Iran Khodro Peugeot 405 / Pars History

Iran Khodro began producing the Peugeot 405 under license in 1991, and the model quickly earned the informal title of Iran's 'modern national car' alongside the Paykan. Domestic content rose steadily, and at its peak in 2010 the 405/Pars family accounted for roughly 258,000 units — the highest single-year output of any IKCO model at the time.

Around 2000, IKCO and Peugeot introduced a facelifted version with a front end styled to evoke the newer Peugeot 406; this car was renamed Peugeot Safir, then Peugeot Pars, settling on the Pars name that stuck for the remainder of its life. A further interior update in 2014 produced the Pars Sal variant. Production of the base 405 sedan wound down in June 2020, while the Pars soldiered on until spring 2024 — more than 31 years after the model line arrived in Iran and more than three decades after the original 405 ended European production.

The 405/Pars's extraordinary Iranian longevity mirrors the Paykan story: economic sanctions and import restrictions limited the introduction of newer alternatives, making the platform a reliable, parts-rich workhorse for generations of Iranian drivers.