SAIPA Group
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| Public company | |
| Traded as | : SIPA1 k ISIN: IRO1SIPA0001 |
| Industry | Automotive |
| Founded | 1966 , Tehran |
| Headquarters | Tehran, Iran |
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Key people
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| Products |
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| Revenue |
 US$ 7.1 billion (2011)
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| Owner | |
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Number of employees
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48,000 (2012) |
| Subsidiaries |
Saipa Diesel Pars Khodro Zamyad Co. |
| Website | www.saipacorp.com |
SAIPA (Persian: سایپا) is an automaker headquartered in Tehran, Iran. SAIPA (an acronym for the French Société anonyme iranienne de production automobile) was established in 1966, with 75% Iranian ownership, to assemble Citroëns under license for the Iranian market. Its products in recent years were mostly under-licensed Korean cars and its own engine and range of cars. The chief executive (president or managing director) of SAIPA is Mehdi Jamali, predecessor of whom was Nematollah Poustindouz. The main subsidiaries of SAIPA Group are Saipa Diesel, Pars Khodro and Zamyad Co. SAIPA signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Malaysia's Proton to jointly develop a new compact sedan to replace the SAIPA Pride.
Saipa began by assembling Citroën's two-cylinder mini passenger car, the Dyane, in 1968. It went under the name Jyane (or Jian) in Iran. There was also an uncommonly ugly glazed panel van version of the Jyane, as well as the Baby-Brousse, a rustic little buggy in the style of a Citroën Méhari but with a metal body. Later, a pickup version of the Jyane also appeared. The Baby-Brousse was built from 1970 until 1979. In 1975 Saipa began manufacturing licensed versions of the original Renault 5 and later the Renault 21. Production of Citroëns ended in 1980.
From 1986-1998 Saipa built the Z24 pickup, a license built version of the 1970-1980 Nissan Junior with a 2.4-litre engine. In 1998 Saipa took over the Zamyad company, which then undertook the production of the Z24. Since 2003, this truck has been sold under the Zamyad brand.
Renault 5 production ended in 1994 (Pars Khodro took over the production lines), and the 21 was discontinued in 1997. In 1993 a relationship with KIA began, and production of the Kia Pride commenced. Saipa's Pride is marketed under the names Saba (saloon) and Nasim (hatchback). At the 2001 Tehran Motor Show the liftback Saipa 141 was added to the lineup. This is a five-door version based on the Saba, and is somewhat longer than the Nasim. The Pride series cars carry 97% local content. From 2001 to late 2010, Saipa has had also produced the Citroën Xantia under licence as well as assembling sedan models of the previous generation Kia Rio using parts imported from Korea, from May 2005 to late 2012 where Saipa lost its license to produce Kia Rios.
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Wikipedia