10 Aug, 2015
64% of Iranians prefer German cars
Tehran, Aug 7, IRNA – Findings of a new public opinion survey conducted on Monday showed that a majority of Iranians prefer German cars, if the country’s automakers were to start joint ventures with foreign car-manufacturing companies.
A poll of 71,384 Iranian voters was conducted by a nationwide television program named Payesh on Monday on Iranians’ first priority in cooperation between domestic automakers and foreign car factories, according to Fars News Agency.
The participants were asked to vote on their favorite foreign automaker from Germany, China, Japan, South Korea and France, and offer their choice of a future auto-manufacturing partner.
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Results revealed that 64% of Iranians are fans of German cars, while 16.85% prefer Japanese cars, 7.14% like South Korean cars and 6.31% welcome French cars. Chinese cars, with 5.69%, ranked last.
After reaching the interim agreement with P5+1 (the US, Russia, China, France and Britain plus Germany) in Geneva, Switzerland, on November 23, 2013, large delegations from across the world came to Tehran to win a share of the country’s emerging lucrative market.
And following the final agreement hammered out between Iran and the sextet in the Austrian capital, Vienna, on June 14, Iran has received offers from several European companies to enter the country’s markets.
Offers have been presented not only as written proposals, but also through emails and even phone calls.
Iran Khodro Company, the head of Middle East’s largest car manufacturer, announced last week that his company and German automaker Mercedes-Benz will sign a deal soon to manufacture cars and commercial vehicles.
Hashem Yekezare, the IKCO chief, stated that a 10-year deal will be signed for production of commercial vehicles.
‘Mercedes-Benz has announced its readiness to buy 30% of shares in Iranian Heavy Diesel Engine Manufacturing Company,” he said.
A high-ranking business and industrial delegation from Germany visited Iran recently to discuss ties with Iranian officials.
Following the Germans, PSA Peugeot Citroen sent two delegations to IKCO, to negotiate resuming its operations. The overture, which gave rise to a chorus of disapproval among the Iranian people and analysts, who claim financial compensation of 32 trillion rials (nearly $1 billion) from Peugeot due to the losses it inflicted by unilaterally dropping its contract with Iran’s auto sector in February 2012 under the pretext of sanctions.
‘Iran is scrutinizing offers by foreign trade firms and states to select the best economic partners from among a pool of proposals,’ Iranian Government Spokesman Mohammad Baqer Nobakht said, stressing that Tehran does not want to expand ties based on imports alone.
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