THERAN - Iran’s vehicle
production hit an all time record high in the calendar year to late March despite a significant reduction in the production of foreign brands under the complete knock down (CKD) arrangement.
A senior official at Iran’s industry ministry (MIMT) said that the total number of home-made vehicles sold in the year to March 20 had reached over 1.347 units, including 1.242 million new vehicles and some 105,000 unfinished vehicles that were completed and delivered to the customers.
Abdollah Tavakoli, who leads MIMT’s automotive industries department, said the figure was an increase of 39% compared to Iran’s vehicle output in the calendar year to March 2022.
Tavakoli said last calendar year’s car production figure was in fact up from a previous record reported in 2014 when Iranian carmakers relied on CKD production for a significant part of their output.
Tavakoli said a monthly vehicle output of more than 133,000 reported in the calendar month to late February was the highest recorded in Iran since the country came under American sanctions in 2018.
He said vehicle production by private Iranian automotive companies more than doubled in the year to late March to reach nearly 195,000 units.
Iran’s car production rose by 35% in the year to March to 1.076 million while pickup truck production rose 56% to 125,000 units over the same period, said the MIMT official, adding that production of all other vehicle categories had also increased over the same period.