Formerly, Pars Khodro built American Motors'
Rambler and
General Motors (GM) products under licence. Its first cars, the
Aria and the
Shahin, were based on AMC's compact 1966
Rambler American and were launched in 1967. Production ended in 1974. It also built
Jeep CJ,
Jeep Wagoneer and
Jeep Gladiator models under licence. The company was called Sherkat-Sahami Jeep at that time. ) In June 1972, Sherkat-Sahami signed a deal with GM and formed
General Motors Iran Ltd. GM Iran produced the
Opel Commodore under licence from 1974 until 1976, with "Chevrolet Royale" badging. These models featured 2.5- and 2.8-litre engines. After having developed a reputation for reliability problems, the Royale was replaced on the Iranian production lines by the
Buick Skylark ("Buick Iran"),
Cadillac Seville ("Cadillac Iran") and
Chevrolet Nova, along with a Chevrolet pick-up truck. The Jeep continued during this time. These were built until 1981, the
Iranian Revolution forcing the cessation of their manufacture and links with GM. Afterward, Pars Khodro switched to the manufacture of the
Nissan Patrol and pickups under licence. The last Patrol was produced in 2002. In 1995, Pars Khodro acquired an additional
Renault 5 assembly line from
SAIPA. SAIPA is a fellow Iranian manufacturer who had been making the car since 1976 as a replacement for the Iranian-built
Citroën Dyane. The
Sepand I and
II were versions of the original Renault 5, succeeded by a widened version with
Kia Pride underpinnings, called the
Sepand PK. In 2000, 51 per cent of Pars Khodro's shares were purchased by
SAIPA, which in turn is 48 per cent owned by the Iranian Government. ==Today's range==