Iran has exported some $2.054 million worth of cars in the six calendar months to late September, according to a recent report.
The Saturday report by Fars news agency cited recent data by the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) which said that Iranian cars were delivered to customers in five countries, namely Spain, Belarus, Turkey, China and Iraq.
Iraq was the largest buyer of Iranian car models over the six-month period with some $1.305 million worth of purchases, followed by China importing some $0.567 million worth of cars from Iran, the report said.
The data showed that the value of Iranian car exports to Spain, Iran’s first car shipment to the European country, reached $0.114 million in the March-September period.
The figures only cover exports of completely built units (CBUs) that have been registered at Iranian customs offices or special economic zones.
That comes as Iranian car manufacturers have set up plants in countries in several continents to assemble their products or to produce models that they have jointly developed with foreign companies.
Iran has increasingly relied on its home-grown automotive sector in recent years despite sanctions that have caused restrictions to access to foreign technology.
However, a government ban on imports of cars from other countries has led to a major increase in production and exports of Iranian-made cars in recent years.
Iran’s industry ministry said in July that car output in the country would reach 1.7 million units in the calendar year that ends in late March, up from 1.335 million cars produced in the previous calendar year.