Automotive Exports February 2023

1

Monthly automotive aftermarket magazine 

GROUP CHAIRMAN 

H. FERRUH ISIK 

PUBLISHER: 

İstmag Magazin Gazetecilik 

İç ve Dış Ticaret Ltd. Şti. 

Managing Editor (Responsible) 

Mehmet Söztutan 

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EDİToR 

Mehmet Soztutan, Editor-in-Chief 

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Enes Karadayı 

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International Marketing Coordinator 

Ayca Sarioglu 

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Editor 

Yusuf Okçu 

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Finance Manager 

Cuma Karaman 

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Emre Yener 

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Technical Manager 

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Accountant 

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Subsciption 

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Dynamism prevails as usual… 

The Turkish automotive industry, which was originally founded for 

import-substitution purposes and focused on the domestic market for a long period, 

transformed itself into a production base for a number of global models. 

In motor vehicles, a large number of EU legislation was adopted. Türkiye has been 

continuing efforts to introduce the relevant legal arrangements, and significant progress 

has been achieved in this field. 

The Turkish automotive industry is one of the four largest exporting and leading investor 

industries of the Turkish economy. It is an economically strategic sector in terms of its 

significant contribution to the national production and development, direct and indirect 

employment and level of technology in Türkiye. 

The Turkish automotive parts industry is strong and competitive. It has developed in parallel 

with the development of Türkiye's automotive industry both in quality and production 

volumes. 

The Turkish automotive parts and components industry has now developed to the stage 

where it is at a level ready to take advantage of the globalisation and structural changes in 

the world automotive industry. A number of firms active in the industry have been named 

the "co-designer" in the global vehicles manufactured in Türkiye. 

The Turkish automotive supplier industry produces almost all types of parts, 

components and spare parts such as engines and engine parts, power train parts and 

components, brake and clutch parts and components, hydraulic and pneumatic systems, 

suspension systems, security systems, rubber and plastic parts, chassis, frames and parts, 

casting and forging, electrical equipment and parts, lighting systems, accumulator 

batteries, seats etc. 

Our publications, by participating in major international fairs and exhibitions, remain at 

the service of those businesses people seeking to increase their share in the increasingly 

competitive foreign markets. 

Next month, we will participate in Equip Auto Algeria, 2023 to convey the message of 

Turkish automotive exporters. 

We are convinced that fairs and exhibitions would be instrumental to increase business 

opportunities in the automotive industry. 

We wish lucrative trade for all participants. 

automotiveexport 

automotiveexports

Türkiye probes automobile market over 

stockpiling, price hikes 

Türkiye launched an investigation into 

the automobile sector over allegations of 

stockpiling and unjustified price increases. 

The probe will cover about 260,000 

vehicles that were sold since September 

last year, the Treasury and Finance Ministry 

said in a statement, adding that detailed 

information had been requested from 13 

distributors and 257 dealerships regarding 

the sale process of the vehicles. 

Among others, buyers were also requested 

to provide information on whether they 

made payments for the vehicles in person. 

They were also asked whether they 

were forced to purchase accessories and 

whether the payments for these were 

made in person or via bank. The statement 

said inquiries were also made about cash 

proceeds and potential payments above 

list prices. Charges above list prices will be 

considered tax evasion, it underscored. 

February 2023 10

Automotive 

industry targets 

$34 billion in 

exports this year 

Türkiye’s automotive industry aims to 

generate $34 billion in export revenues this 

year, the Automotive Industry Exporters’ 

Association (OİB) has said. 

“Despite the economic slowdown in 

Europe, our largest export market, and 

changes in demand conditions, we 

managed to increase our export revenues 

both in December and the whole of 2022,” 

said Baran Çelik, president of the OİB. 

In 2023, which marks the centennial of the 

republic, the automotive industry targets to 

reclaim the title of most-exporting sector 

by generating $34 billion in sales to foreign 

markets, Çelik said in a statement. 

Commenting on the performance of the 

local carmakers, Çelik noted that export 

revenues amounted to around $31 billion 

in 2022. “We lost some $3 billion due to 

the euro-dollar exchange rate.” 

The industry faced multiple challenges 

last year, including the chip shortage, 

high inflation, rising energy prices and the 

looming risk of global recession, he said. 

“Those problems worsened with the 

Russian-Ukraine war. However, the 

automotive industry succeeded in boosting 

its export revenues both in December and 

2022 as a whole,” Çelik added. 

Last month, exports grew 6.7 percent from 

a year ago to touch $3.16 billion, which 

marked an all-time-high monthly figure 

for the automotive sector and accounted 

for 13.8 percent of Türkiye’s overall export 

revenues, according to data from the OİB. 

Exports by the automotive supply sector 

stood at $1.12 billion, exhibiting an annual 

increase of 7 percent. This subsector’s 

sales to Germany, its largest market, fell 

1 percent, but its exports to Russia and 

France leaped 56 percent and 18 percent, 

respectively. 

Local companies’ passenger car exports 

generated $1.11 billion in revenue, rising 

19 percent from December 2021. 

France was the automotive sector’s largest 

export market in December 2022. Exports 

to this country increased 15 percent yearon-year 

to $506 million. The OİB reported 

a 3 percent rise in exports to Germany 

to $358mn. Italy boosted its purchase 

from the Turkish automotive sector by 11 

percent to $318mn. 

The share of the European Union in the 

sector’s exports was 66.4 percent. Sales to 

the bloc grew 11 percent from December 

2021 to $2 billion. In the whole of 2022, 

the industry’s export revenues increased 

by 5.7 percent compared to 2021 to 

stand at $31 billion, which marked the 

second-highest export figure ever for the 

automotive sector. The supply industry’s 

exports were up 10 percent last year to 

reach $12.98 billion. The European Union 

accounted for 64.7 percent - or $20 billion - 

of the automotive industry’s total exports. 

Sales to the Middle Eastern countries rose 

20 percent, but exports to Africa dropped 

19 percent, the OİB said. 


