Lifan in Iran

[pnegyesi]

Hi!
An Iranian website reported that Kerman Khodro, which through a subsidiary was busy assembling Chery cars is now looking into assembling the Lifan 520 in Iran.

Anyone has got any details?

Thanks
Pal

[eddie]

Is it possible to make dealership contract with two different brands as you mean?If khodro has the right to sell Chery in Iran then how dare the same khodro to sign a new dealership to sell Lifan cars as well?If so there's a great mistake I doubt.

[ash]

lifan is keeping a low proofile overseas...they were aggressive in Vietnam and in Costa Rica i think...i havent heard much on Iran

[dragin]

Pal, didn't know that Khodro was assembling anything but Cherys and maybe some Hafei Lubaos.
But Ganja Auto, just up the road from Iran, in Azeri City, Azerbajian, is assembling both Khodro's Samand sedans and Lifan's 520 sedans. That might have led to a connection between Khodro and Lifan.

[pnegyesi]

There's a bit of a mix-up here.

Yes, Iran Khodro has a partner in Azerbaijan, but that's not Ganja Auto, rather another company of Turkish origin.

I am in contact with Ganja Auto. It just produced a couple dozen Changan pickup trucks last year, and is busy constructing an assembly plant for the Lifan 520, but it's still about a year away.

So the mystery remains

Regards,
Pal

[dragin]

My mistake Pal. Same city of assembly, i.e. Azeri, but different auto assembling companies.
And I was too hasty about the Lifan start-up. Thanks for your correction.
I will continue to look for more accurate info on the tie-up you inquired about originally.
Best regards....

[pnegyesi]

So now the situation is more clear. There are talks between Kerman Khodro and Lifan are under way, but there's no deal yet

[martin_krpan]

China's Lifan 520 rolls off line in Iran.

June 11, 2008 - The first batch of Lifan 520 cars have rolled off the production line in Kerman Motor Co in Iran, according to sources of Chongqing Lifan Industry (Group), a large private enterprise centering on the technology development, manufacture and sales of vehicles and motorcycles in China.

The Lifan 520 manufactured in the Iranian facility will continue to use Lifan brand and will target medium-income Iranians aged between 20 and 35. The selling price is fixed with a high price-performance ratio at $10,000 to $15,000. Kerman Motor Co plant is expected to produce around 5,000 units this year, a sales representative of Iran Lifan Group said.

Chongqing Lifan Industry (Group) and Iran Kerman Motor Co. signed deals on equipment sourcing and authorized completely knocked-down (CKD) agency early in mid-July 2007. Then, Lifan-brand vehicles were imported to Iran as CKD kits which were assembled and sold by Kerman Motor Co locally.

Up to now, Lifan Group has built five CKD assembly facilities in South-East Asia, West Asia, East Europe, Middle East, and East Africa. In the future years, Lifan will further expand with another five facilities in West Asia, West Africa, Middle-South America, South Asia and South Africa.

source: Gasgoo.com

[hello]

i nthink iran is a good market to capitalize but isnt 5000 too little? or are they making more of difffernet models other than 520

[mememe]

Lifan to hit Iranian streets in August

Sat, 05 Jul 2008

Kerman Motor Company says the first of the Lifan 520 automobile, produced by Iran and China, will hit the Iranian market in August.

The dual-fuel vehicles with 1300cc-1600cc engines can run on both gasoline and CNG, Mohammad-Reza Alinaqi said.

The vehicles, manufactured by Kerman Motor Company and Chongqing Lifan Industry (Group) in Iran, will be offered for sale at a price range of $15,000 to $19,000, he added.

"About 300 vehicles will be available beginning the second half of the Iranian month of Mordad [August 5]," Alinaqi said.

The Iranian company is to manufacture 5,000 Lifan vehicles by the end of the current Iranian year (March 2009).

Production capacity is expected to increase to 15,000 by March 2010 and 25,000 in March 2011.

The Iranian and Chinese automakers are said to target middle-income Iranians between the ages of 20 and 35.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id...tionid=3510213