Iran Ranked Nineteenth in Global Truck Production

Iran has produced 9,580 trucks in 2016, which shows a 32% decrease compared to the same period last year, placing it nineteenth among truck-producing countries in the world. According to the latest report from the Global Automotive Manufacturers Association in 2016, China was recognized as the largest truck producer in the world, with a production of 1,756,000 trucks, reflecting a 19% growth compared to the previous year. This indicates China's economic growth and its need for trucks for construction and goods transportation. Meanwhile, Chinese companies are expanding their export markets and have gained significant influence in the Iranian market, although the low quality of Chinese-produced trucks has become a nightmare for Iran's roads. Following China, Japan ranks second with 586,000 trucks produced, and India ranks third with 293,000 trucks. The United States produced 268,000 trucks, Mexico 140,000, South Korea 79,000, Indonesia 64,000, Brazil 60,000, Russia 50,000, and Italy 45,000, placing them in the fourth to tenth positions. Iran, after Algeria, which produces 11,000 trucks annually, ranks nineteenth with a production of 9,500 trucks. Despite having a suitable market and the potential to become a truck production hub in the Middle East, Iran has not yet reached its previous production capacities, and economic sanctions have severely impacted truck manufacturing factories in the country. Historically, Iran has been one of the best centers for truck production in the world and was the main production center for Mack trucks globally after the United States before 1979. After the revolution, the production of European trucks like Volvo and Mercedes-Benz continued in Iran, and after 1997, the production of these companies peaked, making Iran one of the main producers of Volvo and Mercedes-Benz trucks worldwide. With the rise of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government, the activities of European companies in Iran diminished while the activities of Chinese companies increased. The Iranian Ministry of Roads and Urban Development states that currently, there are 127,000 trucks over 25 years old operating in the country's road transport fleet. Abbas Akhoundi, the Minister of Roads and Urban Development, says that renewing the road fleet will cost 'several billion dollars' and cannot be achieved solely with domestic resources. It seems that some large truck manufacturers like Volvo and Benz are showing interest in returning to Iran. Between 2001 and 2005, Iran was one of the five Volvo truck production sites in the world, and the production of this company in Iran reached about 12,000 trucks per year. In 2005, truck production in Iran was about 30,000 units, most of which were manufactured by prominent companies like Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Renault Trucks, and Iveco, while in 2013, this number dropped to about 14,000 units, with a significant portion of the production being Chinese trucks.