Türkiye’s Togg, tech ventures join 

CES extravaganza 

More than a thousand companies 

and startups, including Türkiye’s first 

domestically produced electric vehicle 

brand, have gathered to showcase their 

products and the latest innovations at the 

world’s biggest tech expo. 

The annual CES consumer electronics 

extravaganza opened its doors in Las 

Vegas with organizers hoping to recapture 

the excitement of the pre-pandemic years 

and companies hoping to get the most out 

of the show, produce some buzz around 

their gadgets and capture the attention of 

investors. 

The CES stage is where Togg, a 

manufacturer of Türkiye’s first electric 

vehicle (EV), made its international debut 

last year when it showed off its “Transition 

Concept Smart Device,” an all-electric 

fastback concept car. 

Fresh from rolling out the long-anticipated 

automobile brand, Türkiye has been 

highlighting not only the fact that Togg 

will be battery powered but also all the 

features that will make it more than just 

a car. 

Formerly known as the Consumer 

Electronics Show, the expo has 

increasingly become a stage for showing 

off electric cars that are becoming 

internet-linked computers on wheels. 

Companies and startups mainly showcase 

innovations in virtual reality, robotics and 

consumer tech items. 

Calling itself a technology brand that 

blends digital and physical experiences, 

Togg, along with many other software 

and mobility-oriented ventures, returned 

to CES this year to explore new global 

partnership and investment opportunities 

and display its mobility solutions. 

The company says it is exhibiting its vision 

for the personalized mobility experience 

of the “day after tomorrow.” 

CES is also hosting one of the largest 

gatherings of the startup ecosystem at 

Eureka Park, the main exhibition space for 

ventures from around the world. 

Turkish startups supported by the 

Scientific and Technological Research 

Council of Türkiye (TÜBITAK) and the 

Istanbul Development Agency (ISTKA) are 

seeking to explore new partnerships and 

opportunities abroad and meet investors 

who can help their businesses grow. 

Instead of consumer electronics for which 

it is formerly known, Vestel is, together 

with Togg, showing off mobility-focused 

energy solutions. It is displaying charging 

solutions, including one it developed 

for Togg’s charging station brand called 

Trugo and its parent conglomerate Zorlu’s 

charging network brand Zorlu Energy 

Solutions (ZES). 

Among others, Fark Labs, an innovation 

and transformation hub, is gathering 

ventures engaged in mobility and with a 

focus on global growth under a single roof. 

More than 40 startups from Türkiye are 

said to be attending the CES 2023 edition. 

CES has a theme for the first time: how 

technology addresses the world’s biggest 

challenges. The momentous event 

announced it partnered with the World 

Academy of Art and Science (WAAS) to 

showcase the critical role of technology in 

support of the United Nations’ efforts to 

advance human security for all. 


“Human Security for All” is a theme 

throughout the show, from conference 

programming to keynotes highlighting 

innovation and products improving the 

lives of people around the world. 

“CES is the world’s most exciting 

technology event, from startups in Eureka 

Park to global brands on the main stages,” 

said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of 

the Consumer Technology Association 

(CTA). 

“We are thrilled to spotlight thousands of 

innovative companies at this year’s show. 

Tech advances are helping to solve the 

world’s greatest challenges, and CES 2023 

will set the agenda for the year ahead,” 

Shapiro noted. 

Set to last through, CES is getting back to 

normal after the past two shows. It went 

utterly virtual in 2021 and saw a significant 

drop in 2022 attendance because of the 

pandemic. The organizers are hoping to 

reach more than 100,000 participants 

this year. This year’s attendees include big 

names like Amazon and Facebook parent 

Meta, as well as Google, Canon, Intel, 

Hisense, LG Electronics, Nikon, Samsung, 

TCL and Voxx.The show changed its name 

to CES several years ago to better reflect 

the changing industry and the event, 

which had expanded beyond audio and 

video to include automotive, digital 

health, smartphones, wearables and other 

technologies. Togg is at CES showcasing 

a unique technology experience space 

that appeals to users’ senses of sight, 

smell, hearing, and touch. It has designed 

an experience to bring visitors together 

with the experience of a sustainable 

and connected mobility future in a 

900-square-meter (9,985-square-foot) 

area called the “Digital Mobility Garden.” 

The “Digital Mobility Garden,” where 

concepts such as human and technology, 

art and science, mind and heart, unity and 

diversity in the world of duality meet, tells 

the future of mobility with digital art. 

Togg set up what it calls the Beyond X 

area, designed by Togg Design Studio and 

developed together with Pininfarina. The 

area gives hints of the future of mobility 

and offers a personalized mobility 

experience to the participants. 

A sculptural and circular capsule set 

up by Togg as part of its Beyond X 

area featuring visuals on personalized 

mobility experience is seen at CES 2023, 

the world’s largest annual consumer 

electronics show, at the Las Vegas 

Convention Center, in Las Vegas, Nevada, 

U.S. 

Starting their journey in a tunnel, visitors 

experience mobility accompanied by 

visual art that challenges the imagination 

in a sculptural and circular capsule. 

Participants can experience one of four 

possible scenarios such as Saturn, Forest, 

Futuristic City and Artistic Türkiye in the 

most suitable music and environment. 

Beyond X activates the mind, soul, heart 

and four senses with an extraordinary 

digital experience. 

World’s biggest auto show 

The presence of auto companies at CES 

this year is the biggest ever. Nearly 300 

exhibitors are grouped in a dedicated hall, 

promising to make it one of the largest 

auto shows in the world. 

Global launches and keynote events by 

Stellantis, BMW and other heavyweights 

lead into exhibits featuring the latest in 

self-driving technology, electric vehicles 

and personalized mobility devices for land, 

air and sea. 

Other big names at CES include Candela 

Marine Technology, GM, Italdesign 

Giugiaro, Magna, MobilEye, Waymo, RYSE 

and Volvo Penta. 

CES is showcasing another rising trend, 

namely health care innovations, which 

are also one of the major themes at the 

gathering. 

The past few years have shown that 

consumers want to take their health into 

their own hands. CES 2023 is bringing even 

more digital health innovations and brands 

to the global stage, seeking to show how 

rapidly this market is growing. 

