With the production of 174,695 cars from the beginning of the current fiscal year (March 21) to July 11, the CEO of Iran Khodro Company (IKCO) announced a 53% increase in the production of complete cars compared with the same period of last year.
"Delivery to customers during the period has reached 169,487 vehicles, registering a 30% year-on-year increase," Mehdi Khatibi was also quoted as saying during the meeting with the employees of TAM Company.
He also mentioned that during the same period, deeds were issued for 161,256 cars, which is 41% higher compared with the same period of last year, Donyaye Khodro reported.
"By achieving the goal of producing 750,000 passenger and commercial vehicles this year, the production of complete vehicles will result in saving 70 trillion rials. In addition, it will prevent a decline in the quality of products and reduce social concerns among people due to the decline in supply,” he said.
"In addition to boosting the quantity and quality of our products, effective measures have also been taken for the development of new vehicles. The final products of two important projects, K125 and TF21, which are modern and well-equipped vehicles, will soon be added to the portfolio of Iran Khodro."
Stressing that the company has made significant achievements in the field of heavy and semi-heavy commercial vehicles, the IKCO chief said, “The plan to export 15,000 devices is also on the agenda of this year. In the first quarter of the current fiscal year [March 21-June 21], we have been able to achieve a growth of more than 2.5 times in the field of component exports compared with the same period of last year.”
Khatibi stated that reports received from the Iran Standard and Quality Inspection Company, or ISACO, show a 40% decrease in customer complaints.
"The results show that we are moving in the right direction, but we are not satisfied with the current situation and are trying to improve the quantity and quality of production," he said.
"Expanding cooperation with knowledge-based companies will speed up the development of Iran Khodro and TAM Company plays an important role in this field.”
Referring to social media criticism as fake, Khatibi said, “Some people create these contents to serve their own interests. They ignore the successes of the automobile industry and are pursuing their own vested interests by sharing these contents."
IKCO Designing Hybrid Vehicles
Iran Khodro is designing a hybrid electric vehicle called “Eco Cross” that will initially use gasoline and later electric power.
"K125 is the first hybrid gasoline-based and electric vehicle, although the car will enter the market as a gasoline-based model," the deputy head of Research, Design and Product Development of Iran Khodro announced, while noting that the electrification of this industrial group’s vehicles is on the agenda.
Hybrid electric vehicles are a combination of gasoline and electric vehicles, so they have a battery, an electric motor, a gasoline tank and an internal combustion engine.
"By mass-producing low-consumption engines, we can reduce fuel consumption by 2 million liters per year," Mohsen Rezaei-Manesh was also quoted as saying by Donyaye Khodro.
"In five stages, the fuel consumption of IKCO’s product portfolio with new engines and modern technologies and electrification will reach the specifications of modern cars," he added.
The official noted that Iran Khodro’s propulsion projects will be beneficial for Iran's economy in terms of energy consumption and import reduction.
"As short-term strategies, we have planned to replace high-consumption engines with more up-to-date engines and increase the share of CNG vehicles. And as medium-term strategies, upgrading the engines in collaboration with Iran Khodro Powertrain Company and other manufacturers was placed on the agenda," he said.
"In order to observe the mandate set by the Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran, we have placed the medium-term strategy on the agenda and defined projects that can transcend the related standards. Tests carried out at reputable centers indicate that we have done the right thing."
Rezaei-Manesh noted that some projects have been approved and are being implemented according to Iran Khodro’s roadmap, adding that the long-term strategy is to develop low-consumption, three-cylinder engines.
In this regard, Reza Rezaei, the vice president of the Association of Homogeneous Propulsion Industries and Component Manufacturers, said Iran’s knowledge-based component makers are ready to cooperate with Iran Khodro Industrial Group for manufacturing new and export-oriented products.
Rezaei stressed that parts makers need government support for manufacturing components more than its financial support.
"It is necessary to upgrade the machinery and production lines, and prepare the ground for revamping the automotive parts industry," he said, noting that localization would help lower the cost of their products.
