Iranian SAIPA compact sedan spotted in India

Test mules of a compact sedan built by Iranian carmaker SAIPA - 'Societe Anonyme Iranienne de Production Automobile' have been spotted near Chennai. 

The spy video reveals two variants of the same left-hand-drive car. The lower variant has steel wheels, dual-tone interiors and is equipped with a manual transmission. The other test mule appears to be a higher variant and has alloy wheels, dual-tone interiors, automatic climate control, front centre armrest with storage, height adjustable seat belts and an automatic transmission. Both variants have a driver side airbag.

The test mules appear to be of a facelift version of an existing SAIPA model. The cars feature a hexagonal front grille flanked by small headlamps. The SAIPA Tiba has a similar front fascia. The Tiba is built on the S81 platform and is powered by a 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine that produces 79 BHP @ 5,200 rpm and 126 Nm @ 3,200 rpm.

SAIPA was established in 1965 and has since been assembling cars for Citroen, Renault, Nissan and Kia in Iran. Hence, it is believed that Renault-Nissan or Kia might have imported the cars for R&D purposes.

Source: Power Stroke PS / Youtube