It seeks to mainly showcase advancements 

in digital therapeutics, mental wellness, 

women’s health tech and telemedicine. 

CTA’s Digital Health Studio features the 

latest technology for diagnostic and 

treatment functions and highlights the 

importance of remote connectivity for 

accessible health care. 

In addition, global brands like John Deere, 

LG, Samsung and Siemens are showing 

February 

2023 

20

how innovation can conserve energy and 

increase power generation, produce more 

sustainable agricultural systems, power 

intelligent cities and support access to 

clean water. 

Büyütech, a manufacturer of camerarelated 

advanced driver-assistance system 

(ADAS) solutions, is working on the design 

and development of a concept integrated 

into new-generation vehicles consisting 

of a set of sensors, cameras and radars 

to make the roads safer and driving more 

comfortable. 

Büyütech, a Fark Labs startup that is 

attending CES for the second time, is also 

having its solutions tested by Togg. 

ADAS systems are considered an important 

step in moving toward autonomous 

driving. The ADAS camera on the front side 

activates when necessary for greater safety, 

helping drivers detect and avoid hazards. 

Büyütech’s ADAS system consisting of 

cameras is revolutionizing how a vehicle 

perceives the world and provides reliable 

object and environment recognition 

functions. 

Its solution meets the safety function 

requirements for the General Safety 

Regulation (GSR) and EU-NCAP 2023/2025 

star compliance and supports Level 2 and 

Level 2-plus autonomous driving. 

Saykal, one of the initiatives supported by 

Fark Labs and headquartered in IT Valley, 

produces electronic sensors used in car 

doors and seat belts and conducts research 

in various fields spreading to chip design. 

Its sensors are used in Togg vehicles’ doors 

and their seat belts. 

Saykal has over a decade of experience 

developing electronic products and 

embedded software for various industries, 

particularly automotive. It works on 

advanced technology detection and 

imaging systems for strategic and scalable 

sectors on a global scale. 

The company was founded thanks to a 

capital support program extended by 

Industry and Technology Ministry in 2010. 

As a venture from Türkiye, Saykal 

Electronics CEO Yücel Saykal says they 

have been centering efforts on software 

technology and engineering works over the 

last 12 years. 

Saykal noted that they look to increase 

their business volume and expand their 

customer portfolio by strengthening their 

infrastructure with the support of their 

investors, stressing an aim to make Saykal a 

tech player on a global scale. 

Another venture attending CES 2023 

is Optiyol, a startup supported by Fark 

Labs and a graduate of Türk Telekom TT 

Ventures’ acceleration program PILOT. 

Optiyol is a next-generation approach 

to route optimization that pledges to 

transform delivery management and meet 

the standards in supply chain management 

processes. 

It features a mobile driver application and 

offers companies smart route-planning 

software. Optiyol provides multi-stop route 

planning and dynamic route optimization 

to take last-mile delivery service to the next 

level. 

Founded by Tuba Gözbaşı and Ozan 

Gözbaşı, Optiyol provides a unique 

software as a service (SaaS) routing 

solution to many sectors carrying out 

logistics operations, from fast-moving 

consumer goods and retail to e-commerce 

and transportation. 

It digitalizes both micro-distribution 

and macro-distribution operations for 

its customers with specially designed 

algorithms for the supply chain needs of 

enterprises. 

Providing timely and cost-effective 

transportation of shipments with dynamic 

route optimization, Optiyol says it offers 

a reduction in fuel costs by 15%-25%, 

the number of trips by 5%-10%, while 

increasing on-time delivery rates by 20%- 

30%. 

The mobile driver application allows 

vehicles and orders to be monitored in 

real-time. It enables the sender, carrier and 

buyers to be informed instantly about the 

entire transportation process from end to 

end. 



22

ARES S1 Coupé painted by the artist 

Daniela Boo for Art Basel Miami 

ARES Modena, the Italian Lifestyle 

brand, is gearing up for Art Basel 2022 

by collaborating with artist Daniela Boo 

painted front elements of the ARES S1 

Coupé model located in its studio in the 

Miami Design District. 

Art Basel is one of the most important 

events in Miami with many collectors and 

connoisseurs gathering in South Florida for 

the occasion. 

The Modena-based company initiated 

a strategic shift in 2021, moving 

from a provider of custom aesthetics 

enhancement services for the luxury car 

industry to the manufacturing of its own, 

self-designed luxury models. The Italian 

Lifestyle brand is now further accelerating 

with the creation of new range of electric 

mobility luxury products allowing ARES to 

pivot and tap into an even higher growth 

segment. 

Alongside the new product launches 

ARES is also developing and expanding its 

network of Studios, opening three new 

sites (Bologna International Airport, Milan 

and London) by the end of 2022. 

To support this ambitious plan, the 

Company announced in August 2022 the 

admission of three new shareholders with 

profound experience in the automotive, 

finance and luxury sectors: Alfredo 

Altavilla, Boris Collardi and Marco Bizzarri. 

They join the board of director of ARES, in 

addition to the Swiss entrepreneur Philippe 

Gaydoul, who joined as shareholder of 

ARES in 2019. 

The company opened the Miami Studio 

in 2021 to provide the North American 

market a unique location to immerse 

themselves in the brand philosophy and 

product line. All products are hand built 

as per the client’s specification utilizing 

the highest level of engineering and finest 

materials. 

Daniela Boo has a history of painting iconic 

supercars and was selected by various 

automotive brands for unique artistic 

expressions, her creative work combines 

hyper realism and speed. A number of 

these aesthetic vehicles are on display in 

museums and private collections globally. 

Daniela Boo is represented in Miami by 

BlackTower Gallery, a contemporary art 

space located in the Design District. 


Their main objective is to connect art, 

collecting, and aesthetic enjoyment. 

BlackTower Gallery offers a wide range of 

creative proposals, governed by quality 

criteria and constant experimentation. 

