Iran to ink new deals with foreign automakers

Reporting "Asre Khodro", Speaking on the sidelines of a ceremony to inaugurate a new Renault automobile in Iran, Deputy Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade Mansour Moazami said “auto industry indicators have improved in terms of quality as customer satisfaction has increased, however, the Ministry intends to reach a total of output of 1.3 million vehicles by the end of the year as well as to enhance the quality of manufactured products.”

“Automobile marks a driving force for economic growth and the Iranian industrial sector experienced a 4.4 per cent of growth in the first four months of the current year which indicates an increase in production and exports,” he added.

The official asserted that the government seeks to take maximum advantage of domestic auto part manufacturers encouraging them to meet demands of customers.

“Presently, good capacities and capabilities exist in domestic production of auto parts though they need to be boosted further,” underlined Moazami who chairs Industrial Development and Renovation Organization of Iran (IDRO).

In response to a question of the possibility for some foreign automakers to enjoy Iran’s market share without making investments, deputy industry minister said “it remains logical that domestic market should not be available to foreigners in the absence of investment or technology transfer; however, foreign parties are able to enter Iran and, in addition to using local capabilities, deploy as much as 30 to 40 percent of their production to global markets.”

When asked about the share of indigenous production in Peugeot cars, he said “the Ministry has urged automakers to take the most possible advantage of local capacities in their production; meanwhile, share of Iran in manufacturing new Peugeot cars stands at only 20 per cent which is mainly due to special features of these new models.”

He underlined that newer models of automobiles will be released to the market in the coming year in order to increase satisfaction of people and the government.

Deputy Industry Minister Moazemi also emphasized that a number of new agreements will be sealed between credible Iranian and foreign automakers within the coming months.

Source: mehrnews.com