SAIPA Corporation has signed a memorandum of understanding for the production of economy cars with the Association of Homogeneous Propulsion Industries and Component Manufacturers on the first day of the 17th International Exhibition of Automotive Parts, Accessories and Assemblies.
More than 600 domestic and foreign companies, including 45 knowledge-based companies, 500 domestic producers and 55 foreign companies from China, Germany, Italy, Turkey, the Netherlands, the UAE, India, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan and Indonesia, have participated in the exhibition that ran from Oct. 31 to Nov. 3, Donyaye Khodro reported.
Abdollah Tavakkoli Lahijani, director general of Industries Ministry, Mohammad Ali Teymouri, CEO of SAIPA Corporation, and Arash Mohebinejad and Mehdi Matlabzadeh of the association attended the signing ceremony.
The two sides have agreed to produce an economy car in the form of a consortium consisting of selected domestic parts makers, component suppliers, designer and distributors.
After the Industries Ministry set the ceiling of $20,000 as the price of foreign cars permitted under the new $1 billion import scheme, domestic automakers are rushing to cash in.
As per the memorandum, Renault’s now-abandoned KWID platform is expected to be used for the production of these economy cars.
This type of collaboration between a car manufacturer and a component manufacturer is the first of its kind in Iran, and is expected to ensure the steady supply of parts and the payment of partnership share to the two entities.
The deal has set an initial turnover of 200,000 economy cars.
“This memorandum is related to the production of economy cars, which was prepared by considering the gap in economy cars and the low purchasing power of people,” Mohebinejad, secretary of the association, said.
“After stopping the production of cars such as Pride and Tiba, which had low factory sales prices, the production of a modern, economy car was included in the plan for the transformation of the automotive industry.”
The official noted that the association will be involved in design, supply and all project issues from the beginning, stressing that everyone's interests should be seen as a “win-win”.
SAIPA Unveils Shahin Connect
SAIPA Corporation has unveiled Shahin Connect, which was developed in cooperation with the domestic telecom company Irancell, during the Future Cars 2 event held in Tehran on Oct. 19.
The event was attended by Manouchehr Manteqi, deputy industries minister, Mehdi Khatibi, CEO of Iran Khodro Industrial Group, Mohammad Ali Teymouri, CEO of SAIPA, Saeed Tajik, CEO of the Iran Standard & Quality Inspection Company, and Shahriar Zaini, director of the Automotive Group of Advanced Transportation Headquarters, at the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology.
The flagship car, which is equipped with the latest automotive technologies, was unveiled at the SAIPA Research and Innovation Center.
In terms of design, Shahin Connect is no different from other namesake models released in the market, except for its connected car technology. The latest version sported an ocean blue color and a small spoiler on the trunk.
SAIPA claims that the car has the highest level of technology to connect to rescue and emergency centers (in case of accident or needing repairs), which can greatly increase the safety of this sports sedan.
Connected car technology will enable cars to "talk" to each other with in-vehicle devices that continuously share important safety and mobility information.
A connected car has its own connection to the internet, usually via a wireless local area network.
A very useful feature in connected cars is Global Positioning System connectivity. Drivers can become aware of real-time traffic conditions and avoid congestion by taking alternate routes. By leveraging GPS connectivity and geofencing, the connected car will be able to suggest the best possible route for continuing the journey.
Increasingly, connected cars (and especially electric cars) are taking advantage of the rise of smartphones, and apps are available to interact with the car from any distance. Users can unlock their cars, check the status of batteries, find the location of the car, or remotely activate the climate control system.
When asked which SAIPA vehicle was supposed to be equipped with connected car technology, Reza Abdolvand, the deputy CEO of SAIPA Innovation and Research Center, said, "The connected car issue was supposed to be implemented on the QUIK model in the fiscal 2019-20 in cooperation with Irancell. But later it was supposed to be installed on the SP100 project, which is the same car as Shahin, but after a change in management this project was suspended. Finally, we’re seeing the unveiling of Shahin with connected car technology today.”
Abdolvand announced that SAIPA Research and Innovation Center is also working on the Mini Hybrid and Full Hybrid. But, according to the CEO of SAIPA, the company is going to work on the Shahin hybrid version as well until next year.
Hamed Samani, a deputy engineer of SAIPA Research and Innovation Center said Shahin Connect has several options, the most important of which is SOS, which works through the car's internet for tracking the nearest rescue and emergency center and contacting it.
Samani noted that Shahin Connect can help monitor a driver's behavior to confirms whether it is correct and principled, following which the insurance company could reduce its premium for that driver.
He added that in European countries, this option is used in modern cars, so after its rules and regulations are devised, it can be advantageous for drivers.
“The connected car feature will also be installed on the hybrid and normal versions. Hopefully, the Shahin Hybrid will be marketed next year,” he said.
Shahin Connect is expected to hit the domestic market soon and as of March 2023, all versions of Shahin will be equipped with the connected car technology.
