Iran’s SAIPA unveils its first home-made 16-valve engine
Iran’s second largest carmaker SAIPA has unveiled its first 16-valve engine which it plans to mount on a replacement to a discontinued joint model with RENAULT some five years after the French company left the Iranian market because of US sanctions.
The ME16 engine was unveiled in a ceremony attended by Iran’s industry minister Reza Fatemi Amin, Press TV reported.
The minister said the engine will enable SAIPA to resume production of model that will replace Sandero, a popular joint model with Renault which was discontinued in 2018 after Renault’s withdrawal from Iran.
He said initial agreements had been reached with a Russian carmaker to manufacture the new P90 model in the country under a different brand.
The ME16 is based on PSA Peugeot’s EC5 engine which has been upgraded several times in Iran over the past decades.
The new 4-cylinder engine is capable of delivering 113-115 hp of power and 145-150 pf of torque, according to technicians in SAIPA.
It will mostly rely on domestic companies for its parts as reports said some 69 Iranian parts makers will contribute to the manufacturing process of ME16.
SAIPA’s CEO said that automated robots will account for more than 60% of ME15’s production line, making it the most modern engine production line in Iran.