SEAT to Officially Enter Iran for the First Time

The Spanish car manufacturer SEAT, which is a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, will officially enter the Iranian market for the first time. The Volkswagen Group has been examining the Iranian market for some time, and among the manufacturers in this group, Volkswagen and Škoda are looking to produce cars in Iran, while SEAT intends to import cars to Iran. Many of the products of the Volkswagen Group use a common platform but are offered with different body designs and brands. Among the products of this group, the three companies Volkswagen, Škoda, and SEAT have the most platform similarities. SEAT was founded in 1950 by the National Institute of Industry of Spain with the help of Fiat Italy. This company, located near Barcelona, became a subsidiary of Volkswagen in 1986. Currently, the SEAT León is one of the main products of this company, sharing a common platform with the Volkswagen Golf and has good sales in Europe. The SEAT Ibiza is another significant product in the company's history, currently sharing a platform with the Volkswagen Polo. The Moien Motor Company, which was the representative of Porsche in Iran before the sanctions, has taken on the representation of this Spanish company. In Europe, SEAT is considered an economical car for the middle class, but due to import tariffs, importer profits, and shipping costs, the price of this car will be at least 70% higher than in Europe. Therefore, it seems that a car priced at 15,000 euros from this company will cost more than 25,000 euros (over 100 million tomans) in Iran, making a car that is affordable for the middle class in Europe a luxury vehicle in Iran. Moien Motor was previously one of the best Porsche representatives in the world, implementing Porsche standards in Iran, and during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency, with the growth of Iran's oil revenues and the increase of wealthy individuals in Iran, it became one of the best-selling Porsche representatives in the Middle East. For example, out of the 66 units produced of the Panamera S Edition for the Middle East, 12 units were sold in Iran. Moien Motor has announced that SEAT's gasoline cars with engine sizes less than 2000 cc will enter the Iranian market. The company has stated that the price range for SEAT products in Iran will be between 80 to 250 million tomans. Before SEAT's name was mentioned as an importer of cars to Iran, some analysts considered the company's products to be suitable for production in Iran due to their reasonable prices in Europe. After the nuclear agreement, Volkswagen and Škoda initially negotiated with Iran Khodro to produce their products. Ultimately, Volkswagen chose the Mammut Industrial Group as its partner in Iran for car production, and reports indicate that Škoda is currently negotiating with the Gharami family for the production and import of its products. This family is considered one of the main powers in car imports in Iran and holds over half of the Iranian imported car market through the import of Kia and Hyundai products. This influential family also intends to bring the luxury brand of the Volkswagen Group, Audi, to Iran. Jaguar and Land Rover are other brands that will soon be imported to Iran by this family. Volkswagen has also reached a final agreement with the Mammut Industrial Group for the production and import of its products. Accordingly, the company 'Mammut Khodro' has been registered for the production of passenger cars of the German company 'Volkswagen' in Iran, and one of the first Volkswagen products for the Iranian market will be the Volkswagen 'Polo'. Thus, the relevant company essentially holds the representation of Volkswagen Germany in Iran and can take action regarding the import and production of some of this company's products. According to the announcement from the 'Secretariat of the High Supervisory Board on the Country's Guild Organizations', the company 'Mammut Khodro' has been registered as the company that will pursue matters related to Volkswagen's presence in Iran. Mammut is considered one of the well-known private automotive companies in Iran and currently collaborates with the 'Scania' company. The Mammut Industrial Group is currently engaged in the production of Scania trucks and trailers. The Swedish brand Scania is a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group and has increased its activities in Iran after the lifting of sanctions. The Swedish company Scania, which is part of the Volkswagen Group, has extensive plans for investment in truck and bus production in Iran.