Pars Khodro, one of Iran’s major auto manufacturers, has started the trial production of Renault Sandero, ISNA reported on Wednesday.
According the company CEO, Nasser Aghamohammadi, the Sandero will be publicly released by August, but the final price of the vehicle has not yet been announced.
Based on the Logan platform, the Sandero is a super mini car jointly produced by Renault and its Romanian subsidiary Dacia. Under the license, Pars Khodro has been manufacturing the Dacia Logan since 2006. The car is referred to in Iran as Tondar 90 or L90.The production of L90 has also increased, the CEO announced.
New models from Nissan may also enter the Iranian market in the future as “representatives from Pars Khodro have also been negotiating with the Japanese carmakers.”
On Tuesday, Saipa’s CEO, Saeed Madani, made similar remarks on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of a new manufacturing line of Volvo trucks. “Nissan is eager to resume collaboration with Iranian counterparts, specifically Saipa,” he said.
Saipa is the country’s second largest auto manufacturer. In 2000, 51 percent of Pars Khodro’s shares were purchased by Saipa, which in turn is 48 percent owned by the government.
According to Madani, nearly 15 percent of Volvo truck parts are produced in Iran. “Volvo-Saipa collaborations are focused on technical matters and the procurement of auto parts,” said the CEO, adding that “the next step is to enter a joint venture.”
Volvo has resumed collaboration in spite of the fact that western sanctions against Tehran over its nuclear energy program have not yet been lifted. One of the major goals has been to establish an export hub in the Middle East.
Planning should go beyond the local market, Madani said, “for manufacturing to be economically justifiable, we need to target the area’s market of 400 million people.”
