Syrian President Bashar Assad took a test drive in a car produced by a new Syrian-Iranian joint venture at a ceremony inaugurating the company's new factory outside Damascus on Thursday. The Sham (the old Arabic name for Syria) will hit the market in April. The new plant will initially turn out 40 cars a day, ramping up to an annual production of about 10,000 units per year. Iranian Vice President Parviz Davoodi was also on hand for the ceremony.
President al-Assad Inaugurates First Phase of Car Manufacturing Plant in Syria [Syrian Arab News Agency]
