Iran Standards and Quality Inspection Company, Iran's Test and Research Auto Company and France's UTAC CERAM signed an agreement on September 11 to cooperate on testing and inspecting the quality and safety of cars.
The UTAC CERAM group provides services in all areas of land transport, namely regulation and approval, testing and technical expertise (environment, safety, durability and reliability), certification and driver training.
The agreement between the firms active in the areas of quality inspection standard monitoring follows the expansion of auto cooperation between local automotive firms such as Iran Khodro Company and SAIPA with French carmakers such as Renault and Peugeot, IRNA reported.
ITRAC is Iran's first comprehensive national automotive laboratory center while ISQI was founded to promote the quality of products and protect consumer rights by formulating standards required by industries for supervising the proper implementation of projects and service delivery.
Ashkan Golpayegani, CEO of ISQI, said the goals set for this new agreement are to test standards and carry out technical tests to help the auto industry move toward more environmental-friendly vehicles that produce less harmful emission.
Following the latest agreement, new standards will be devised for testing and monitoring car quality. Golpayegani added that knowhow will be exchanged in the same area to improve local abilities.
"A new consortium will be created to increase trade ties with Renault and Peugeot," he said. Golpayegani added that Iranian specialists will be trained and become familiar with the knowhow of their foreign counterparts, especially the criteria for standards tests and monitoring. "Joint investments will expand and local testing labs will receive improvements," he said.
Ahmad Qalebani, a consultant at the Industrial Development and Renovation Organization of Iran, noted that in the past, most agreements Iran reached in the area of auto manufacturing and imports have been with French firms, particularly Peugeot and Renault, while some French auto part manufacturing firms have set up joint companies with Iranian auto parts makers.
Noting that most customers in Iran are dissatisfied with the quality of vehicles, Qalebani said vehicle testing and monitoring were a missing link in French-Iranian auto cooperation, and the new agreement will hopefully help remove obstacles" and increase customer satisfaction.
Amirhossein Qanati, an official with the Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade, noted that by bringing the latest achievements in both software and hardware, the new agreement can fill the void in this area.
"As automotive technologies are constantly upgraded, the testing methods should also be updated," he said.
According to the goals set by the ministry, Iranian carmakers should annually produce 3 million cars by 2026 and export one-third of this figure.
This can only come about, if the quality of local-made cars gets a boost, a goal which the new agreement hopes to achieve.
