History
Formerly, Pars Khodro built American Motors' Rambler and General Motors (GM) products under licence. Its first cars, the Aria and the Shahin, were based on AMC's compact 1966 Rambler American and were launched in 1967. Production ended in 1974. It also built Jeep vehicles under licence. The company was called Sherkat-Sahami Jeep at the time.
In June 1972, Sherkat-Sahami inked a deal with GM and formed General Motors Iran Ltd. GM Iran produced Opels under licence, using the Chevrolet brand. These models featured 2.5 and 2.8 litre engines. In addition, a Buick, Cadillac and Chevrolet (Nova) were built, along with a Chevrolet pick-up truck. The Jeep continued during this time. These were built until 1981, the Iranian Revolution forcing the cessation of their manufacture and links with GM.
Afterward, Pars Khodro switched to the manufacture of the Nissan Patrol under licence.
In 1997, it acquired an additional Renault 5 assembly line from SAIPA, a fellow Iranian manufacturer, which had been making the car since 1980 as a replacement for the Iranian-built Citroën Dyane. The Sepand I and II were versions of the original Renault 5.
In 2000, 51 per cent of Pars Khodro's shares were purchased by SAIPA, which in turn is 48 per cent owned by the Iranian Government.
Read more about this topic: Pars Khodro
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