Ghazanfari said on Saturday that some 1.6 million cars were built in the past Iranian calendar year (ended March 19, 2012), and 55,000 cars were sold overseas in the same period.
He added that the country plans to export some $25 billion worth of car spare parts by 2025.
The Iranian minister also noted that the Islamic Republic seeks to put up its cars for sale in new markets in West Asia, Southeast Asia as well as Latin America.
Meanwhile, Iran's car manufacturer Iran Khodro Co. (IKCO) started the mass production of the third indigenously-manufactured car, Runna, in a ceremony attended by state and automotive industry officials.
The small sedan comes with fuel-efficient domestically-developed 1.4-, 1.5-, 1.6- and 1.7-liter engines, as well as manual and automatic transmissions depending on the customer's choice.
Runna meets Euro IV and V standards which deal with air pollution and the Pedestrian Impact safety requirement.
irna/281