The art car culture evolved in the 1960s, 

and there is rich tradition over the years 

that has transformed the body of an 

automobile into a new canvas for artists to 

display their talents and passion. Many of 

these art cars have been inspired by movies 

or personal visions of the artist, they also 

provide a sense of individuality. Events 

throughout the United States have been 

organized to showcase these masterpieces, 

and there is an increased interest in these 

types of works of art. 

The combination of curves on the exterior 

body with art can create an emotional 

influence and arouse desire, it is all about 

having a meaningful aesthetic feel. The 

fusion of shapes and colors can give the 

vehicle a unique personality which pushes 

the boundaries of design and artisan skills. 

The United States has one of the most 

unique and diversified car cultures in the 

world. The fascination and romance for 

the automobile has been around since the 

car was first invented. The car was a form 

of individual independence and personal 

mobility to explore new cities in the privacy 

of your own space. 

Dany Bahar, CEO and co-Founder of ARES 

Modena, commented: “I am delighted by 

the collaboration between ARES and the 

artist Daniela Boo, I believe it represents a 

new confirmation of the constant growth 

of the company towards a luxury brand 

focused on art and lifestyle experiences.” 

ARES MODENA, ENGINEERS OF 

EMOTIONS 

ARES’ unique facility delivers a new level 

of design, development, manufacture and 

sales of coach-built and unique cars in the 

heart of Italy and through an expanding 

global network of studios. The advanced 

23,000 m² ARES facility in Modena opened 

in January 2018 and, in bringing all 

facets of coachbuilding under one roof, 

immediately set a new global standard for 

the design, development, production and 

handover of bespoke, personalised and 

unique cars. 

ARES’ CEO Dany Bahar, along with his 

long-term Dubai-based business partner 

and ARES Executive Chairman, Waleed Al 

Ghafari, founded ARES and spotted the 

opportunity to move the coachbuilding 

business to another level of service by 

developing the world’s first ‘concept-tocreation’ 

coachbuilding facility. Together 

they attracted a group of experienced and 

passionate multinational shareholders. 

For the first time, every aspect of bringing 

automotive dreams to reality take place 

under one roof in rapid time and to an 

extremely high level of quality. It is a 

unique combination of luxury car brand 

resources with artisan principles and skills. 

Merging traditional Italian craftsmanship 

values with the advanced ones, ARES 

realises the dreams and visions of 

enthusiasts creating one-off, unparalleled 

vehicles, impossible to obtain elsewhere. 

To this end, a shared creative experience 

that aims at providing a completely tailormade 

product. This is the ultimate answer 

to the ongoing demand for customisation 

and the desire to stand out from the crowd 

of our own time. 



26

Türkiye aims to 

make $16B in 

exports to Iraq 

in 2023 

Türkiye aims to reach $16 billion in exports 

to Iraq in 2023 to put it in second place 

in the ranking of countries to which it 

makes the highest sales, Foreign Economic 

Relations Board (DEİK) Türkiye-Iraq 

Business Council Chairperson Halit Acar 

said. 

Acar told Anadolu Agency (AA) that 

Türkiye-Iraq relations are progressing 

and exports to the country are increasing 

day by day. Sharing that $12.6 billion was 

exported to Iraq in the 11 months of this 

year, Acar said that while Iraq was the fifth 

in the list of the countries with the highest 

exports in 2021, it rose to third place this 

year.Stating that the highest exports to Iraq 

were made from Istanbul with $2.6 billion, 

Gaziantep with $1.8 billion and Mardin 

with $833 million, Acar said: “We aim to 

export over $14 billion by the end of 2022.” 

“Last year, we made an export of $11.2 

billion. When we look at it as of the year, 

we see an increase of 25%.” Stating that 

products such as cereals, pulses, oil seeds, 

chemicals, paper and forestry materials, 

furniture and steel are exported to Iraq, 

Acar said, “There are great opportunities in 

Iraq. A new government was formed about 

1.5 months ago. The current government is 

planning to invest in many areas and I hope 

that Türkiye will definitely take a share in 

these areas.” 

He said that Türkiye has high standards 

of production and has companies that 

have proved their success in the sectors 

they operate, one of them being the 

construction sector. There are plenty of 

projects that Turkish contractors can play 

a role in Iraq, he said, citing electricity, 

mass housing, agricultural irrigation 

and infrastructure, superstructure and 

transportation projects as examples 

in addition to the Mosul Organized 

Industrial Zone construction area, health 

centers or school contracting. A budget 

of approximately $100 billion has been 

allocated for those projects, Acar said, 

stressing that “Turkish businesspeople 

need to benefit from this budget.” 

“Iraq is both our long-time friend and 

neighbor country. 

The warmer relations we have between the 

two countries, the more our trade benefits 

from this,” he added. 


Toyota top-selling automaker for 3rd year in row 

Japan’s Toyota was the world’s top-selling 

automaker in 2022, retaining its lead over 

German rival Volkswagen for the third year, 

company data showed . 

Despite the chip shortage and Covidrelated 

supply chain disruption, Toyota 

and its subsidiaries sold nearly 10.5 million 

vehicles last year, around the same as in 

2021. 

In comparison, Volkswagen Group – which 

held the top spot until 2020 when it was 

overtaken by Toyota – sold 8.3 million units 

last year, an annual drop of 7%. 

“Despite the impact of production 

constraints caused by the spread 

of COVID-19, increased demand for 

semiconductors, and other factors, global 

sales were at the same level year-onyear 

as a result of solid demand centered 

around Asia,” the Japanese car giant said. 

In 2022, Toyota sold 2.7 million electrified 

vehicles, around 5% more than the 

previous year. The vast majority of those – 

2.6 million – were hybrid models. 

Toyota pioneered hybrid cars, but some 

critics say the company has been slow to 

make the shift to battery-powered engines 

even as demand soars for low-emission 

automobiles. 

A year ago, Toyota hiked its targets for the 

sector and announced it would roll out 30 

Battery-powered electric models by the 

end of the decade. 

Mio Kato, an analyst at Lightstream 

Research who publishes on Smartkarma, 

told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that 

Toyota was likely to keep its top-selling 

crown in the near term. 

