Customers look at Chinese vehicles for sale in Baghdad, Iraq on February 5, 2020. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)
Chinese cars start to gain popularity in Iraq as many Iraqis believe Chinese brands feature quality, affordability and suitability for the Iraqi weather, especially during the country's scorching summer.
BAGHDAD, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- The demand for Chinese cars in Iraq's automotive market has been booming during the past few years, as Chinese cars can be seen moving almost on every street in the capital Baghdad.
Many Iraqis believe that Chinese cars feature quality, affordability and suitability for the Iraqi weather, especially during the country's scorching summer.
The booming demand has prompted some Iraqi businessmen to take exclusive selling licenses from Chinese automakers like Chery, Changan and BAIC Group.
Customers look at Chinese vehicles for sale in Baghdad, Iraq on February 5, 2020. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)
"Chery cars have achieved good sales for its modern and safety features, as well as its beautiful design, especially the Tiggo category which took the lead in the sales of the Chinese vehicles in Iraq," said Ahmed Basim, sales officer of al-Sadiq Company which is the exclusive agent for Chery in Iraq.
"Chery cars have features that exceed some other cars available in the Iraqi market in terms of advanced technology, durability, economical fuel consumption and modern designs with large interior spaces," Basim told Xinhua.
Al-Bakhit Company, which has an exclusive license for Changan Automobile Co., is another witness to the Iraqis' interest in the Chinese cars, as the company has sold about 1,500 Changan cars in the Iraqi market in fewer than a year.
A local customer looks at Chinese vehicles for sale in Baghdad, Iraq on February 5, 2020. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)
"Although Changan cars entered the Iraqi market only recently, the demand for these cars seems pretty high because many believe these cars have desirable features that enable them to compete with rivals in the market," Ahmed Salah, a mechanic engineer for the company, told Xinhua.
The increasing demand for Changan cars pushed al-Bakhit Company to open 10 more branches across Iraq, in addition to the two maintenance centers in Erbil and Mosul in northern Iraq, according to Omer Subhi, a worker at the company.
Moreover, the Iraqi company ZESCO hails and exhibits various vehicles imported from China's BAIC Group.
"BAIC is one of the five largest Chinese automakers by volume, and its product is the most desired by our customers and has several categories such as D20, X25, Q35 and X65, and we have a newly imported Chinese car named BJ20," said Ali Qais, sales officer of ZESCO.
Customers look at Chinese vehicles for sale in Baghdad, Iraq on February 5, 2020. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)
Despite the dominance of Japanese and Korean cars in the Iraqi car market in the recent decades, the Chinese brands have become competitive in recent years by virtue of improving quality and affordability, according to Qais.
"China achieved rapid development in its automotive industry and there are Chinese companies that have outperformed many of their reputed rivals," he said.
Abdul Samad al-Massari, a ZESCO customer who came to buy a BAIC vehicle, told Xinhua that BAIC is his favorite because it is elegant and stylish with the merit of economical fuel consumption.
"There is a huge demand for different sizes and brands of Chinese loading vehicles from farmers and craftsmen because they're affordable and also have the feature of economical fuel consumption," said Hassan al-Obeidi, a 47-year-old car salesman in Salahudin Province.
"The breakdowns of the Chinese loading vehicles are simple and uncomplicated, and any mechanic can repair them," al-Obeidi noted. ■
