• Home
• News Article

Samand Assembly Line in Senegal

Samand's assembly line was inaugurated in Thies, Senegal's second largest city on Friday with Iranian Minister of Industries and Mines Ali Akbar Mehrabian in attendance.

Mehrabian, heading a high-ranking delegation, arrived in the capital city of Dakartraveld on Thursday.

He signed a memorandum of understanding with Senegalese officials to expand mutual ties.

In a meeting with Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade, Mehrabian introduced Iran's industrial and mining potentials, according to a fax sent to Iran Daily by Iran Khodro.

Strategic Partner
Iran considers Senegal as a strategic partner, the minister pointed out, adding that Senegal is seen as a gateway for exporting Iranian commodities and industries to western Africa, including Ghana, Gambia, Nigeria, Togo, Mali, Sierra Leone, Benin, Guinea and the Ivory Coast.

The minister declared the country's readiness for expansion of all-out cooperation with Senegal.

He announced that Iran Khodro has designed a vehicle for Islamic nations.

The inauguration of Samand's assembly line in Senegal will strength mutual ties, he underlined.

Mehrabian also thanked the Senegalese president's support for implementing the of Iranian projects in that country.

Abdoulaye Wade, for his part, said Senegal's market is open to Iranian firms, welcoming Iranian ventures.

Earlier, managing director of Iranian carmaker Iran Khodro Company (IKCO) stated that the Samand manufacturing plant would produce 10,000 units annually in Senegal, Fars News Agency wrote.

Manouchehr Manteqi added the plan have been funded with $60 million, of which 60 percent will be paid by Iran Khodro, 20 percent by the Senegalese government and the rest by Senegal private sector.

"In a bid to equip Senegal's taxi fleet, some 2,000 units of Samand have been exported to this country," he said.

Global Presence
Iran's state-owned Iran Khodro is the largest carmaker in the Middle East, Central Asia and North Africa, with an annual production of more than one million vehicles of various models, including cars, trucks, minibuses and buses.

The automaker opened a plant in Syria in April and is also readying a new plant in Turkey for 2009.

IKCO is also ramping up exports as it builds a global presence outside Iran.

The company builds more than half a million passenger vehicles a year, and officials have said they want to boost annual production to more than a million vehicles and hike exports to more than 600,000 by 2016.

Iran Khodro Company has exported Samand sedan to Russia, Afghanistan, Belarus, Senegal, Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Samand is a compact sedan based heavily on the Peugeot 405 platform and with a price starting at about $9,000. "Samand" is the Persian name for a local breed of horse.

Market observers believe that Samand could challenge future Chinese and Indian imports at the low end of the market.

Samand's trade name is now registered at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

IKCO the Iranian car manufacturer and owner of Samand, is the first Iranian company whose product is registered at the WIPO.

Marketing researches have shown that given the financial capability of European and South Asian markets and the competitive advantage that Iran enjoys, Iran Khodro can gain a foothold in many world markets in a relatively short period of time.

The company has other automobile production ventures with foreign countries and companies in a bid to increase exports to regional markets.

Long-Term Presence
Iran's deputy foreign minister for Arab and African affairs, Mohammad Reza Baqeri, said the Islamic Republic is studying a long-term presence in the African continent, Fars News Agency reported.

Baqeri termed the trade links between Iran and African countries are expanding and "the ground is prepared for expansion of mutual ties", adding that Africa enjoys rich resources and the continent is a suitable hub for Iranian-made commodities, the report said.

As for examples of current trade links with some African countries, he referred to the construction of a tractor manufacturing plant in Uganda, dispatch of Iranian physicians to South Africa and establishment of an Iranian-made car (Samand) assembly line in Senegal.

The Croatian ambassador in Tehran said last year that the people of East Europe are waiting for the Iranian-made passenger car 'Samand'.

The official also said that after the launch of operation of Samand assembly line in Azerbaijan and Belarus, the manufacturing company, Iran Khodro, now has better chances for gaining access to the CIS and East European markets.

According to the diplomat, Iran Khodro's officials have announced that they would soon start exports of Samand to Poland, while the company is now studying other East European markets, including Romania and the republics of former Yugoslavia.

Iran started export of the latest model of Samand to 32 different countries in autumn 2007.

© Iran Daily 2008