Automotive sales data shows that in the first eight months of the current fiscal year (started in March) SAIPA’s Pride and Iran Khodro Company’s Peugeot 405 held the sales record.
According to Financial Tribune’s sister publication Donya-e-Eqtesad, this is followed by two other IKCO models the Peugeot 206 and Peugeot Pars, respectively.
Other top brands include SAIPA’s Tiba, IKCO’s Samand and Dena and the JAC S5 of Kerman Motors.
The imported brand that held the sales record in Iran during the period was the Hyundai SantaFe.
The small Pride managed to grab the largest market share during the eight months both in terms of number of units sold and market value.
In IKCO’s Peugeot 405 case, however, despite the fact that it came in second in the number of units sold, it held fourth place in terms of market value.
The two models have been produced for nearly thirty years and are among the cheapest in the fledgling car market.
Despite the fact that many economic experts and environmentalists have called on the two state-affiliated carmakers to stop manufacturing the two sub-par models (Pride and Peugeot 405), they continue to lead the top sales pitch in Iran, obviously because of the low price.
The numbers released for the eight-month period are roughly the same and have not changed much compared to last month’s data.
Over the years pressure has been building on the two major carmakers, which hardly have a stellar record, to change policy and opt for environment-friendly engines with advanced technology.
Air pollution in the sprawling capital and most urban areas has long reached crisis levels largely due to the ageing and dilapidated cars and the millions of gas-guzzlers plying the streets.
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