The cheapest Iranian car costs 400 million tomans.
Since 2019, we have witnessed a downward trend in the purchasing power of Iranian consumers in all sectors, including the car market. This trend continued in 2023 to the point where the purchasing power of Iranian consumers was more destroyed than before. Nowadays, to buy the cheapest Iranian car from the free market, you need more than 400 million tomans in cash, while with the same amount, you could have bought a semi-luxury imported car less than four to five years ago.
The turmoil in the market for zero-kilometer cars in Iran is not the only issue; this turmoil also continues in the second-hand car market. Due to the decrease in purchasing power of customers, the demand for second-hand cars has increased. Since the number of second-hand cars available in the market is limited, the increase in demand will lead to an increase in the prices of these cars.
Promises such as importing 100 or 200 thousand cars in the year, producing economical and affordable cars domestically, and importing used cars have remained nothing more than a dream. Even car manufacturers have failed to bring their newly introduced products to the market. Cars like Saipa Arya, Cadilla, Shahin Plus, Eco, Rira, and the Iranian version of Renault Kwid are merely ideas and there is still no sign of them in the market.
The situation of producing previous cars is also not favorable. Since the reimposition of sanctions, car manufacturers have not been successful in aligning their production with market demand. As a result, a portion of the demand always remains unanswered, forcing consumers to resort to the free market to find their desired option. Nowadays, the market conditions require more than 400 million tomans in cash to purchase the cheapest Iranian zero-kilometer car, namely the Quick S. It is obvious that providing 400 million tomans in cash, with a basic salary of 8 or even 10 million tomans, will not be an easy task for Iranian consumers.
