Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan. 13 / Trend F.Mehdi/
Iran exported 44,682 passenger cars, valued at about $257 million, during the first nine months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20-December 20, 2012), showing a 330 percent rise in value compared to the same period of last year, ISNA reported.
The number of exported cars showed a 284 percent rise, as well.
Iraq was the major importer of Iranian cars, accounting for 98 percent of total imports.
Small numbers of cars were also exported to Ukraine and Azerbaijan.
Iranian car manufacturers produced 72,845 vehicles in the 9th month of current Iranian calendar year (November 21 - December 21).
The amount shows 1.5 percent increase compared to its preceding month's figure of 71,732 vehicles, the Iranian state IRNA News Agency reported.
However, the ISNA news agency reported On Nov. 27, 2012 that several car companies in Iran have halted their production, while according to ISNA report the auto production has dropped by 66 percent in September compared to last year figures.
Iranian car manufacturers produced 1.648 million cars in 2011.
Iran's giant car manufacturer Iran Khodro (IKCO) and Saipa Company faced a sharp decrease in output in first 8 months of current Iranian Calendar year, according to the reports.
IKCO's total output in the first eight months of current Iranian calendar year, which began on March 20, stood at 234,518 (Averagely 29,314 vehicles in month).
The figure shows a 45.1 percent decrease compared to the same period of last year.
Iran's vehicle manufacturers faced with both rising production costs and lacking some details of how to manufacture cars after the giant international auto companies left Iran because of sanctions aimed to curb the country's disputed nuclear programme.
These include Italian Fiat, German General Motors and its French partner PSA Peugeot Citroen, South Korean Hyundai and the Japanese Toyota Motor Corporation, etc. Iran's major car producer Iran Khodro which had been a partner of France's Peugeot since 1989, had to close some production units.