TEHRAN (PIN) -- Iran Khodro Company (IKCO) plans to export 250,000 vehicles in the next four years, managing director of giant car manufacturer said.

The target cannot be attained unless the progress of domestic auto parts manufacturers matches that of Iranian automakers in the international markets, Manuchehr Manteqi stated at the Second International Auto Parts Exhibition in Tehran.
He recalled that Iran’s auto industry was born in 1957 with assembling plants which were upgraded to manufacturing units in 1991.
Iran Khodro eventually managed to find a foothold in the international market in 2006 and the company is striving for a stronger presence in the global market by 2011, Manteqi told representatives of 410 domestic and 120 foreign firms participating in the exhibit.
Chief of the other giant automaker Saipa noted that the company has four five-year plans to boost production and enter international markets.
“Domestic manufacturers supply 80 percent of the parts used in popular cars produced by Saipa, meaning that the target set in the first plan has been materialized,” Ahmad Qal’ebani stated.
In second plan, the Saipa CEO said, the company plans to diversify its products to make a new brand of car every two years, adding that Tondar 90 will gradually replace Pride sedan by 2011. “The first car fully manufactured using domestic parts will hit the market next year.”
Meanwhile, chairman of Iran’s Auto Parts Manufacturers Association, Mohammad Baqer Rejal, said 52.7 percent of Tondar 90 parts are supplied by domestic manufacturers.
The French carmaker Peugeot approves quality of domestic auto part makers and the company has an office in the country for purchasing Iranian-made parts, he noted.
Twelve foreign countries are taking part in the exhibit which will wind up on December 21. The number of foreign participants has shown a 33 percent growth this year.