Fars News Agency (Tehran) - Managing-Director of Iran's leading carmaker, Iran-Khodro Company (IKCO), announced that his company plans to design two new platforms for its C and D segments by 2018, adding that ten new car models will be built on these platforms.
Javad Najmeddin pointed to the importance of design and production of new products and development of automotive design and know-how as the main competitive advantages of his company, and said, "At least 3% of IKCO's overall sales should be allocated to research and development."
Recently IKCO unveiled a new sedan, named Dena. It is going to be prototyped next March and enter the mass production phase a month later.
Dena is Iran's first all-domestically built car. The whole process of production of the car from designing to prototyping has been accomplished by IKCO without any foreign assistance. All its needed dies, including major body dies, have been produced in Iran as well.
IKCO had also earlier announced that it would market a new Suzuki sedan in the near future. Following Suzuki Grand Vitara's noticeable reception in Iran market, IKCO-Suzuki cooperation has entered a new phase.
Last year, the Car Policy-making Council in Iran confirmed the design and development of three Iranian platforms based on which Iranian carmakers are supposed to introduce three cars per platform by 2016 and IKCO has headed towards this ratification.
Platform design is generally a difficult and costly step in car making, requiring experience and capability. So far IKCO has designed different cars like Samand, Soren, Runna and Dena.