“In terms of the actual volumes, it will 

still be difficult for Volkswagen or General 

Motors to surpass Toyota easily because 

both are under more pressure in China 

with their internal combustion engine 

business,” he said. 

Electric-only carmakers like China’s BYD will 

one day pose “a genuine threat” to Toyota, 

he said, because they have strong battery 

technology and “more experience and 

better branding” with EVs. 

But electric-only automakers are still 

too small to have a realistic chance of 

competing with legacy carmakers for 

several years at least, Kato said. 

Toyota named Koji Sato its new president 

and CEO, replacing third-generation 

chief executive Akio Toyoda in a surprise 

reshuffle of the company’s leadership. 


Türkiye’s 

construction 

machinery 

sector increases 

capacity 

Türkiye’s construction equipment sector 

worked by increasing its production 

capacity in 2022 in order to keep 

up with the intense domestic and 

international demands, a prominent sector 

representative has said. 

“Although 2022 was a difficult year for 

the real estate sector trying to recover 

from the impact of the pandemic, efforts 

for production, export, and employment 

continued uninterruptedly,” Nadir Akgün, 

chairman of the board of directors 

of Türkiye Construction Equipment 

Distributors and Manufacturers Association 

(İMDER), said. 

“As the Turkish construction machinery 

sector, we worked hard to meet the intense 

domestic and international demands in 

2022. We are faced with growing demand 

every day,” he added. “We are trying to 

keep up with the demands by increasing our 

production capacity and working hours.” 

Akgün noted that the Turkish market ranks 

fifth in Europe in terms of volume. 

“Türkiye is the third fastest growing 

country on average for the last decade with 

its growth rate,” he said. “We export to 

133 countries in total, especially in Europe, 

Middle East, Russia, North Africa and 

Central Asia markets.” 

İMDER is working to have a say in the 

transformation process in the global 

economy, Akgün said. 

“There are important changes in the global 

economy such as digitalization, climate 

change and changes in supply chains,” 

he added. “In order to have a say in the 

transformation process, we are shaping our 

road map with ‘Digitalization, Zero Carbon 

Footprint and Sharing Economy’ models.” 

The “third International Construction and 

Material Handling Machinery Congress 

and Rental Summit” will be held in Istanbul 

Haliç Congress Center on Oct. 3 and 4, 

Akgün said. 

“The summit will be held with the 

participation of approximately 1,000 senior 

sector representatives and bureaucrats 

from more than 55 different countries 

and over 200 national and international 

companies,” he added. 


Tesla owners in 

China protest 

surprise price 

cuts they missed 

Hundreds of Tesla owners gathered at the 

automaker’s showrooms and distribution 

centers in China. They demanded rebates 

and credit after sudden price cuts they 

said meant they had overpaid for electric 

cars they bought earlier. 

About 200 recent buyers of the Tesla 

Model Y and Model 3 gathered at a Tesla 

delivery center in Shanghai to protest 

against the U.S. carmaker’s decision to 

slash prices for the second time in three 

months. Many said they had believed 

that prices Tesla charged for its cars late 

last year would not be cut as abruptly 

or as profoundly as the automaker just 

announced in a move to spur sales and 

support production at its Shanghai plant. 

In addition, the scheduled expiration 

of a government subsidy at the end of 

2022 also drove many to finalize their 

purchases. Videos posted on social 

media showed crowds at Tesla stores and 


delivery centers in other Chinese cities 

from Chengdu to Shenzhen, suggesting 

broader consumer backlash. 

Surprise discounts, Tesla’s EV prices in 

China are now between 13% and 24% 

below their September levels. 

Analysts have said Tesla’s move was 

likely to boost its sales, which tumbled 

in December, and force other EV makers 

to cut prices too, at a time of faltering 

demand in the world’s largest market for 

battery-powered cars. 

While established automakers often 

discount to manage inventory and keep 

factories running when demand weakens, 

Tesla operates without dealerships, and 

transparent pricing has been part of its 

brand image. 

“It may be a normal business practice, but 

this is not how a responsible enterprise 

should behave,” said one Tesla owner 

protesting at the company’s delivery center 

in Shanghai’s Minhang suburb who gave his 

surname as Zhang. 

He and the other Tesla owners, who said 

they had taken delivery in the final months 

of 2022, said they were frustrated with the 

abruptness of price cut and Tesla’s lack of 

an explanation to recent buyers. 

Zhang said police facilitated a meeting 

between Tesla staff and the assembled 

owners at which the owners handed over 

a list of demands, including an apology and 

compensation or other credits. He added 

the Tesla staff had agreed to respond. 

About a dozen police officers could be seen 

at the Shanghai protest, and most of the 

videos of the other demonstrations also 

showed a significant police presence at the 

Tesla sites. 

Protests are not a rare occurrence in China. 

Over the years, people have come out in 

large numbers over issues such as financial 

or property scams. Still, authorities have 

been on higher alert after protests in 

Chinese cities and top universities at 

the end of November against COVID-19 

restrictions. 

Other videos of Tesla owners protesting 

were also posted on Chinese social media 

platforms. 

One video, which Reuters verified was 

filmed at a Tesla store in the southwestern 

city of Chengdu, showed a crowd chanting, 

“Return the money, refund our cars.” 

Another, which appeared to be filmed 

in Beijing, showed police cars arriving to 

disperse crowds outside a Tesla store. 

Reuters was unable to verify the content 

of either video. Tesla does not plan to 

compensate buyers who took delivery 

before the most recent price cut, a 

spokesman for Tesla China told. 

He did not respond when asked to 

comment on the protests. 

China accounted for about a third of Tesla’s 

global sales in 2021 and its Shanghai 

factory, which employs about 20,000 

workers, is its single most productive and 

profitable plant. 

Analysts have been optimistic about the 

potential for Tesla’s price cuts to drive sales 

growth a year after announcing its next 

new vehicle, the Cybertruck. 

“Nowhere else in the world is Tesla faced 

with the kind of competitors that they have 

here (in China),” said Bill Russo, head of 

consultancy Automobility Ltd in Shanghai. 

