Iran rolls out new generation of national cars

EghtesadOnline: Iran has started the mass production of an upgraded version of its Dena class of national cars which is already seen by the media as a revolutionary product by the country’s leading automaker Iran Khodro Industrial Group (IKCO).

News ID: ۷۴۱۳۰۶

03 May 2017

The IKCO officially rolled out Dena+ in a ceremony attended by Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani.

According to PressTV, Dena+ is a mid-sized four-door class-D sedan which has been designed by domestic experts at IKCO’s Research and Development Center.

It has an Iranian-built EF7 engine that produces 113 horsepower and has a fuel efficiency rating of 7.74 liters per 100 kilometers.

IKCO’s new product – which would be sold at around Rials 460 million ($12,000) - comes in two models of 70101 (ordinary Dena) and 70302 (Dena +). The former is outfitted with an EF7 gasoline engine that produces 115 horsepower, while the Plus version is equipped with a turbo-charged EF7 engine that generates 113 horsepower.

A manual gearbox is fitted in the car, but an electronically-controlled automatic transmission system could be a possible option.

Dena+ is equipped with two more airbags. Yet, what specifically makes the IKCO’s new product unique among other Iranian cars is the sunroof, the rear camera and an advanced multi-media system.

Simultaneous with inaugurating the production of Dena+ cars, President Rouhani also oversaw the mass production of Peugeot 2008 – a flagship product of the French industrial giant PSA.

It was the first product of an ambitious joint venture between the IKCO and Peugeot and was based on an agreement that they signed to the same effect last year.

The IKCO’s production line for Peugeot 2008 is set to produce more than 30,000 units in a year, Iran’s English-language newspaper The Financial Tribune reported. The price of the car would be Rials 900 million to Rials 1 billion ($24,000 to $26,600) depending on the options the consumer will choose, the daily added.

The IKCO presents itself as the biggest automotive group in the Middle East and already has set up production lines in Venezuela, Belarus, Senegal, and Azerbaijan. It dominates Iran’s massive market along with another Iranian auto major - SAIPA.