Iranian, Chinese cars in demand in Syria

Syria, where the US and its Saudi and Zionist allies failed to overthrown the elected government of President Bashar al-Assad, is not receptive to American and European products anymore, but prefers the industrial goods, including automobiles, of countries that helped the Syrian people defeat the most macabre terrorists.

Now we have excerpts of a report from Damascus for Asia Times by Sami Moubayed, titled: “Iranian, Chinese cars in demand in Syria”.

A Tehran-based automaker and a colorful assortment of other low-cost imports dominate the market in the Syrian capital as the war-devastated economy slowly recovers.

In December, a video of a Syrian man presenting his fiancé with a brand-new yellow Camaro convertible in the middle of Ummayad Square in central Damascus went viral on social media. But the flashy romantic gesture, involving a conspicuous American car model, soon gained the attention of the authorities. The car had been stolen, likely smuggled through northeastern Syria, and its license plate altered, leading to its confiscation and the arrest of the man.

Authorities were tipped off by two clues. One was that it was an American car, the second being its year of production: 2016.

A famous car dealer in the neighborhood of Barzeh, north of the Syrian capital said: “There are no brand-new cars in Syria – certainly no American ones.”

Abu Hekmat laughed, saying: “The fact that it was an American car also aroused immediate suspicion.”

He told Asia Times: “The only new American cars that we have are those smuggled from territories which the Americans have occupied [east of the Euphrates River].”

In cities like Hassakeh and Qamishly, currently in the hands of US-backed Kurdish militias, 2018 models are all over the place, mostly Chevrolets, Range Rovers, and Ford SUVs and cars.

Due to US-led sanctions, however, the last shipment of modern cars that came to Damascus was in late 2011. The showrooms that once looped around the town of Harasta on the outskirts of Damascus were later torched or destroyed in the crossfire of fighting. Government troops regained control of the area earlier this year, but not a single showroom has re-opened because western carmakers stopped doing business with Syria.

In their absence, Asian carmakers have stepped into the fray, most notably from Iran and China.

Before the outbreak of the crisis in Syria in 2011, an experimental new Iranian-made car garnered interest among the Syrian populace. The “Shaam,” a joint venture between the Syrian and Iranian governments, sold for 725,000-875,000 Syrian pounds (or $14,500-$17,550), a competitive price at the time.

Syrians were similarly enthusiastic about Peugeots, locally assembled by Iran Khodro, the same Iranian company behind the Shaam.

In recent years, however, Syrians looking to purchase a new vehicle have found themselves getting a better deal by buying Iranian cars.

Due to the sharp devaluation of the Syrian pound, the Shaam now sells for 8-9 million SP. When converted to dollars, that means the price has come down more than $2,000 since the war broke out.

A full-option Iranian-made Peugeot 206 also sells for around $12,000, with 407s selling for $14-15,000.

According to Abu Ramez, another car dealer, based on Baghdad Street in central Damascus: “These Iranian-made cars are affordable only for the middle class, though expensive for the poor and cheap for the moneyed elite, who would “rather drive a 2003 Audi A4 than a brand-new Iranian Peugeot.”

A used Audi A4 or Nissan Murano costs between 8 to11 million SP, making it almost equal in price to new Iranian cars.

It means, the Iranian models are likely to rise in popularity.

Abu Ramez said: “Over the past five years, we sold around 50 Iranian Peugeots and around 25 Shaam Cars.”

He added: When compared with secondhand European cars, however, the sale of these cars is “not that bad, since the European cars amounted to 10-15 sales only.

It is obvious people prefer going for cars that have dealers in Syria — like the Iranian and Chinese. Fixing an Audi or a Volkswagen requires a trip into Lebanon, which makes it very expensive.

Despite the presence of thousands of Russian troops in government territory, it is the Chinese manufacturers that have had the most success filling the gap left by Western brands.

The only popular Russian car model is the Lada, mainly driven by taxi drivers. Its selling price is 3-4 million SP ($6-8,000) but it faces strong competition from its allies, the Chinese Geely car.  Although Geely cars sell for double the price, they are presently overrunning the taxi industry in cities like Damascus and Aleppo.

The small, manual Russian Oka cars, once the pride of the former Soviet Union, are also facing stiff competition from Chinese models like Brilliance and BYD.

“[The Okas] are among the cheapest in Syria” said Riadh Khoja, an Oka dealer who sells the cars for 2.5 million SP ($5,000). Khoja notes that his entire stock was imported by private Syrian businessmen. “Not a single one came into the market with the Russians.”

The Chinese Brilliance sedan, modeled after the BMW, is the high-end product of Syria’s Asian ally, matched only by the BYD Tang SUV.

“Brilliance cars look good, and are safe to drive,” said Abu Ramez. New arrivals are in great demand, especially from middle-income households who like the low maintenance costs.

The Chinese BYDs, which entered the market just two years ago, “are very popular, because they look exactly like the Audi Q5.” The current selling price is 19 million SP ($38,000) – the highest of all in the non-American, non-European market.

The car market has in recent years seen a number of false alarms, with promised domestic models and prospects for more varied makers falling through.

In early 2017, authorities announced that they were preparing to launch a car called “Syrians” that would be affordable to government employees in monthly installments through state-run banks.

That car, marketed for its sophisticated dashboard and automatic gearbox, was fixed at 8 million SP (approximately $17,000 at the time). The project never got past the drawing board due to shifting battlefield priorities for both Syria and Iran, topped with fresh US sanctions earlier this month.

In mid-2018, a Kia showroom emerged on the Mezzeh highway in Damascus, not far from a Chinese outlet.

This raised speculation that the well-respected South Korean giant was returning to Syria. It was soon explained, however, that those cars were not coming directly from South Korea but in bits and pieces from neighboring Arab countries to be assembled and sold in Damascus, thus averting sanctions on the import of new automobiles.

AS/ME