Iran imports over 44,000 cars in calendar year

Azerbaijan, Baku, Apr.14 / Trend G.Mehdi/ Iran imported over 44,000 cars, valued at about $1 billion during the last Iranian calendar year, which ended on March 20, ISNA reported. The imports showed 11.3 percent rise year on year. The average price of the imported cars was $24,441, according to the report. The UAE, South Korea, and Kuwait were the main sources of car exports to Iran, with 57 percent, 27 percent, and 4 percent shares of the total number of exported cars, respectively. On February 3 ISNA reported that Iranian authorities had decided to reduce car import charges by 5 percent in order to create a balance in prices of cars in the domestic market. The car import charges will be decreased by 5 percent in the next Iranian calendar year, which begins on March 21. Industrial Development and Renovation Organization's chairman Gholamreza Shafei said in December 2012 that the main problem faced by the Iranian car industry is not the international sanctions but the shortage of revolving capital. Iranian carmakers are manufacturing at 50 percent of their nominal capacity, he said. This is due to the shortage of capital, Fars News Agency quoted him. Iran plans to manufacture at least 3 million cars by 2025, and to export about 1 million sets, Iranian Industry, Mines and Trade Minister Mehdi Ghazanfari said on June 16. Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at agency@trend.az