Mentioned the main advantages of the Iranian sedan

In the mid-2000s, the Iran Khodro (or IKCO) brand sold about 12,000 Samand sedans in Russia, based on the platform of the old Peugeot 405. Over the past decade, Iranians have brought their cars to the Moscow Motor Show at least four times, but before the resumption of deliveries, this is and it did not come.

Now the situation seems to be finally changing.

Spacious sedan

After the departure of the Samand model, Iranian cars really had nothing to interest Russian buyers. In the most accessible segment, the ball is invariably ruled by Lada. From cheap foreign cars, initially there were enough “Chinese” cars, which were promoted better than Iran Khodro models in Russia. Then there were budget sedans from Korean and European brands.

Now the market is “bare”, and every new model is noticeable. In addition, dealers’ exorbitant price increases on once-affordable models are forcing buyers to look for alternatives. Used cars are not suitable for everyone, China only offers crossovers, which are by definition more expensive. So the Iranian sedan comes in handy.

Maybe very cheap.

Translated into our money, the Tara sedan in its homeland costs from 650 thousand to 875 thousand rubles. About the same as the simplified Lada Grant. At the same time, Tara has ABS and airbags, and generally our domestic model is a class below.

But the cars have to be brought from Iran and other costs are included in the price. Moreover, no one is going to sell them on dump terms. If the pre-styling Vesta sedan now costs 1.3-1.7 million rubles, why should the Iranians set the price much lower?

But asking for much more is risky. This is not a Solaris or Polo with a well-deserved reputation, but an unknown model.

Not so unknown

The front and back of the body are decorated in an original way – this is the result of the work of Iran Khodro. And behind the car is somewhat reminiscent of the Russian bestseller Kia Rio.

But the profile betrays the essence: this is a converted Peugeot 301 (also known as Citroen C-Elysee). Ten years ago this couple was sold to us, but “didn’t go in”. Prejudice against French cars also played a role and prices are higher than competitors.

Salon has not changed. Unless they added a touch screen media system. How modern it is remains to be seen. They promise to add several options for us: heated rear seats, all-round cameras and a built-in DVR.

Don’t worry about units.

The Iranians call the platform theirs. In fact, this is the platform of the Peugeot 301. Tara is equipped with an aspirated 1.6 with a power of 113 hp. This is a derivative of the French TU5 engine, which has been proven to be durable and reliable. In Russia, he is known for the Peugeot 206 and 307. And a decent automatic – 6-speed Aisin. Although located in China. They say there are no problems with the box. You can believe it, because the Chinese Aisin comes to Russia in cars from China.

Instead of Vesta?

There will certainly be interest in the Iranian car. If the car does not disappoint on the first meeting (including the price), then they proceed to buy. And then it is important to support the interest with high reliability and quality service.