Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct.22
By Fatih Karimov - Trend:
The quality index of seven products of Iranian Modiran Khodro car manufacturing company decreased in the past Iranian calendar month, ended on September 22.
The quality of MVM 530 sedan decreased the most, so that its negative quality point rose by 9.5 percent to 56.3, Iran's ISNA news agency reported on October 22.
Tiba, JAC, MVM 315, MVM 110, Samand, and Peugeot 405 sedans ranked next with 2.5 percent, 1.9 percent, 1.5 percent, 1 percent, and 0.5 percent fall in quality indices.
The report has not mentioned quality changes of other Iranian carmakers, such as Iran Khodro, Saipa, and Pars Khodro.
In July, Iranian parliament (Majlis) carried out a special study of the performance of the country's carmakers.
The document reads that the auto industry is Iranian economy's second largest sector, next to oil and gas industries. Some 200 trillion rials (some $6.45 billion) is being circulated in the auto industry each year. The sector creates 500,000 direct and indirect job opportunities annually.
The document also reads that the country's giant carmakers, Iran Khodro Company (IKCO) and SAIPA Company, have repeatedly blamed lack of liquidity for the sharp decrease in their output. But none of them have made any serious effort to cash around 80 trillion rials (some $2.58 billion based on the exchange rate of USD at the free market) of their customers' unpaid debts.
"The value of uncompleted cars which are piled up in numerous parking lots is around 18 trillion rials (some $580.6 million)," the report said.
The report further suggests that IKCO and SAIPA are suffering from mismanagement, noting that "the companies have been derailed from their original function."
"The automakers are working with less than 50 percent of their capacity. SAIPA has appointed many advisors and directors without having the necessary skills and requirements," it said.
The document also reads that the Iranian carmakers are importing low-quality part from foreign countries, ina particular from China, with the hologram of Iranian parts manufacturing firms.