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Turkey Has Potential To Be Both Big Auto Market And Hub Of Electric Car Industry
Experts believes Turkey has the potential to be both big automotive market as well as a hub of electric car industry.
Turkey President
Experts believes Turkey has the potential to be a big market for electric cars. According to reports, the number of registered car in Turkey has risen from just 47 in 2011 to around 15,000 in 2019.
The number of registered electric and hybrid cars was 17,749 in February 2020. Meanwhile, it reached 36,487 by the end of the year. By February 2021, Turkey added 44,291 cars, a 150 percent increase compared to the same period last year.
According to Global Energy Center Deputy Director for Climate and Advanced Energy of Atlantic Council, David Livingston, Turkey shows real growth potential for the electric vehicle market with its first all-electric, locally produced vehicle.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency last year, Livingston said the introduction of Turkey’s first, domestic all-electric vehicle is a clear signal that electrification of the transport sector is a “strategic priority” for the country.
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Turkey has potential to be both big market and hub of electric car industry
On March 25 this year, Turkey’s Industry and Technology Minister, Mustafa Varank said that Turkey’s electric vehicle project with Turkey’s Automobile Joint Venture Group (TOGG) will be produced at the end of next year.
It will be the first electric vehicle that has its production domestically in Turkey, having been introduced in December 2019.
Five industrial giants: the Anadolu Group, BMC, Kok Group, Turkcell and Zorlu Holding as well as an umbrella organisation, the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey, joined forces to form Turkey’s Automobile Joint Venture Group (TOGG) in June 2018.
By 2030, TOGG will produce and own the intellectual and property rights of five different models. These are SUV, sedan, c-hatchback, b-SUV and b-MPV. The vehicle-manufacturing factory, which envisions to cost 22 billion Turkish liras ($3.7 billion), will employ more than 4,300 staff. This would include 300 qualified personnel.
TOGG’s engineers are responsible for the entire design of all original and patented electric vehicle platforms for all five models.
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As per the recent development, Ford Otosan will be making a 2 billion-euro (nearly $2.4 billion) investment. This would be to manufacture new-generation commercial vehicles and batteries at its factory in Turkey. Ford Otosan is a joint venture between Koc Holding and US-based automotive giant Ford
Previously, the automotive giant announced that its entire commercial vehicle lineup would offer all-electric or plug-in hybrid versions by 2024. The company added that it expects two-thirds of its commercial vehicle sales in Europe to be all-electric. In the same vein, they would be plug-in hybrid by 2030.
Commenting on the issue, Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan hailed the investment of the Ford Otosan.
“Turkey will become the largest production center of commercial electric and integrated vehicles in the future of the automotive industry,”
As the country exported more than 900,000 vehicles to 180 countries across five continents last year, the Turkish president added, “This momentum we achieved in 2020 enabled us to make a strong start to 2021.”
In the past few weeks, reports from several international media outlets from different European countries, such as Germany, emerged saying that in the future, Turkey’s TOGG will one day challenge Tesla and Volkswagen.
