Iran Khodro, Iran’s state-backed manufacturer has announced production of a range of cars specifically targeted at women drivers. The cars will go on sale in June to coincide with Iranian Women’s Day and will be part of be part of the Samand range.

The Guardian reports that this car will have auto features that are commonly seen in cars available in the West, but are considered typically for women in Iran. These include an automatic gearbox, electronic parking tools, a navigation system and a jack specially engineered to change a wheel. The newspaper reports that alarms could also be installed to warn of flat tyres and that these cars will be in soft “feminine”colours.

Vahid Najafi, managing director of Iran Khodro’s order unit, said the design came as a result of of a sharp increase in women drivers and car owners. The design was based on research into their  preferences and needs, he added.

New research has said that Iran’s automotive sector is being plunged into uncertainty due to Tehran’s cool relations with Western governments. In fact, Iranian politicians announced in February 2008 that they were prepared to sever all economic ties with France in response to Paris’s alleged ‘hard line against’ the Iranian government. This response jeopardises carmaker Iran Khodro’s relationship with French automobile majors Peugeot and Renault. The former’s flagship Samand model is based on the Peugeot 405 platform while its Tondar marque is based on Renault’s budget Logan model.