Iran Khodro Will Build a Car Just for Women

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran's women are about to get a car designed and marketed especially for them by the country's largest automaker, Iran Khodro. The company says it will produce a new model in the Samand product line that will have colors, interior comforts and technology aimed specifically at female drivers.Among the features on the special 'women's' Samand will be an automatic transmission, parking and navigation assistance technology and, the BBC noted, a jack for changing tires 'without getting grease on your chador.'Flat-tire warning alarms, video entertainment systems for rear-seat-riding children and colorful interior decorations are also part of the planned Samand.In a country where women aren't permitted to drive a motorcycle, there are women-only taxi services — and where, the BBC reported, a company is producing a 'modesty bicycle' to allow women in head-to-toe fabric to ride a bike without looking unfeminine — the arrival of a female-oriented car, perhaps, could be seen as a step forward.The new women's Samand is set for introduction on Iranian Women's Day next summer, the company said. It's intended only for domestic sale.Inside Line says: Well, at least women get to drive, and are taken seriously enough by the auto company to be treated as a niche market. — Laura Sky Brown, Correspondent