“They are in a much bigger EV market with 

companies that can price more aggressively 

than they can, until now.” 

In 2021, Tesla faced a public relations storm 

after an unhappy customer climbed on a 

car at the Shanghai auto show to protest 

against the company’s handling of her 

complaints about her car’s brakes. 

Tesla responded by apologizing to 

Chinese consumers for not addressing the 

complaints in a timely way. 


EBRD to provide 

largest-ever 

loan to support 

EV adoption in 

Türkiye 

The European Bank for Reconstruction and 

Development (EBRD) is providing a $110 

million loan to Enerjisa Enerji A.S. in Türkiye 

to finance a comprehensive investment 

package that includes expanding the 

country’s electric vehicle (EV) charging 

infrastructure. 

The proceeds of the loan will enable 

Enerjisa to modernise its electricity 

distribution network with efficient 

equipment and smart-grid applications 

and expand its EV charging infrastructure. 

The investments are part of a capital 

expenditure programme approved by the 

country’s energy regulator. 

Esarj, one of Enerjisa’s subsidiaries, 

was one of Türkiye’s first EV charging 

companies and remains a key player in the 

field. Enerjisa, itself, is a major electricity 

distributor, serving a quarter of Türkiye’s 

population. 

In addition to modernizing grid applications 

and expanding its EV charging network, the 

investment will allow Enerjisa to expand 

its distributed energy business through its 

Enerjisa Customer Solutions subsidiary, 

which provides sustainable and innovative 

energy solutions. 

The loan was approved by the EBRD’s 

Managing Director for Sustainable 

Infrastructure Group, Nandita Parshad, and 

Enerjisa Energy’s CEO Murat Pınar, at the 

EBRD’s London headquarters. 

“This is the largest-ever financing for 

electric vehicle charging and distributed 

generation that the EBRD has sponsored 

anywhere in the world and thus it is 

groundbreaking for us,” Parshad told 

Anadolu Agency (AA) after the approval. 

She said while the financing is significant in 

terms of size but it is even more important 

as it supports environment-friendly 

transportation, which is relatively new but 

has a scope of being an essential sector 

in the future. The EBRD, Parshad said, has 

financed different renewable and clean 

energy projects in Türkiye but financing 

electric vehicle charging is pushing the 

bank’s operations to the next level. “In a 

year, we tend to finance 1.5 billion pounds 

($1.6 billion) equivalent in Türkiye and this 


$110 million is about 8% of what we do in 

a country in a year as a single transaction. 

We will learn a lot from this project,” she 

stated. 

Enerjisa Energy CEO Pınar said the 

renewable energy capacity growth 

worldwide in the next five years is set to be 

equal the growth achieved in the past 20 

years. 

“Türkiye is expected to increase its 

renewable capacity by about 65% in the 

next five years. The electric vehicle pool 

in Türkiye is anticipated to reach at least 

2 million in 2030, similar to the global 

trend in the electric vehicle market. While 

leading this rapid transformation, it is of 

great significance to promptly carry out 

sustainable and efficient investments that 

prioritize technology,” he said. 

“Thus, we will increase our investments 

that enables us to offer solutions to our 

customers with renewable resources, 

expand the electric vehicle charging 

infrastructure and upgrade our electricity 

distribution network with more efficient 

and technological equipment as well as 

smart grid practices thanks to the financing 

we are supplied via this agreement with 

the EBRD,” added Pinar. 

Parshad said reaching net zero emissions, 

which a significant number of countries 

have committed to, needs increasing 

electrification and moving sources of 

electricity to renewable sources. 

“Every country is going to have to double 

and triple the amount of electricity that 

it generates if they decarbonize their 

economies. Looking at a market as big 

as Türkiye and the energy transition that 

Türkiye needs to make. That electrification 

needs to be happening today,” she said, 

adding that this is business growth and 

that electric vehicle infrastructure needs 

to be put in place first before people start 

buying electric cars. “So it is an essential 

prerequisite for decarbonizing transport,” 

Parshad underlined. 

On the EBRD’s new financing plans in 

Türkiye, she said the long-term strategy 

and focus in Türkiye is more renewables, 

electrification and more shift toward 

renewable sources of other sectors as 2023 

marks a milestone for the EBRD in terms of 

all activities. 

The bank pledged to ensure alignment of 

all its activities with the goals of the Paris 

Agreement by Jan. 1. As of the beginning 

of this year, the bank’s investments 

from direct lending to providing indirect 

financing through financial institutions will 

be aligned and assessed according to the 

goals of Paris climate accord. 

The Paris Agreement is a legally binding 

international treaty adopted by 196 

countries in 2015 in Paris. The goal of the 

agreement is to limit global warming to 1.5 

degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) by 

the end of the century. 

Clean sources are now not only good for 

the climate but also the economic option in 

most economies. 

“Investing in renewables is actually bringing 

costs down and improving infrastructure 

at a lower cost than before. I think that 

imperative to invest in greener and 

renewables will become an even stronger 

economic imperative going forward. The 

geopolitical challenges we have witnessed 

on the energy side also make renewables 

the most secure form of energy by far,” she 

concluded. 

The EBRD is active in 36 economies from 

Central Europe to Central Asia, the Western 

Balkans, and the Southern and Eastern 

Mediterranean. 

The EBRD is a leading institutional investor 

Türkiye. Since 2009, the Bank has invested 

more than 16.9 billion pounds in various 

sectors of the country’s economy, almost 

all of it in the private sector. 


41 2023

Rohde & Schwarz launches Benchmarker 

3 to drive network benchmarking evolution 

The end-user quality of experience 

(QoE) for a mobile network is one the 

main factors influencing customer churn 

and has a direct impact on the business 

of mobile network operators (MNOs). 

Rohde & Schwarz, global market leader 

in network benchmarking, introduces its 

next generation benchmarking solution 

which allows MNOs to master increasing 

challenges from technological innovation 

as well as cost, time and competitive 

pressures. The new solution reduces 

complexity and helps MNOs make 

decisions about systematic and end-user 

centric network improvements. 

