Page 73 - IRANRptJul22

9.2.2 Automotive corporate news
IKCO unveils Iran’s first crossover vehicle Rira
Tehran’s Iran Tire announces relocation and expansion project
Iran’s largest carmaker Iran Khodro (IKCO) has unveiled the first Iranian-made crossover. Named the Rira, it is based off a Peugeot 2008, Asbe Bokhar has reported.
The development of the model has been stymied by US sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic over Tehran’s nuclear programme. The US placed specific automotive sanctions on the country in 2018 as part of former US president Donald Trump’s so-called maximum pressure campaign. IKCO partner PSA Group pulled out of Iran under sanctions pressure, following its merger with other companies including US automakers to create automotive giant Stellantis.
The Rira is equipped with an EF7 Plus turbocharged engine, or TC7 Plus. The 1.7-litre 16-valve turbocharged four-cylinder engine is capable of producing 160 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 240 Nm of torque at 1,600 to 4,500 rpm. Rira means rain in the Mazandarani language that is spoken in northern Iran. IKCO plans to produce the car in its plant in Babol, a city located in Mazandaran Province as part of a push to move production outside of Tehran with an eye on exporting vehicles across the Caspian Sea to markets including Russia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.
IKCO’s head of development and manufacturing Kianoush Pourmojib said the company would start mass production of the Rira before September 2023. Pourmojib added that the model would be one of the safest and strongest cars produced by IKCO.
The unveiling comes weeks after Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi ordered domestic car manufacturers to speed up plans to reform their production and sales systems. The reform programme has been hit by several snags, not least the departure of PSA Group from Iran.
Raisi’s order stipulated that IKCO and Iran’s second largest carmaker Saipa should discontinue some of their old models, including the Peugeot 405, 206 and Pars models, which have been in continuous production since the late 1990s.
Tehran-based Iran Tire, a manufacturer of passenger car, truck and bus tyres, is relocating its production site to support further expansion and meet stricter environmental standards brought in by the government, European Rubber Journal (ERJ) has reported.
At a cost of €130mn, Iran Tire will relocate to to MahdiShahr, around 220 kilometres northeast of the capital city, Hassan Salehi, vice president for development and technology at the company, said in a statement provided to ERJ.
The relocation and expansion project reportedly means that from 2024, Iran Tire will boast a “brand new” 25 kilotonne per annum (ktpa) production capacity for passenger car and light truck tyres.
Total tyre production is to be brought to 40ktpa, according to the statement. The existing factory has the capacity to manufacture 28 ktpa of tyres/year. The new plant will largely rely on Chinese equipment.
The final phase of the project will deliver a 20 ktpa production line for truck and bus radial tyres, according to the report.
Iran Tire was founded in Terhan in 1965 by General Tire and Rubber Co.
In April, Iran’s oldest tyre factory, debt-ridden Kian Tire, announced it was to attempt to continue production under special measures. In 2019, Kian Tire declared bankruptcy but further loans from local banks and the state’s role in keeping operations running ensured its survival.
73 IRAN Country Report July 2022 www.intellinews.com