While reassuring their customers of the genuine quality of Audi products in Iran, Ramak Khodro has declared in a new statement that the procedures followed by the company have been confirmed by the Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade.
Ramak Khodro, the official retailer of South Korean SsangYong Motor in Iran, is a domestic car company that recently claimed it was the official representative of German luxury carmaker, Audi AG, in Iran. The statement noted that without getting the ministry’s consent and completing the legal process, no car company can sell vehicles inside Iran, while adding that the company “will be delivering sales and after-sales services on par with the highest standard,,” ISNA reported.
Last week, Audi reaffirmed it has not entered the Iranian market or signed up with a local distributor in a press release. This was followed by the report of a local automotive website Asre Khodro that Ramak Khodro hosted a high-profile event in Tehran wherein nine Audi models were showcased. The models, including the A4, A6 and Q3, are expected to enter Iran’s market soon, the report said. However, the German company clarified its position further by saying, “Audi AG has not granted any real or juridical Iranian or foreign person the authorization to import its products.” It stressed that it has not granted “representation to third parties for the import of Audi products to Iran”. The company also declared that no entity is authorized to use their name in Iran. “Audi AG will not guarantee the compliance of quality of products offered in the Iranian market without the authorization of Audi,” it said at the time.
In its latest response, Ramak Khodro explains that Iranian firms have been maintaining “indirect relations” with foreign companies in the past few years and that this has been a common practice. This indirectly points to the restrictions on business ties imposed by western sanctions on Iran over its nuclear energy program, because of which firms had to resort to alternative business procedures to circumvent the embargo. The latest statement added that this issue, however, “will not impede or harm the quality of services we will be delivering to our customers”.
Ramak Khodro announced that the sales conditions for the latest Audi models will be released early next week. Using words more cautiously, it did not claim to be the official sales representtative of Audi in Iran. Furthermore, the results for the search query “Audi” on the official website of Iran’s Guilds and Traders Center (gatc.ir) indicates that a total of five Iranian firms applied for a legal working permit to sell the German brand in Iran. The permits of all, but one company, have since been revoked. The only firm that has a valid working permit for importing passenger cars is called Fanavari Pasargad of Anzali Free Zone which, according to the website, is working in collaboration with Audi Zentrum Perugia of Italy. The website notes that the company obtained a permit valid for Oct. 5, 2015-Dec. 17, 2019. The company CEO has been registered in the name of Alireza Derakhshanfar who was also a front-seat guest at the same extravagant Audi ceremony held by Ramak Khodro.