TEHRAN (FNA)- Chinese car manufacturing companies are not of much help to the progress of Iran's car industry, President of Iran's largest carmaker, Iran-Khodro Company (IKCO), Hashem Yekehzare said, adding that his company has limited cooperation with the Chinese to a maximum 10 percent.
"The share of the Chinese products in IKCO's cart will not exceed 10 percent in the next 3 to 4 years," Yekezare told FNA on Wednesday.
He pointed to the reason for limited cooperation with the Chinese companies, and said Chinese companies "cannot open new paths to Iran's auto industry, explaining that partnership of the Iranian and Chinese auto-makers has only resulted in full CKD assembly of Chinese cars in Iran.
"The Chinese companies cannot provide Iranian automakers with substantial help in the next 4 to 5 years," he continued.
On Monday, Yekehzare said his company's foreign cooperation will lead to the promotion of Iranian part makers as well as IKCO brand introduction and improvement around the world.
"We are determined to produce 600 thousand sets of vehicles by the end of this year, however the company's H1 production reached 275000 sets which is almost twice as many cars as it produced in the same period last year, Yekehzare said.
Recalling the country's less dependence on oil resources, he pointed out, "We should believe that high quality and technology is our economy's way out, through which exporting to other countries would come true."
In the meantime Yekehzare declared that the car making industry was the motor of all industries and claimed, "We have now passed through production crisis and considering the daily production of 2400 sets of cars, we aim at developing and improving products and their qualities, enhancing after sales service and exporting."
According to IKCO CEO and president, common interest and domestic part makers' improvement would be the base for his company's foreign cooperation.