IKCO to unveil new luxury sedan

Boasting a year of growth in its auto industry despite the global financial crisis, Iran’s top carmaker says its latest luxury sedan will hit the market in November.

Iran Khodro (IKCO) will produce up to 17,000 units of the new model, Soren ELX, by the end of the Iranian year (March 20, 2011), the company’s Deputy CEO Mir Javad Soleimani said on Saturday.

The luxury sedan uses the Samand platform but the new design and features have “enhanced the safety, comfort and the quality of the car,” he added.

On Wednesday, the IKCO announced plans to put Samand NX7, a new design with a facelift and internal trim form, on the market by March 2011.

In August, a report by the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers placed Iran on the list of top-five global car producers with the most growth in 2009.

Iran’s car production showed a 9.5-percent growth last year, ranking fifth on the OICA chart after China, Taiwan, Romania and India.

An IKCO statement said the company alone produced 688,000 passenger cars in 2009, pointing to a 13-percent growth in the manufacturer’s turnout despite the crushing global economic crisis.