Renault Pars has confirmed the inauguration of a Renault Sandero assembly line at its Tabriz plant in Iran, according to a report by the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB). The company will assemble both manual and automatic gearbox models on the new line. In a statement, Mehdi Jamali, managing director of Iranian carmaker Saipa, said, "Despite all the problems as a result of the sanctions, we managed to design and manufacture [the] Sandero in two years." IHS Automotive anticipates that Renault Pars will produce 2,535 units of the Sandero in 2015 and we forecast this number to grow to 16,400 units in 2016.
Significance: Renault Pars is a joint-venture (JV) between Renault and the Industrial Development Renovation Organisation (IDRO). It is in charge of managing the assembly of Renault cars by local manufacturers Iran Khodro and Iran Saipa's Pars Khodro. Renault was forced to halt shipments of kits to build its Logan and Mégane models in Iran in 2013 following the extension of the US government's sanctions over the Iranian nuclear programme to the automotive industry. The French automaker followed this by writing off EUR512 million (USD679.8 million) of assets in Iran that it could no longer touch at the announcement of its first-half 2013 financial results. In 2014, Renault resumed shipments of car parts to Iran. Renault is set to be one of the major beneficiaries of the relaxation of international sanctions against Iran. The automaker accounted for more than 9% of the light vehicles sold in the country in 2012, before sanctions crippled sales in the country
