TEHRAN, 9 January 2006 — Iranian car manufacturers made a record of nearly one million vehicles in 2005, making the Islamic republic the Middle East’s leading car producer, press reports said yesterday. Industries Ministry statistics published in newspapers said the country produced 984,000 vehicles in 2005, including 884,000 passenger cars and 104,000 heavy vehicles, altogether worth $11.6 billion. Iran’s two major car manufacturers, Iran Khodro and Saipa, produced 553,000 and 413,000 vehicles respectively in 2005, with smaller companies making up the rest.