IKCO to Produce 2 Sedan Models in Belarus

Iran’s largest carmaker Iran Khodro and Belarusian firm Unison have forged a deal under which two sedan models, namely Dena and Dena+, are to be manufactured in Minsk.

“IKCO and Unison have signed a contract on production of Dena and Dena+,” Hronika.info quoted Iranian Ambassador to Belarus Mostafa Oweisi as saying.

“IKCO and Unison initially agreed to produce the two models in Belarus on the sidelines of 14th Iran-Belarus Economic Commission which was held at the Trade Promotion Organization in Tehran in January. As per the agreement, 1,000 Dena and Dena+ will be produced this year,” Oweisi added.

Dena+ is IKCO’s latest locally designed model. Oweisi says, “We hope to see a new generation of Iranian cars in Belarus by the end of 2018.”

Earlier in January, Iran’s minister of industries announced that IKCO is set to export 5,000 cars to Belarus within the next five years.

“During the upcoming fiscal [which started on March 21], 1,000 Dena and Dena+ cars [made by IKCO] will be exported as semi-knocked-down [SKD] kits to Belarus,” Mohammad Shariatmadari was quoted as saying. “The number will increase to 5,000 cars in the coming five years,” he added.

Previous Collaborations

IKCO-Unison collaborations date back to 2005 and the Belarusian firm has assembled 2,000 units of IKCO’s Samand. The deal is part of IKCO’s push to expand its presence in international markets.

In Feb. 2017, IKCO was granted Eurasian Conformity certification (aka EAC Mark) for its cars, allowing the company to develop new export markets and revive its presence in the northern Commonwealth of Independent States.

The certificate issued by the Eurasian Economic Union indicates that the products conform to all technical regulations of the Eurasian Customs Union assessment procedures. It is allocated to six sedans produced by IKCO, including Soren ELX, Samand ELX, Soren Turbo, Runna, Dena and Peugeot 206 SD. Seemingly, the company has been able to acquire a certificate for its upgraded version of Dena, namely the Dena +.

IKCO can now sell in CIS markets with customs exemptions, which should make its prices competitive against cheaper Chinese vehicles.

source: Financial Tribune