While many in the local industry have surmised that the Chinese car industry is likely to be the biggest loser when sanctions on Iran end, the Financial Tribune likes to take a longer view of the future of Iran's vehicle landscape–this time from China itself.
Lifan X80 SUV
As anyone with an automotive background can acknowledge, the progress made by the Chinese in the past 10 years in terms of gaining a foothold in the Iranian market is phenomenal.
Our first case in point for this is the recently spied Lifan X80 SUV.
According to Cars News China, the large vehicle, which has not been released in China yet, is being road tested around the East Asian company before it goes on public sale.
The car brand, which many in Iran already know of, is expected to be first offered in the Chinese market by the end of the first quarter. The price of the new car is expected to start from 100,000 Chinese Yuan ($16,300 at market exchange rate).
The Lifan X80 will be available with two engines: a Mitsubishi-sourced 2.4 liter four-cylinder Sirius with about 165 hp and a self-developed 2.0 turbo with about 200 hp. Later, a new 1.8 turbo might be added to the lineup.
Geely Emgrand S7
The second car, which could debut in the next Iranian year (starting March 20, 2016), is the all-new Geely Emgrand S7 designed for the export market.
Emgrand S7, formerly known as the Emgrand Cross, stands on the same platform as the Emgrand compact sedan that is available in the Iranian market. The S7 will be launched in the Chinese car market in the first quarter of this year.
It will have two four-cylinder gasoline engines: a 1.3 turbo with 133 hp and 185 nm mated to a 6-speed CVT, and a 1.5 with about 150 hp mated to a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic. Prices for all these are expected to start around 75,000 Yuan ($11,000 at market exchange rate).
Later, a hybrid version will join the lineup, based around a 1.8 liter four-cylinder with 88 hp mated to an electric motor with 54 hp. Range on pure electric will be 50 kilometers while full range will go up to 650 kilometers.
Brilliance F20
Brilliance is a brand that Iranians are beginning to like following their recent deal to produce cars with SAIPA in Iran.
As we already have three products by the Chinese manufacturer, many have wondered if the company is likely to bring newer models to the market.
New spy shots released of the Brilliance F20 sedan show quite a pretty car, with a sedan-coupe shape, a shark-finned bumper and headlights with a cut. The F20 will debut at Beijing Auto Show in April and enter the Chinese car market soon thereafter. We could see it in the Iranian market by Q3.
There will be two four-cylinder petrol engines available: a 1.5 with 112 hp and 145 nm, and a 1.5 turbo with 150 hp and 220 nm. Both engines are mated to a five-speed manual or a five-speed automatic. Price of the Brilliance F20 will start around 70,000 yuan ($10,000) and go up to 90,000 yuan ($13,000).
However, with the future of the Iranian auto industry up in the air in the aftermath of the arrival of European and Japanese manufacturers, these cars could end up in the Iranian sooner than many originally thought.
