Iran's Minister of Industry, Mining and Trade Mehdi Ghazanfari says the country plans to manufacture at least three million units of cars and export some one million of them by the year 2025.
Ghazanfari said on Saturday that some 1.6 million cars were built in the past Iranian calendar year (ended March 19, 2012), and 55,000 cars were sold overseas in the same period.
He added that the country plans to export some $25 billion worth of car spare parts by 2025.
The Iranian minister also noted that the Islamic Republic seeks to put up its cars for sale in new markets in West Asia, Southeast Asia as well as Latin America.
"Irans automotive industry is the second biggest industry of the country, after its oil and gas industry. Iran is the largest automaker in the Middle East."
The Iranian manufacturers currently produce different types of vehicles, including passenger cars, SUVs, trucks, buses, minibuses, and pickup trucks.
Over half of the local output is passenger cars, with pick-ups being the next largest category.
Meanwhile, Iran's car manufacturer Iran Khodro Co. (IKCO) on Saturday started the mass production of the third indigenously-manufactured car, Runna, in a ceremony attended by state and automotive industry officials.
The small sedan comes with fuel-efficient domestically-developed 1.4-, 1.5-, 1.6- and 1.7-liter engines, as well as manual and automatic transmissions depending on the customer's choice.
Runna meets Euro IV and V standards which deal with air pollution and the Pedestrian Impact safety requirement.
PressTV - Iran plans to export 1 million cars by 2025: Minister