Thanks Abu, your posts are informative and I learn something new.
Re: Iran, I've always been curious as to why their auto or Aerospace industry never really took off.
decades of sanctions and isolation make it "unfashionable" and in some cases illegal for developed or 'EMF' countries to assist in their program or do business with them.
Pakistan would be an obvious export market, India too. Bangladesh? Indonesia, Maalysia ... Africa.
Iranian cars are making their way to Middle Eastern markets (primarily Syria and Egypt)....I think some South American countries as well. They have a fairly decent edge in automotive industry, they are producing everything --small cars, sedans, SUVs, vans, pickups, buses, minibuses etc.
In Pakistan's case, I guess there just isnt a sufficient market for them. The cheap cars (Suzuku, Hyundai, Chinese brands etc.) foster to lower income groups; whereas for some reason middle and middle-upper income groups tend to stick to Toyota, Honda, Nissans (brand preferences).
Who knows, maybe in the future....
I would have thought the'd put some of their oil money into marketing said products, no? Or is it the
old Socialist, Commie, S. Asian model of keep the competition out, run a monopoly at home and ... hehe ...
keep the govt. job, privileges and pass around patronage
hard to say.....Iran is currently the 12th largest cars manufacturer in the world; their second biggest industry after gas/oil. I guess they focus more on domestic consumption but only in the past decade they have adapted to foreign markets as well. Iran has a mix of private and publicly owned manufacturers. So not sure how much 'say' in it govt. has.
they've done fairly well.....despite sanctions and embargos and all that stuff. Gotta give it to them. They did what the entire GCC couldnt do effectively.....invest in their people, invest in their industrial/manufacturing capabilities. They arent a perfect model, but there are many things which we ought to emulate from them.