Pars Khodro () is an Iranian automobile manufacturer. It was the first manufacturer of sport utility vehicles (
SUVs) in Iran.
History
Formerly, Pars Khodro built American Motors'
Rambler and
General Motors
General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...
(GM) products under licence. Its first cars, the Aria and the Shahin, were based on AMC's compact 1966
Rambler American
The Rambler American is a compact car that was manufactured by the American Motors Corporation (AMC) between 1958 and 1969. The American was the second incarnation of AMC forerunner Nash Motors' compact Nash Rambler, Rambler that was introduced ...
and were launched in 1967. Production ended in 1974. It also built
Jeep CJ
The Jeep CJ models are a series and a range of small, open-bodied off-road vehicles and compact pickup trucks, built and sold by several successive incarnations of the Jeep automobile marque from 1945 through 1986. The 1945 Willys "Universal Jee ...
,
Jeep Wagoneer and
Jeep Gladiator models under licence. The company was called Sherkat-Sahami Jeep at that time.

In June 1972, Sherkat-Sahami signed a deal with GM and formed General Motors Iran Ltd. GM Iran produced the
Opel Commodore
The Opel Commodore is an executive car (E-segment) produced by Opel from 1967 to 1986. It is the six-cylinder variant of the Opel Rekord, Rekord with styling differences. The Commodore nameplate was used by Opel from 1967 to 1982 in Europe and t ...
under licence from 1974 until 1976, with "Chevrolet Royale" badging. These models featured 2.5- and 2.8-litre engines. After having developed a reputation for reliability problems, the Royale was replaced on the Iranian production lines by the
Buick Skylark
The Buick Skylark is a passenger car formerly produced by Buick. The model was made in six production runs, during 46 years, over which the car's design varied dramatically due to changing technology, tastes, and new standards implemented over t ...
("Buick Iran"),
Cadillac Seville ("Cadillac Iran") and
Chevrolet Nova, along with a Chevrolet pick-up truck.
The Jeep continued during this time. These were built until 1981, the
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Impe ...
forcing the cessation of their manufacture and links with GM.
Afterward, Pars Khodro switched to the manufacture of the
Nissan Patrol and pickups under licence. The last Patrol was produced in 2002.
In 1995, Pars Khodro acquired an additional
Renault 5 assembly line from
SAIPA.
SAIPA is a fellow Iranian manufacturer who had been making the car since 1976 as a replacement for the Iranian-built
Citroën Dyane
The Citroën Dyane is an economy car, economy family car produced by the French automaker Citroën from 1967 to 1983. The Dyane's design remained almost completely based on the Citroën 2CV and its underpinnings, but at the same time received a ...
. The Sepand I and II were versions of the original Renault 5, succeeded by a widened version with
Kia Pride underpinnings, called the
Sepand PK.
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.
Today's range
Pars Khodro has built
Renault
Renault S.A., commonly referred to as Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English), is a French Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company curr ...
and
Nissan
is a Japanese multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the ''Nissan'' and ''Infiniti'' brands, and formerly the ''Datsun'' brand, with in-house ...
models under licence. Nissan models include the
Maxima,
Roniz (Xterra),
Teana,
Patrol
A patrol is commonly a group of personnel, such as law enforcement officers, military personnel, or security personnel, that are assigned to monitor or secure a specific geographic area.
Etymology
The word "patrol" is derived from the Frenc ...
, and
Safari
A safari (; originally ) is an overland journey to observe wildlife, wild animals, especially in East Africa. The so-called big five game, "Big Five" game animals of Africa – lion, African leopard, leopard, rhinoceros, African elephant, elep ...
.
From 2006, Pars Khodro began to manufacture the
Dacia Logan,
Dacia Sandero and
Renault Mégane
The Renault Mégane (), also spelled without the acute accent as Megane, especially in languages other than French, and also known as the Renault Megavan for an LCV in Ireland, as the Renault Scala in Iran and as the Renault Mégane Grandcoup� ...
under license, with the Logan being built in a
joint-venture with
Renault
Renault S.A., commonly referred to as Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English), is a French Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company curr ...
until 2018 as the Renault Tondar 90.
At the moment, only the
SAIPA Renault Pars Tondar (an updated local version of the Tondar 90
),
Pars Khodro H220,
Pars Khodro H230,
Pars Khodro H320,
Pars Khodro Haise and
Pars Khodro H330 are being sold. (Production stopped due to US sanctions on Iran)
Current Products
*
Saipa Quik R
*
Pars Khodro Cadilla
See also
*
Automotive industry in Iran
References
{{TSE Companies of Iran
Car manufacturers of Iran
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1967
1967 establishments in Iran
Companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange
Manufacturing companies based in Tehran