Auto production in sanctions-hit Iran nosedived by more than 42 percent in the past six months, media reports said on Thursday, citing industry ministry figures. Some 459,440 vehicles were produced from March 21 to September 20, according to the figures, while production stood at 792,286 in the same period in 2011, ISNA news agency reported.
The drop accelerated in the month from August 21 to September 20, with the ministry recording a 66-percent fall compared with the same period last year. Iran built more than 1.5 million vehicles last year. The report did not provide any explanation for the drastic drop.