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Maserati and Lamborghini pull out of Iran

Jonathon Ramsey — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 08:02:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Government/Legal, Lamborghini, Maserati, Middle East, Luxury

Daimler is out, Toyota is out, Porsche is out, Hyundai, PSA Peugeot-Citroën are out and when it comes to selling cars in Iran, now Maserati and Lamborghini are out, too. The definitive pullouts of those last two automakers are said to be reactions to a press conference held by a group called United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI). The group highlights businesses that sell in both the US market and Iran, and works to get those businesses to choose one market or the other.

UANI said it had sent letters to Maserati and Lamborghini about their dealings in Iran, but that the letters went unanswered. Mark Wallace, head of UANI and a former US ambassador to the United Nations, held a press conference in October of last year that referenced the two companies. Apparently Lamborghini contacted Wallace just after the press conference and told him "they were out, they weren't doing any business in Iran anymore."

Discussions with Maserati then took place, and the Italian automaker said it had been out of Iran ever since Fiat announced it was leaving the country in May 2011. UANI said Maserati had been in talks with an Iranian distributor, however, and that distributor was continuing to use the Maserati name. The carmaker has since cut all ties with Iranian interests and has prevented its name from being used, adding that its new models will not be able to be sold there because they won't pass regulations the country's regulations.

Maserati and Lamborghini pull out of Iran originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Jan 2013 08:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fiat suspends sales to Iran, cites diplomacy issues

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 25 May 2012 19:20:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Middle East, Fiat

Fiat, Italy's largest automaker and the company in control of Chrysler, has announced that it is suspending sales to Iran amidst a wave of global sanctions against the Middle Eastern country's nuclear efforts. The automaker says this includes passenger cars, trucks and buses under its Iveco brand.

The automaker said it will honor a limited number of binding contracts but would stop exporting any cars or parts to Iran immediately. Fiat also said that its business in Iran was "totally immaterial in a quantitative and qualitative sense." In other words, the move won't have any real impact on the company's bottom line, apparently.

Fiat joins Hyundai, PSA Peugeot Citroën and Porsche as automakers no longer doing business in Iran. No American automakers sell vehicles in Iran. Read the complete statement from Fiat below, along with a response from United Against Nuclear Iran.

Continue reading Fiat suspends sales to Iran, cites diplomacy issues

Fiat suspends sales to Iran, cites diplomacy issues originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 25 May 2012 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Porsche officially stops doing business in Iran

Chris Tutor — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 09:31:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, Government/Legal, Porsche, Middle East, Luxury

Iran just became a bit less interesting for automotive enthusiasts with the announcement by Porsche that it will no longer do business there. The announcement was made Monday by United Against Nuclear Iran and New York Public Advocate Bill De Blasio.

"Consumers here have the power to force these companies out of Iran and tighten the screws on Tehran's regime," De Blasio said in the statement. "Our message is clear: you can do business with the Iranian regime or you can do business with the American consumer - but you can't do both."

This follows news that Hyundai will also stop selling or servicing its cars in Iran. But despite the ongoing international embargo against Iran, car shoppers there still have plenty manufacturers from which to choose. Fiat, Isuzu, Kia, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Peugeot, Renault, Suzuki, Toyota and Volvo are all still selling and/or servicing their models there. Sadly, for Iranians, nothing on par with Porsche.

But then again, most Iranians aren't exactly flush with cash. A Bloomberg report from March says car sales in Iran were down 20 percent with prices up by about the same amount. For example, an imported Lexus RX350 sells for about $151,000 over there. Even in good times, that's a tough monthly payment for the average Iranian. In that same report, a Tehran car dealer said he hasn't replenished his stock of Porsche models for months because no one can afford them.

So either for political or economic reasons, we may soon see other carmakers pulling out of the Iranian car market. Check out the UANI press release below.

Continue reading Porsche officially stops doing business in Iran

Porsche officially stops doing business in Iran originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 Apr 2012 09:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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