Carmakers are getting ready to return to Iran as economic sanctions against the country will soon be lifted.
Renault makes no exception and is already planning to introduce a variant of the new Indian-built Kwid mini crossover to Iran. According to Renault-Nissan alliance vice-president Gerard Detourbet, the vehicle has already drawn interest from potential Iranian partners.
“This kind of car could be a good match for the market. We have already presented the car to people, and they are interested. But between the interest and the decision to do it, there is still some time,” Detourbet told Reuters.
However, the executive added that no decision had been made on new models for Iran or where they would be assembled, stressing that plans would take “more than a month or two” to develop.
Car manufacturers are in a rush to re-establish their presence in Iran following the country’s deal with Western powers to curb its nuclear activities in return for a lifting of sanctions.
In order to defend the strong market positions they had before sanctions were tightened in 2011, French automakers Renault and PSA Peugeot Citroën are aware that they need to upgrade their outdated offerings.
First-generation Renault Logan sales are dwindling in Iran, so the Kwid could be a solution to revitalize the business. The Renault Kwid is based on the new CMF-A vehicle platform, which Renault-Nissan expects to underpin more than 1 million vehicles a year as it will be used by several future models.
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