Iranian carmaker Iran Khodro (IKCO) has announced it has begun vehicle exports to Algeria, in north Africa, as part of an agreement that will see 15,000 vehicles exported there per year. The company has also said it is looking to establish a production line in the country, with double that capacity, for the supply of vehicles for the market in Algeria, in part because the country is banning the import of vehicles from the beginning of 2017.
“As a result, IKCO would supply Algeria with vehicles assembled in that country,” said IKCO’s head of exports, Saeed Tafazzoli, in a statement. “To this end, we have three options: first and foremost, moving our production line in Senegal to Algeria, moving Bardo production [IKCO's previous pick-up model] to Algeria and finally establishing a new production line in the country,” he said.
According to the statement from IKCO, the new production line would be established in a region about 300kms away from the capital Algiers with a production capacity of 30,000 vehicles each year; assembly at that plant would be supported by complete knockdown kits (CKD) imported from Iran.
