A total of 100,000 Tondar 90 (Renault Logan) cars have been produced in Iran, half of which by Iran’s biggest automaker, Iran Khodro (IKCO).

Renault Pars Company is in charge of the engineering, quality control, parts supply, logistics, managing sales policies as well as marketing and customer services for Renault products in Iran and IKCO is one of its main shareholders that produces Tondar for the domestic market.

Running on a 1.6-liter 16-valve engine, Tondar 90 has been hailed as a low-cost family vehicle in the Iranian market.

The production line of Tondar 90, one of Renault’s newest platforms, entered Iran in 2007 to be produced in plants operated by IKCO, Saipa and Pars Khodro. Its initial total production was six units per week in IKCO and Saipa. Currently, however, 200 units of the vehicle is produced a day.

According to the latest quality control and quality grading of Iranian passenger cars and pick-ups, IKCO’s Tondar 90 has topped its rivals Pars Khodro and Saipa.

Renault Pars is a joint venture, 51 percent of which belongs to Renault of France. Forty-nine percent of Renault Pars’ shares is jointly held by Iran’s Industrial Development and Renovation Organization (IDRO), IKCO and Saipa. The company was established in 2003.

Iran’s spare part giant ISACO Kish has exported over 4.5 million dollars of its products to the target markets.

The spare parts have been exported to more than 20 countries since the beginning of the current Iranian year (March 21, 2009).

“This amount of export ranks ISACO Kish Co. six in export ranking of IDRO (Industrial Development and Renovation Organization of Iran) companies,” said Seyyed Reza Fatemifard, the CEO of ISACO Kish (IKCO after Sales Services and Spare Parts Export Co).

“Following our plans we hope to increase our export amount to more than 10 million dollars by the end of the year (March 20),” he added.

“If so, ISACO Kish will be IDRO’s fourth best exporter,” Fatemifard noted.

“Syria, Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iraq and Venezuela are the company’s main target markets,” he said.

Iran comes one step closer to shipbuilding independence with the launch of its first indigenous ocean liner in the Persian Gulf.

The ship dubbed Iran-Arak set sail in the southern province of Hormozgan in a Thursday ceremony attended by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Manufactured by the Iran Shipbuilding and Offshore Industries Complex Co. (ISOICO), the 2200 TEU container ship weighs 7500 tons on land, can accelerate to 32 knots (59.3 Km/h) and is able to sail 25 days non-stop.

The vessel, which has cost $50 million to construct, is 185 meters (607ft) long, 30 meters (98.4ft) wide, has 10 meters (32.8 ft) of draft and uses more than 16.7 MW to reach 21.5 knots (39.8 km/h).

President Ahmadinejad congratulated the shipbuilding team on what he described as an “astounding success”.

“Our progress in the shipbuilding sector is highly commendable,” said the Iranian president.

On its first journey, Iran-Arak, will roam the waters of the Persian Gulf for 24 hours as a final test.

The manufacturing company, ISOICO, operates under the Industrial Development and Renovation Organization of Iran (IDRO).