Iran 1985-1992: Paykan dominates volatile market

The Iran Khodro Paykan dominates Iranian roads over the period.

These are turbulent times for Iran as a country – the Iran-Iraq war would last from 1980 to 1988 – and therefore for Iranian new car sales. Starting at 31.025 units in 1985, the market logically falls for four consecutive years after that to just 15.100 units in 1989. Then it spectacularly bounces back 126.8% in 1990 and 63.2% in 1991, reaching almost 56.000 units then, before falling back -21.7% to 43.750 in 1992. One thing is certain, the domination of the locally-made Iran Khodro Paykan, based on the 1966 Hillman Hunter, doesn’t wane across the period. 1.4 million units of the model would be produced over its 38-year career.

Full Year 1985 to 1992 annual volumes below.