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Rivals Vie at Yazd Auto Expo

Chinese brands made a strong showing against Japanese and South Korean rivals for grabbing a bigger share of Iran’s car market this year in Yazd
Rivals Vie at Yazd Auto Expo
Rivals Vie at Yazd Auto Expo
Iran Khodro had the most significant presence among local companies present at the event

Yazd recently hosted its 13th Auto and Parts Exhibition, with car companies claiming that responses from customers were positive about the new models on show.

The event, which concluded on October 22, featured national and international firms, Asbe-Bokhar, a local automotive website reported.

Iran Khodro (IKCO), Iran’s largest car company, had the most significant presence among Iranian companies while its biggest rival SAIPA skipped the show entirely.

Saeed Reza Mirjalili, one of the organizers of the event, told reporters that the organizers approached SAIPA but the company did not show much enthusiasm for participating in the event.

Iran Khodro showcased many of its products, including the face-lifted Suzuki’s Grand Vitara, Dongfeng H30 Cross and S30, Runna, new Peugeot 207i, Dena, Haima S7 and Renault Captur models.

However, Renault Clio and the face-lifted Tondar 90 (Dacia Logan) failed to make it to the show, according to the organizers.

Also, the IKCO-Peugeot joint venture known as IKAP was present at the event with two models, namely Peugeot 2008 and 508.

Visitors, however, did not get to see the long-awaited Peugeot 208, 308 and 301 models.

Modiran Vehicle Manufacturing Company (MVM), a relative newcomer to the market representing the Chinese brand Chery, stated that it saw unprecedented interest in their local and imported models.

The company showcased two models at the expo: an updated version of MVM X33 and Arrizo 5. MVM X33 is a local variant of China’s Chery Tiggo 3 that was originally released in 2015.

One MVM representative said they were surprised by the orders registered by Yazdi residents for their new imported Arrizo 5 model.

“We had over 30 orders for the new models during the event,” he said.

The company plans to market two other models by the end of the current Iranian year (March 20, 2017), namely an SUV named MVM X22 and new versions of vehicles already for sale in the market.

Kerman Motors was also present at the event and showcased new models they plan to jointly produce with South Korea’s Hyundai.

The company signed a joint production deal with the South Korean company for the production of Hyundai i10 and i20 models, according to a representative at the event.

Ramak Khodro, which assembles Ssangyong’s Tivoli and Korando models, also noticed high interest in their Tivoli model from Yazdi residents yearning to get on the crossover bandwagon.

Arian Motors, which represents Mitsubishi, showcased four Mitsubishi models, including face-lifted versions of Lancer and Outlander, ASX and Mirage.

 

 

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