The Naenara range, which seems to include an SUV, a saloon car and a minibus, was debuted on North Korean propaganda this week.
The range – whose name translated means ‘my country’ – is being manufactured by Chongphung, a joint venture company established by North Korea with a foreign partner.
But all joint ventures with North Korea were banned under sanctions agreed by the UN Security Council in September – meaning someone is breaking the rules.
Dr Kevin Gray, from Sussex University’s School of Global Studies said the regime likely needed foreign help to source components for the new vehicles.
He said: “The problem that many developing countries found, and which North Korea is surely also finding, is that components and technology still have to be imported.
“Thus simply the fact of domestic production does not necessarily reduce external dependence.”
At present, the nationality of the foreign partner is unclear – a 2012 report about North Korea’s overseas dealings names the company without offering any clue.
A Pyongyang-based company with the same name is listed on Subiao – a Chinese trademark search engine – but it’s unclear if this is the same firm.
The company is also listed by the World Intellectual Property Organisation, after an application was made in French, but no foreign partners are named.
The new range of cars is a sharp contrast to recent images showing trucks powered by wood gas burners – a technology last common in Europe during the Second World War.
But petrolheads will be disappointed by the specs, with the max speed and power across the range just 110mph and 107 horsepower – roughly on par with a Toyota Yaris.
Dr Gray said having its own range of vehicles held a “prestige factor” for North Korea.
He said: “They are pursuing an industrialisation strategy that was common to most developing countries in the early post-war decades.
“Namely, they are seeking to replace imports of manufactured goods with domestic production. Much of this was about trying to catch up with the West.
“There were certain industries that an aspiring industrialising country needed to have, such as a steel industry, machine tools, shipbuilding and car manufacturing.
“So for North Korea, there is a certain prestige factor involved in having a domestic vehicle brand.”
But he said it remained to be seen whether the new car range would pay for itself.
“While the prestige factor is real, whether it is an economically viable project is another question,” he said.
“These days much of the North Korean economy is run on a profit basis and there are good reasons to doubt that money would be invested in car manufacturing if it were simply a vanity project.
“It should be noted, however, that North Korea is also not a closed market. Domestic brands have to compete against imports.”
Chongphung JVC has previously featured in propaganda footage of a Pyongyang trade fair, where it appeared to deal in trucks, tractors and foodstuffs.