SAIPA Automotive Group’s monthly vehicle output registered a significant increase in the first month of the current fiscal year (March 21-April 20), according to the group's deputy for production planning.
“SAIPA’s total vehicle production amounted to 29,391 cars in the month ending April 20, marking a 41% growth when compared with 20,845 units in the corresponding period of last year,” Masoud Parvin was also quoted as saying by Donyaye Khodro.
Noting that the domestic automaker had broken the production record in the previous Iranian year after a decade, he said SAIPA managed to set a new record with an average daily production of 2,450 cars in the month under review.
“Ninety-six percent of the company’s production plan materialized in the month ending April 20 and the automaker intends to achieve its production target for the current fiscal year,” Parvin said.
“SAIPA’s daily production growth stood at 117% for QUIK, 65% for Shahin, 65% for Saina S and 59% for the pickup truck 151.”
SAIPA CEO Mohammad َAli Teymouri announced that the company plans to produce over 2,400 cars per day in the new fiscal year and has achieved this target in the first month of the year.
He said the company intends to introduce new products, upgrade technology and purchase modern equipment and machinery.
During the ceremony for signing a memorandum of understanding for the development of a platform and joint venture by SAIPA, Iran Khodro and Kerman Motor, the SAIPA CEO said an economy car will be produced in two models, electric and gasoline, and marketed by the end of the year.
"First of all, the platform of the economy car will be jointly set up by the three companies that will also mass-produce them. The electronic system of this car will be produced entirely in one module and the multiplicity of parts and electronic systems has been avoided in its design to reduce its cost and price."
Teymouri explained that currently, the average weight of cars is more than 1,000 kilograms, but the weight of the economy car will be between 800 and 830 kilograms, which will help slash prices.
"Since the car will be produced by three companies, its turnover will be high and there will not be a supply problem,” he said.
Annual Vehicle Production Tops 1.3m
The production of domestic vehicles (including heavy, commercial and passenger cars) reached 1.348 million in the fiscal 2022-23 (ended March 20), registering a 40% growth compared with the previous year, according to the Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade’s Automotive Industry Office.
“The highest growth in car production in the last 12 years was recorded in the fiscal 2014-15 and fiscal 2022-23. The only difference in car output in those years is that the assembly of completely knocked down products was undertaken by Iran’s two largest car manufacturers in the fiscal 2014-15,” Abdollah Tavakkoli Lahijani was also quoted as saying by IRNA.
Noting that 105,000 unfinished cars were completed in the previous fiscal year, he added that the production of complete cars by the two largest carmakers stood at 961,000 vehicles during the period, registering a 479% growth compared with the previous year.
“In the past year, 95% of the vehicles were produced as completed products, while only 20% of completed cars were produced in the fiscal 2021-22 and a majority of cars had a deficit of parts,” he said.
“The highest monthly output since the beginning of the international sanctions in the fiscal 2018-19 belonged to the 11th month of the previous fiscal [Jan. 21-Feb. 19] with 133,000 vehicles.”
The official stated that 1.1 million vehicles were delivered by the two manufacturers in the previous fiscal year, registering a 31% growth compared with last year when delivery stood at 838,000 vehicles.
Tavakkoli announced that 195,000 cars were produced by the private sector, registering a 103% growth compared with the previous fiscal year.
“The share of the private sector in car production amounted to 15% in the fiscal 2022-23, which indicates a threefold increase,” he said.
Passenger car output hit 1.07 million during the period under review, registering a 13% rise compared with the previous year.
The output of pickup trucks reached 125,000 vehicles, registering a 56% year-on-year growth compared with last year.
Van production amounted to 3,000 vehicles during the period, up 267% year-on-year.
Minibus and bus production stood at 2,500 vehicles, showing a rise of 44% compared with the previous fiscal.
The production of heavy vehicles hit 34,000 vehicles during the period to register a 150% YOY growth.
Also, the production of motorcycles grew by 61% YOY to stand at 450,000 vehicles in the year under review.
