Hyundai Motor Seeks Bigger Footprint in Iran

South Korea's Hyundai Motor Group is looking for a stronger presence in Iran's auto market through better services and improving relations with car buyers, says the chief executive of Kerman Motor Company. 

"Following Kerman Motor's success in assembling and distribution of Hyundai i10 and i20 and last year's deal to assemble the Accent model, the Korean carmaker is eager to have a bigger footprint in Iran's market," Saman Firouzi said, according to Kerman Motor's website.

In March he had said that his firm would launch the Hyundai Accent production line in September.

The i10 and i20 models were first announced last December when Kerman Motor announced that it had been chosen as the official local representative of the Korean auto giant for assembly. 

Firouzi also touched on Kerman Motor's ties with Chinese automotive companies, stressing that cooperation with them would continue despite the Hyundai deal.

"Our mutual cooperation with Lifan and JAC is here to stay." 

The new small JAC S3 crossover will enter the market in June and the assembly of JAC S4 is planned to be launched at the end of the current fiscal (March 2018), he added.

 JAC S3 follows its sibling, the S5, which is being sold in the local market for over a year.

The model is expected to compete with SAIPA’s Changan CS35, which started sales in late 2016.

In response to questions on why Kerman Motor has two separate websites for its products, the company official said, "The second website is for our foreign partnerships."

Both Kerman Motor and Assan Motor have the rights to import Hyundai cars, according to the latest import database of the Ministry of Industries, Mining, and Trade.