page_title: Automotive industry by country
section_title: Iran
hierarchical_section_title: Automotive industry by country / Asia / Iran
caption_attribution_description: English: Samand LX, Kermanshah
context_page_description: The United States was the world's largest automobile producer by volume from the early years of the 20th century until the 1980s, when it was overtaken by Japan. In 2009, China became the world's largest vehicle producer.
context_section_description: Iran developed a significant automotive industry with up to 200,000 annual production under the Shah's regime. There was a decline after the Islamic revolution of 1979 but since the end of the 20th century growth returned, accelerating in recent years. There were 13 public and privately owned automakers within Iran, of which two – Iran Khodro and SAIPA – accounted for 94% of the total domestic production. Iran Khodro, which produced the most prevalent car brand in the country – the Peykan, which has been replaced in 2005 by the Samand – was still the largest with 61% of the market in 2001, while Saipa contributed 33% of Iran's total production in the same year. The other car manufacturers, such as the Bahman Group, Kerman Motors, Kish Khodro, Raniran, Traktorsazi, Shahab Khodro, and others together produced only 6%. These automakers produce a wide range of automobiles including motorbikes, passenger cars such as Saipa's Tiba, vans, mini trucks, medium-sized trucks, heavy duty trucks, minibuses, large size buses and other heavy automobiles used in commercial and private activities in the country. Iran has a fleet of 7 million cars in 2008, which translates to almost one car per ten persons in the country (including pick-ups and buses). Automobile production crossed the 1 million mark in 2005 and Iran car exports reached $1 billion by March 2009. Iran ranked the world's 13th biggest automaker in 2011 with annual production of more than 1.6 million (more than in such old and new auto industries as Belgium, the United Kingdom, Italy, the Czech Republic, and Turkey).
caption: The IKCO Samand is an Iranian-made car and titled first "national car" of Iran.
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