Driven by overall technological evolution 

in telecommunications, the entire mobile 

network ecosystem is becoming more and 

more dynamic and complex for MNOs. 

Versatile network technologies up-to 

5G, infrastructure and new architecture 

like Open RAN co-exist, and the ongoing 

deployment of private networks adds 

more complexity. Today’s relevant mobile 

network information and data can be 

obsolete tomorrow. Therefore, it is 

essential for MNOs to efficiently collect 

and process data in a very short time to 

maximize benefits. To this end, Rohde & 

Schwarz is launching the next generation 

benchmarking solution, featuring the 

Benchmarker 3 data collection platform 

and a set of unique features that will 

allow MNOs to reduce complexity and 

costs while gaining more value out of their 

collected data. 

High data quality for reliable results 

Since the beginnings of cellular technology, 

Rohde & Schwarz has been a pioneer 

and market leader for RF and QoE-centric 

testing solutions. Now, the company is 

introducing Benchmarker 3, the third 

generation of its own benchmarking 

hardware and the technological core 

of the data collection equipment. 

Rohde & Schwarz experts designed 

and manufactured the new hardware, 

bringing together decades of expertise 

in hardware product engineering and 

in-house production, close collaboration 

with customers and extensive experience 

from multi-national network benchmarking 

projects. Benchmarker 3 offers a reduced 

footprint for easier installation and fewer 

computing components for the same 

number of measurement devices making 

it easier to configure and maintain. New 

airflow management enables temperature 

control also for devices that tend to 

overheat when handling high 5G data 

throughput. The modular concept enables 

an easy expansion that can be applied 

to new installations as well as existing 

Benchmarker II systems. 

All these factors are combined in the new 

Benchmarker 3 and ensure uniform, stable 

conditions and highly reliable operations 

during large-scale network benchmarking 

measurement campaigns. In summary, 

the data collection platform has higher 

performance, a more compact design, is 

lighter, consumes less power and is fully 

backward compatible with the components 

of its forerunner Benchmarker II. 


Smart campaign automation to reduce OPEX 

To reduce operational expenses (OPEX) and simplify tiresome 

recurring tasks, Rohde & Schwarz offers cloud-based 

configurations as well as a set of state-of-the-art features to 

remotely control and monitor the test system. Along with the 

launch of Benchmarker 3, Rohde & Schwarz is introducing 

new smart end-to-end campaign automation management 

that automates multiple background tasks for the entire 

workflow of a network benchmarking measurement 

campaign and orchestrates data collection, fleet management 

and post processing. 

More value from data in shorter time 

Extracting fast and relevant insights from the collected 

data is key, especially since more dynamic and versatile 

network environments require shorter reaction times. In 

order to address this, Rohde & Schwarz has enhanced its 

proven SmartAnalytics suite with new features, including the 

generation of automated insights and reports, more efficient 

management of big data from continuous benchmarking 

campaigns combined with new special data structures for 

long-term and historical trend analysis as well as smart 

end-to-end campaign automation. In combination with 

machine learning assisted test use cases, SmartAnalytics now 

has higher performance and can extract more value out of 

collected data in shorter time than ever before. 

Harmonized test methodology reduces complexity 

Rohde & Schwarz network benchmarking solutions support 

the ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) 

harmonized test methodology documented in TR 103 559. 

The integrative scoring methodology substantially reduces 

complexity since it indicates the network performance based 

on terabytes of aggregated data in a single performance 

score per operator. Moreover, SmartAnalytics offers a 

seamless direct drill down feature that navigates in a few 

clicks from the high-level view to the application view and 

down to lower layers, including the physical network layer. 

Users can retrieve single test samples from terabytes of data, 

identify root-causes of failed test samples and understand 

how these impact QoE. The Rohde & Schwarz network 

benchmarking solutions empower mobile network operators 

and regulatory authorities across the globe to transparently 

and systematically assess and increase the quality and 

performance of mobile networks, in order to enhance the 

perceived quality for end-users 

45

Togg to enter 

foreign markets 

in two years 

The aim is to commence the export of 

domestically produced Togg vehicles in two 

years after the vehicles are introduced to 

the local market, Industry and Technology 

Minister Mustafa Varank has said. 

Varank visited Togg’s “Digital Mobility 

Garden” at the major CES tech show in the 

U.S. 

Togg, the country’s first homemade electric 

vehicle, will start to collect pre-orders in 

February. 

“We will see Togg vehicles on [Türkiye’s] 

roads toward the end of March. Our target 

is to start exporting [Togg] two years after 

they are introduced to the local market,” 

Varank said. 

Works are underway to obtain necessary 

permissions for Togg vehicles in several 

countries but chiefly in Europe, he added. 

“Presently, there is demand [of Togg 

vehicles] from the world’s different 

regions…from the Middle East, Central Asia 

and Europe,” Varank said. 

The inauguration of the Togg factory took 

place on Oct. 29, 2022, in the Gemlik 

district of the industrial province of 

Bursa, and the first car rolled off from the 

assembly line with a ceremony attended by 

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. 

Togg plans to produce 20,000 C-SUV 

vehicles this year, and its plant will initially 

have an annual production capacity of 

100,000 vehicles but the capacity will 

later rise to 175,000 units as Togg starts to 

manufacture new models. 

Togg has plans to list on a stock exchange 

abroad, Gürcan Karakaş, its CEO, said in 

November last year. 

“Listing our shares has always been part of 

our plans. But our primary target is a stock 

market listing abroad,” he said at that time. 

“We think we should do that on a large 

stock exchange with our share in the 

market at that time,” Karakaş said without 

providing other details. The introduction 

of Togg vehicles is expected to give a boost 

to electric vehicles in Türkiye. Including 

new models to be introduced by other 

carmakers, electric vehicle sales in Türkiye 

are expected to reach 40,000 units in 

2023, which means the share of EVs in 

total vehicle sales will climb to 7 percent. 

