While Iranian carmakers have constantly been under fire for low quality of their products and inadequate safety standards, reports by Iran Standard and Quality Inspection Company indicate a slight improvement in the companies’ general output.
Reports indicate a slight improvement in quality of vehicles in Iran’s market compared to May 2017 according to the monthly audit published by ISQI on its website.
ISQI is a private entity which conducts monthly quality and safety tests on behalf of the Ministry of Industries. According to the reports published by the firm, many locally-made cars suffer from poor quality and barely earn one star in its five-star ranking system.
Resembling previous reports, in the latest version of ISQI’s audit, no car has reached the fabled-five star; however, newly added vehicles to Iran’s market—all priced over 500 million rials ($11,904)—are mostly ranked four-star.
Among the new vehicles with a four-star quality are the Peugeot 2008, produced through a joint venture between Iran Khodro and the French automaker Peugeot, Hyundai i20 manufactured by Kerman Motor and Bahman Group’s Chinese-derived Besturn B30.
ISQI’s surveys vehicles based on their build, parts quality—including items such as tire rubber and internal electrical devices—and emissions.
Slight Enhancements
All vehicles priced 750 million rials ($17,857) and more have gained four stars except for two, namely the JAC S5 offered by Kerman Motor and the Chery Tiggo 5, produced by the Chinese carmakers’ local operations.
It merits mention that the JAC S5 has enhanced quality compared to a year ago when the vehicle obtained merely two stars.
Lifan X60 with automatic transmission bettered its quality by one star, upgrading from the disgraceful one-star from a year ago. However the model still does not attain the level of quality a vehicle priced 775 million rials ($18,452) needs to possess.
Both SAIPA and IKCO produce the popular Renault’s Logan (locally better known as Tondar 90 or L90). One version of the car has consistently gained 4 stars from inspectors but there are other spinoffs of the car available that are of three-star quality.
Among the low-cost cars in the market, IKCO’s Peugeot 405 and the Samand model they produce in Tabriz have both improved in quality, now ranked two-star.
SAIPA’s Tiba 2 also saw an upgrade by one star, now ranked two-star in the ISQI’s audit.
The cheapest gas-guzzler in Iran’s market, and the most infamous one, SAIPA’s Pride models have unfortunately maintained their low one-star quality except for one version, the SAIPA X131 which got two stars from the ISQI.
Tightening Noose
The Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran (ISIRI) has issued a raft of strong-worded warnings to carmakers to either improve the quality of their vehicles or suspend their production.
The 85 automotive standards introduced by ISIRI, and threats to suspend the production lines of automobiles have ruffled the automaker’s feathers and they seem to be finally taking measures to slightly improve the quality of their vehicles.
This year, Tehran experienced the poorest autumnal air quality in four years. It has been reported that 80% of the pollution emanate from automotive sources. The outstanding numbers hit home harder when it has been taken into account that according to statistics released by the Health Ministry on March 7, every year 30,000 people die in Iran due to air pollution.
The figure has prompted officials to mobilize sources against acquisitive car manufacturers.
Intransigent SAIPA
As the ISIRI is closing in on carmakers, they are seeking new ways to retain the production line of vehicles that are potentially a life hazard.
CEO of SAIPA Mohsen Jahroudi says they are preparing to suspend the distribution of Pride in Iran but that will not be the end of the road for the car.
Jahroudi maintained that Pride is one of the most lucrative SAIPA products in export markets, adding that “we gain more than 30 million rials [$714] in profits for each SAIPA 131 sold abroad, therefore we will never abandon manufacturing the model.”
The second largest car manufacturer in the country is hoping to find a substitute for Pride that is as low-cost to appeal to the low-income strata but not as low-quality to be a major contributor to the huge number of traffic fatalities.
Road accidents are the third leading cause of death in the country and Pride has been shame-slapped for the casualties for long years, with many jocularly calling the model a “coffin on four wheels”.
Public Awareness
Euro NCAP has been providing consumers with information on the safety of new cars for years. People visit their database and rely heavily on their reviews to choose their future cars.
The trend seems to be catching up in Iran as the public are considering the data and reports provided by the ISQI to weigh their options before committing to a vehicle.
The ISQI services are gaining traction among the population as they easily access the monthly-released reports and the firm’s online database.
Should the healthy trend persist, it can restrict grasping carmakers from selling substandard vehicles to people who are offered no other alternatives.
