In May, SAIPA-Citroen pre-sold 2,000 units of the small city hatchback C3s in Iran. The vehicles are yet to be manufactured in the central city of Kashan. The company has repeatedly said that it has enough parts to make and deliver the cars.
In an Instagram post, the verified account of the JV said 36 containers of C3 spare parts have been imported. Pictures of the containers which reportedly arrived in Kashan were also posted by the firm.
SAIPA and Citroen signed a 50-50 joint venture in late 2016 under which the Paris-based carmaker was to invest €300 million ($352 million) in Iran, according to Financial Tribune.
After US President Donald Trump pulled out of the historic Iran nuclear deal and re-imposed sanctions, Citroen’s parent company PSA Group panicked and said it had decided to suspend its operations in Iran.
However, PSA has often outlined measures to deliver the cars they presold before they are forced to fully put on hold their activities in the country. It is yet to be seen whether Citroen is able and willing to uphold its commitment.
According to an earlier press release, over 44,000 people tried to register in the pre-sale, while the company had only 2,000 units to offer. The vehicle was offered through online sales website Iran e-Car, with buyers being charged 600 million rials ($5,880) as down payment.
Earlier last week media reports said SAIPA has priced the Citroen C3 made in Iranat 2.4 billion rials ($23,500). The same vehicle costs 2.9 billion rials ($28,400) on the car dealership website bama.ir. The company is yet to confirm the price.
C3 is a small city hatchback equipped with a six-speed automatic gearbox and a 1.6-liter turbo four-cylinder engine with a 163hp output. It meets Euro 5 emission standards and was first unveiled in 2002 in France. The latest version of the car, introduced in 2016, was to be made in Iran.