Iran. 2015. Domestic build taxi's waiting for customers. Iran's car industry was among the largest in the Middle East, with Tehran based factories churning out up to a million cars before the sanctions started to kick in. Foreign car makers, including General Motors, now owned by Italy's Fiat, have shown great interest in partnerships with Iranian car producers Iran Khodro and Saipa. Iranian authorities protect their domestic market by levying taxes up to 140 percent on foreign made cars.