Over the years political indifferences between nations may cause boycotts on items manufactured from a certain country. In this context, many believed the people of Iran who is mostly anti Americans (watch 2013’s Academy Award Best Picture winner, Argo, for reference) may burn every vehicles or cars manufactured from the US. But how wrong we were.
In fact Reuters reported that in the city of Tabriz, a city in the north-west of Iran,hundreds of the most highly demanded American and European cars have appeared in a free trade zone of Aras close to Armenia and Azerbaijan. Strangely, sanctions on American imports, which began in 1979 during the Islamic Revolution that bans all sorts of American cars into Iran, did not stop the Iranians from purchasing American cars at Tabriz. It also appears that demand of American muscle cars, such as Ford Mustang, Dodge Challenger and Chevrolet Camaro are sky-high among the Iranians.
“We see amazing cars here now. There’s huge interest because there’s no American cars in Iran for many years,” said Mohammad, a sales manager working for one of around 20 businesses importing U.S. cars into Iran. “It’s good business for us.”
As reported by Reuters, under the terms of the free zone, only those connected to it – residents or registered businesses – can buy these American and European cars. Their owners can drive them inside the zone itself but also to Tabriz, the provincial capital of Eastern Azerbaijan. Owners can also get a temporary license plate to drive free zone cars in the rest of Iran for two months a year, which was believed to be a brilliant branding opportunity in a country which has few remaining classic American cars from the pre-revolutionary era, when U.S. cars and trucks were a common sight.
In an oil rich country of 75 million people, it is the matter of time before American and European car manufacturers flocked their way to Iran to sell their cars. Afterall, picturing Iranians burning rubber in an American muscle car may indicate political differences can be solved by the love of cars. Perhaps, who knows world peace can be achieved by becoming a petrolhead…
[SOURCE: Reuters]
