Mercedes-Benz Star Shined/VW, Citroen and Fiat’s Unknown Fate

Khodrocar – At the first days of JCPOA, with the sanctions lifted, domestic automakers started to choose partners among potential off shore automotive brands.

Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot, Fiat and VW came to IKCO while Citroen, KIA and Nissan came to SAIPA to negotiate the possible partnership. Renault was also at reserve for both major Iranian automaker.

Looking so optimistic at the Post-JCPOA situation of those days, nobody could imagine that only four contracts would come out of all these settlings, of which only two are officially signed. 

Now it is obvious that the French got the most out of JCPOA. IKCO-Peugeot contract finally leaded to production but SAIPA-Citroen contract is not still officially signed and production is postponed several times.

Renault claiming not had left Iran in the period of sanctions and also started business talk even before other French automaker parties, came late to negotiation table with Iranian automakers. Yet Renault could make it to sit down to sign exclusively with IDRO but is still far from production.

Mercedes-Benz contract which agreement got signed in winter of 2015, at last got final yesterday in the field of heavy trucks with IKCO-Diesel and other fields of the very agreement such as producing passenger cars and after sale services was postponed to discuss some other time.

Hyundai came in noiseless with Kerman Motor and started the production so that the private sector could also benefit from JCPOA as well.

Two weeks ago IKCO CEO announced a new contract with Datsun in near future. But In the middle, some brand names came to a halt entering Iran. Fiat who was supposed to be IKCO’s fourth partner turned into a myth, while VW came to partnership with Mammut after IKCO and Kerman Motor, preferred to look at Iran’s car market only as and export market.

Negotiations with KIA and Nissan in still active but looks it is not to result ever. Now the summer is in its final days while Mohsen Salehiniya, industry minister’s deputy set the end of summer as final dead line for VW-Mammut contract to be signed, yet there is no progress.

Khodrocar Journalist: Asal Dadashloo