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Society & Culture

In Iran’s Free Trade Zone, a Taste of Detroit

April 21, 2016
IranWire Citizen Journalist
2 min read
In Iran’s Free Trade Zone, a Taste of Detroit
In Iran’s Free Trade Zone, a Taste of Detroit
In Iran’s Free Trade Zone, a Taste of Detroit
In Iran’s Free Trade Zone, a Taste of Detroit
In Iran’s Free Trade Zone, a Taste of Detroit
In Iran’s Free Trade Zone, a Taste of Detroit
In Iran’s Free Trade Zone, a Taste of Detroit

An Iranian citizen journalist, who writes under a pseudonym to protect his identity, wrote the following article on the ground inside Iran

 

Ever since the US imposed trade sanctions on Iran following the Islamic Revolution of 1979, most American products have been hard to come by in Iran. There are a few exceptions: famous cigarette and soft drink brands are widely available, and more recently, Opel automobiles, which are made in Germany by a subsidiary of General Motors, have made their way to car dealerships. But American-made cars are nearly impossible to find, both because of sanctions, and because Iran has passed stringent customs laws to support domestic automobile manufacturing.

There is, however, one place in Iran where the rules are different. The Persian Gulf Island of Kish is an Iranian consumer mecca and free trade zone offering resorts, beaches, and high-end shopping.

There is no land bridge between Kish and mainland Iran, and most visitors fly in. Car rental services do a brisk business, and tourists, vacationers, and businessmen have an opportunity to rent their favorite cars. Among brands that you can find on Kish, but rarely in Iran, are Ford, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Hummer, Buick, Tesla, and GM.

Besides tourists and visitors, many Kish residents are eager to buy American cars. In Kish, automobile prices are 100 to 120 percent lower than on the mainland because imports are exempt from tariffs.

My family and I spent Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, on Kish in late March. This was my first visit to the island, and what caught my eyes was the great number of American automobiles and their enormous popularity among visitors.

The rental fees for American cars are high, but this has not dampened the demand. According to the owner of one rental outlet, “American-made cars are very popular. We have 20 brands of cars manufactured in countries from Japan and Korea to Europe and the US, but many people want to rent American cars.”

Novelty seems to be the main attraction. “Many of those from Tehran and other towns who visit Kish say they own Korean, Japanese and European cars and are familiar with how to handle them,” he says. “But since outside this island American cars are scarce, they like to sit behind the wheel of an automobile made in the USA.”

From what I gathered, various models of Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang are very popular. Visitors especially like the Mustang, which they can rent for $115 to $130 per day.

 

Amir Hossein Partovi, Citizen-Journalist, Kish Island

 

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