Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.9
By Fatih Karimov - Trend: The first Iranian-made diesel engine will be installed and tested on a number of cars, ISNA quoted Iranian carmaker Iran Khodro official Mohammad Zali as saying on December 9.
"The first stage of designing and manufacturing the diesel engine has been completed and it will be tested on Samand, Soren, and Dena cars," he noted.
The second stage of designing and manufacturing will be completed by the next seven months, he added.
The diesel engine will consume 5.5 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers, Zali said.
Mirjavad Soleimani, the deputy managing director of Iran's major carmaker Iran Khodro, has said that the first diesel car may even be unveiled by the end of the current year.
Iran produced 425,253 cars in the first eight months of the current Iranian calendar year which started March 21, the Tasnim News Agency reported on December 4.
Iran produced 989,110 cars in 2012, which made the country Asia's eighth largest car manufacturer. It also stood at 18th place in the world.
China, Japan, South Korea, India, Thailand, Turkey and Indonesia were Asia's seven largest car manufacturers.
Iran's automobile output experienced a 40 percent decrease in 2012. The country was Asia's fifth largest car manufacturer in 2011 with a total output of 1,648,505 cars.
In November 2012, Iran Khodro's former managing director Javad Najmeddin said that the first Iranian-made car powered by national diesel engine will hit the market by March 2015.
"The national diesel engine, with 1500CC capacity, 110hp output, and 5.2 liters/km meets euro-5 and euro-6 standards," he noted.