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The Iran Khodro Samand (pictured) is now being produced and sold in Venezuela as the Centauro. It’s derived from the Peugeot 405. (Photo courtesy of Globalautoindex.com)

CARACAS, Venezuela — Venirauto, a joint venture that is the unlikely pairing of Iran and Venezuela, has launched a local production of versions of two Iranian passenger cars, the Iran Khodro Samand and the SAIPA 141. The first vehicles off the line were received by graduates of the local military academy.

Venirauto dates to 2005; it is jointly owned by AIDCO, the Iranian government’s auto industry agency, and VENINSA, a Venezuelan industry investment company. Its plant’s capacity is 26,000 cars per year. This year, the company hopes to assemble about 8,000 cars. The plant will also produce tractors and other farm equipment.

In Venezuela, the SAIPA car will be called the Turpial and will sell for about $8,000. It is a face-lifted version of the Kia Pride. SAIPA, Iran’s second-biggest carmaker, churns out more than 250,000 units of the minicar a year. This modernized version will not be introduced in Iran until later this year.

Venirauto’s second model is the $11,000 Centauro, also known as the Iran Khodro Samand. The Peugeot 405-derived Samand is Iran Khodro’s biggest export. It is also being assembled in Azerbaijan and Belarus.

What this means to you: Venezuelan buyers will appreciate these cheaper alternatives to locally assembled American cars.