Car giants in Tehran for international auto show

Описание: (15 Feb 2017) LEAD IN:
The world's biggest car manufacturers are in Iran for the Tehran Car Show.
The industry has been boosted by the lifting of sanctions following the Iran nuclear deal.

STORY-LINE
An international car show is in full swing in the Iranian capital for the first time in eleven years. And it's bringing the world's biggest car manufacturers to the city.
The show is seen as an upshot of a landmark nuclear deal clinched last year.
About 200 car manufacturers and producers of auto spare parts from South Korea, Japan, China, Turkey, France, Germany, Britain, Spain, Italy and Taiwan are participating.
The Iranian automobile industry is one of the main sectors that have enjoyed significant removal of economic sanctions.
In international rankings, Iran dropped from the 11th place to the 18th under measures taken against Iran over its nuclear programme by the world community, according to the event's organisers.
Now the situation has changed.
Western and Japanese automakers that have been away from the Iranian market or suspended business with Iran are now eyeing investment potentials.
Mansour Moazami, Director of the 4th Iranian Automotive Industry International Conference 2017, tells delegates that the nuclear deal is "an opportunity for interaction between Iranian companies and their foreign partners".
French companies were the first to rush to sign lucrative business deals with Iran.
France's PSA group has signed a new partnership with Iran Khodro to build Peugeots.
Meanwhile Citroen, another brand in the group, has reached an agreement to launch a plant of Iranian manufacturer SAIPA.
South Korea's Hyundai, whose imported products have dominated the Iranian market for foreign cars, has signed a separate venture with another local manufacturer Kerman Khodro Industrial Group to produce a mini car.
Sina Zaree, a car lover, keenly examines a French luxury automobile with his wife.
"I believe that Iran and particularly Tehran has great potential for importers of various vehicles with different price ranges, from cheap to expensive," he says.
Iran does not want to simply import vehicles - it says car giants should bring their technology here and employ Iranians to produce cars.
BMW, KIA Motors, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Toyota, Lexus, Renault, Citroen, Peugeot, Nissan, Volvo are demonstrating their products to car fans at the five day event.
Chinese car makers, MVM and Chery, which did business in Iran when Western countries had imposed sanctions, also have a strong presence at the show.
But US giant General Motors is not attending the event.
Shadi Habibi poses next to a British-made Lotus.
She believes Iran is an "untapped market" for foreign companies.
Francois Senemaud, French ambassador to Iran, tells the conference that foreign companies working with Iran means "jobs, value and wealth creation".
Iranian official data show that there is one car for every 210 people in Iran and the country manufactures 1.3 million vehicles a year.
The Tehran Auto Show will be open until February 18.

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