Iran Khodro, the country's largest automaker, said it has opened an assembly plant in Belarus in partnership with Unison Company to build the Samand compact.
The cars will be marketed in Belarus and other countries in Central and Eastern Europe. The assembly plant in Minsk initially will build up to 6,000 vehicles a year, and can be expanded to 60,000.
Iran Khodro also assembles the Samand in Venezuela, where its local facility has the capacity to build 15,000 vehicles a year.
Meanwhile, in its home market, Iran Khodro plans to produce up to 100,000 hybrid cars a year. The move is part of a government mandate to the local auto industry to turn out 280,000 hybrids a year, according to a Mehr News Agency report.
Iran Khodro is working on hybrid versions of several of its vehicles, including the Samand. It already has built about 7,000 vehicles powered by natural gas.
What this means to you: As the largest car builder in the Middle East, Iran Khodro is expanding its reach, both technically and geographically.
