ensure the good quality of raw materials and the final product in accordance with related standards.
According to the sixth directive, automakers must strictly refrain from undertaking the presale and advertisement of cars before obtaining the oversight body’s approval.
The seventh directive mentions that automakers are allowed to conclude contracts and use certified inspection companies with the certification of the institute.
In the eighth directive, automakers are obliged to use a technological system with the ability to help track the product’s QR code for public monitoring and if any violation is reported, they are obliged to remove the discrepancy.
According to the ninth directive, automakers should procure the required parts and systems that comply with mandatory standards only from the holders of the standard license.
In the 10th directive, automakers are required to comply with technical standards in accordance with factory standards for other parts and systems that do not have a national standard and to maintain records of each part and submit them at the request of the institute.
According to the 11th directive, car manufacturers should implement corrective measures related to the elimination of recurring defects reported in periodic evaluations and prevent their presence in subsequent evaluations.
According to the 12th directive, car manufacturers are obliged to establish a quality management system and employ a quality control manager certified by ISIRI, in accordance with their production lines and shifts.
According to the 13th, 14th and 15th directives, they are responsible for establishing a quality management system, after-sales service standards and suspended standards and implementing them promptly.
Iran's Global Auto Ranking Sinks
The global ranking of Iranian automakers has fallen noticeably and experts blame numerous factors for this issue.
“Economy cars produced by domestic producers do not have an acceptable quality, so their production should be stopped. With the import of better economy cars, the low-income and middle classes should benefit from quality cars," Industries, Mining and Trade Minister Reza Fatemi-Amin was quoted as saying by Doynaye Khodro.
This is not the first time that the poor quality of domestic automotive products has been discussed in the current fiscal year (started March 21), but there seems to be no plan for the production of good quality cars.
Although the current state of the car industry is the result of years of wrong policies adopted by the parliament, the government and carmakers, market players are hopeful that correct policymaking and a management overhaul could improve the condition of cars.
“Various sectors are involved in the Iranian automotive industry. The Industries Ministry, the parliament, the Islamic Republic of Iran Police, the Department of Environment and the Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran are all accountable for the automotive industry’s performance,” Farhad Behnia, spokesman of the Parts Manufacturers Association, said.
“Each of these sectors has tasks that, if performed correctly, would have made the automotive industry much better today than ever before.”
The official noted that in the fiscal 2011-12, Iran ranked 12th in global car manufacturing, which has currently fallen to 21st place, which is still an acceptable position.
He noted that one of the recent major traffic accidents is proof that domestic vehicles lack an acceptable quality.
In the Behbahan-Ramhormoz road accident in Khuzestan Province on Jan. 10, 59 cars were involved in a chain of crashes that killed five and injured 41 people.
Behnia said the police was tasked with preparing an expert report and specifying the year of production of all the cars involved, following which automakers and parts makers were to provide explanations.
“Reports are prepared for such accidents and sent to judicial authorities for a verdict. However, in the Behbahan accident, this did not happen. In such accidents, it must be determined how many cars were dilapidated and should have been scrapped but weren’t,” he said.
“In these reports, cars with non-standard parts should be clarified. But immediately after this incident, everyone took a defensive stand, which is an unprofessional approach.”
Iran has more than 3 million dilapidated cars, which consume almost twice the fuel used by brand-new cars and worsen air pollution.
“Under the circumstances, we are moving toward the most critical phase of the automotive industry in the fiscal 2022-23. If we continue with the same trend, output will decline and we will not only fail to produce 1.5 million units, but we will not even reach the number of cars produced last year,” he declared.
