Iran: 1967-2023 Detailed Historical Data now available

The Paykan brought the car to the Iranian masses in the seventies.

This post lists all Iran Historical Data articles. For a voyage through the current Iranian car landscape, make sure to view our 2019 Series Exploring Iran in a Peugeot Pars.

May 2020 update (12 new articles): Now with All-brands and All-models annual rankings from 1993 to 2006, meaning there is now 22 years worth of All-brands and All-models rankings available for Iran on BSCB. We also have All-models monthly production data from May 2011 to July 2015 and Quarterly data from 2016 onwards.

A mid-nineties facelift gave the Paykan a second wind: 60% share in 1996.

Historical Info and Sales Data for Iran covering the past 53 years is now available on BSCB. Please get in touch by commenting on this post if you have more detailed info. We have the name of the overall best-seller for each year since 1967. The Iran Khodro Paykan was the vehicle that brought mobility to the Iranian masses, starting at the end of the sixties and expanding its spell over the market deep into the 2000s before being discontinued in 2005.

The Saipa Pride ended 36 years of Paykan domination to become #1 in 2003.

If the body of the car, based on the 1966 Hillman Hunter, remained practically unchanged for almost forty years, the Paykan received multiple facelifts that enabled it to to stick to the market tastes and keep an overwhelming market share in the country for decades, reaching almost 60% in 1996 notably, after its last facelift. Manufacturer of the Paykan, Iran Khodro dominates the Iranian scene from 1967 and for over three decades, but sees its share thaw from a peak of 66.2% in 1996 to just 30.1% in 2004 when it is toppled by Peugeot. However it’s important to note that all Peugeots sold in Iran are manufactured under license by Iran Khodro, so could technically be counted as Iran Khodro vehicles.

Peugeot first became the #1 brand in Iran in 2004.

After the turbulence of the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988) and a time of readjustment of the economy (1989-1994), over the following decade the Iranian new car market then displayed one of the most spectacular growths in the world, aligning 12 consecutive record years to soar from just 77.560 units in 1995 to 1.041.321 in 2006. Iran’s other large manufacturer, Saipa, was for many years almost solely focused on selling a rebadged 1986 Kia which became the outright best-seller in Iran in 2003 after being stuck in 2nd place for a full decade.

The Saipa Tiba/Saina takes the lead in 2018.

Peugeot first took charge of the brands ranking in 2004 thanks to an expanding lineup composed of different variations on the 405 (Pars, RD) and hatch and sedan variants of the 206, all assembled locally by Iran Khodro. Saipa would then snap the brand lead in 2006 and the battle for brands supremacy would continue between Saipa and Peugeot for the following decade, with the Pride head and shoulders above any other nameplate over the period. Sometimes the 405 and Pars are added together, enabling the couple to outsell the Pride in 2014 for example. But we would have to wait 2018 for a “true” new best-seller, even though once again it is a combination of two models: the Saipa Tiba/Saina.

Iran Historical Data:

Iran 1967-1984: Paykan sole volume seller – featuring exclusive Iranian advertising (new)

Iran 1984-1992: Paykan dominates volatile market (new)

Iran 1993-1996: Paykan holds up to 60% share, propels market over 100.000 annual sales for the first time (new)

Iran 1997-2000: Paykan still ultra dominant 30 years after launch, market up to record 286.000 units (new)

Iran 2001: Paykan celebrates 35 years as best-seller in record market (365.932) (new)

Iran 2002: Last year of year for the Paykan in market above half-million mark (new)

Iran 2003: Saipa Pride ends 36 years of Paykan domination in record market (715.079) (new)

Iran 2004: Peugeot edges past Iran Khodro to #1 brand, Saipa Pride repeats as #1 model (new)

Iran 2005: Peugeot and Saipa hold 72% of market, Paykan discontinued (new)

Iran 2006: Saipa passes Peugeot to #1 brand in millionaire market (new)

Iran 2007-2009: Saipa Pride and Peugeot 405 variants dominate (data needed)