A total of 7,733 electric vehicles were 

sold in Türkiye last year, up 172 percent 

from 2021, according to data from the 

Automotive Distributors’ and Mobility 

Association (ODMD). Electric vehicle s 


McLaren Applied and Elaphe to enhance 

EV packaging, efficiency and driving dynamics 

McLaren Applied has partnered with 

in-wheel motor specialists Elaphe to help 

automakers boost overall electric vehicle 

(EV) performance. The British engineering 

and technology pioneer is combining its 

next-generation IPG5 800V silicon carbide 

inverter with Elaphe’s range of in-wheel 

motors creating a highly efficient system 

that will enhance EV packaging, efficiency 

and driving dynamics. 

At just 3.79L in size and weighing 5.5 

kilograms, IPG5 provides unrivalled power 

density, efficiency and motor control. 

Alongside Elaphe’s compact high-torque 

in-wheel motor, the combined powertrain 

solution saves space, unlocking new 

possibilities for EV packaging. 

Derived from decades of innovation in 

top tier automotive and motorsports 

applications, McLaren Applied’s IPG5 

is highly controllable, offering variable 

switching frequencies and unparalleled 

motor response. The variability in switching 

frequency up to 32kHz enables engineers 

to use a faster, more efficient and 

lightweight drivetrain. 

“We believe efficiency and driving 

dynamics will play an important part in the 

next waves of electrification,” commented 

Stephen Lambert, Head of Electrification 

at McLaren Applied. “Our IPG5 800V 

inverter enables customers to run different 

switching frequencies. And with variable 

switching frequencies comes the ability to 

run higher speed motors that are smaller 

and lighter. By combining IPG5 with 

Elaphe’s high speed in-wheel motors, we’re 

not only making the EV powertrain more 

responsive and efficient, we’re making it 

more cost-effective too. That’s a compelling 

proposition.” 

“Elaphe is on a mission to make cars safer, 

more convenient and more exciting to 

drive. This is why we are fully committed 

to removing all mechanical constraints and 

making the powertrain software defined,” 

said Dr. Gorazd Gotovac, CTO of Elaphe 

Propulsion Technologies. “An efficient and 

highly responsive powertrain system is 

at the core of this, which is why McLaren 

Applied is the most natural partner and 

their IPG5 inverter is a perfect fit for 

our system. Combined with our motor 

control and powertrain control software it 

provides unprecedented controllability and 

efficiency.” 

The automotive team at McLaren Applied 

sees efficiency as leading what it describes 

as the next ‘wave’ of electrification. The 

first involved early pioneers of technology, 

the second, current wave is denoted by the 

breakthrough of EVs to the mainstream. 

The third stage is efficiency and will see 

inverter technology rapidly adopt silicon 

carbide (SiC) semiconductors, especially 

in 800V architectures and vehicles that 

need longer range where efficient power 

electronics are key. 

The fourth stage focuses on drivability and 

adding character back into the powertrains 

of electric vehicles, improving driver 

engagement and differentiation from the 

competition. “High switching frequencies 

and the ability to control the drivetrain 

more sensitively enables you to start 

programming different characteristics into 

the drivetrain. With this, we can introduce 

character that some might say is lacking 

from EVs,” adds Lambert. 

The next-generation IPG5 800V silicon 

carbide inverter can power electric motors 

to more than 400kW peak, 250 kW 

continuous, at an unprecedented weight 

and volume. It has been designed for 

automotive applications, including direct 

drive, that are capable of operating highspeed 

motors efficiently and adhere to ISO 

26262 ASIL-D standards. 


Bulgaria signs 

deal to use 

Türkiye’s gas 

terminals 

Bulgaria on Jan. 3 gained access to Türkiye’s 

terminals and gas transmission network 

under a long-term deal that will help the 

country replace supplies once provided by 

Russia. 

Bulgaria’s state gas company Bulgargaz 

and the Turkish gas transmission company 

Botas signed a 13-year deal that grants 

the Balkan neighbor access to Türkiye’s 

terminals for liquefied natural gas. 

According to Bulgaria’s Energy Minister, 

Rosen Hristov, the agreement solves the 

problem of Bulgaria’s lack of sufficient 

infrastructure for unloading liquefied 

natural gas. Bulgaria, which ahead of 

Moscow’s invasion in Ukraine was almost 

fully dependent on Russian gas, is looking 

for alternative gas supplies at reasonable 

prices after Russia cut off deliveries in April 

over Sofia’s refusal to pay in rubles, the 

Russian currency. 

Under the current deal, the liquefied 

natural gas that Bulgaria will buy on 

international markets will be unloaded 

and processed in Turkish LNG terminals 

and then transferred via the Botas gas 

network to Bulgaria.The deal foresees up 

to 1.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas 

being transferred annually to Bulgaria from 

Türkiye. Bulgaria has already signed a longterm 

contract with Azerbaijan for nearly 1 

billion cubic meters of natural gas which it 

receives via Türkiye’s gas network. 

The rest of Bulgaria’s needs, which are 

slightly more than 3 billion cubic meters 

per year, is covered through LNG imports 

from Greece. 


Tesla makes China boss 

highest-profile executive after Musk 

Tesla’s China chief Tom Zhu has been 

promoted to take direct oversight of the 

electric carmaker’s U.S. assembly plants as 

well as sales operations in North America 

and Europe, according to an internal 

posting of reporting lines reviewed by 

Reuters. 

The Tesla posting showed that Zhu’s title 

of vice president for Greater China had 

not changed and that he also retained 

his responsibilities as Tesla’s most senior 

executive for sales in the rest of Asia. 

The move makes Zhu the highest-profile 

executive at Tesla after Chief Executive Elon 

Musk, with direct oversight for deliveries in 

all of its major markets and operations of 

its key production hubs. 

The reporting lines for Zhu would keep 

Tesla’s vehicle design and development – 

both areas where Musk has been heavily 

involved – separate while an apparent 

deputy to Musk on the more near-term 

challenges of managing global sales and 

output. 

Tesla did not immediately respond to a 

Reuters request for comment. 

Reuters reviewed the organizational chart 

that had been posted internally by Tesla 

and confirmed the change with two people 

who had seen it. They asked not to be 

named because they were not authorized 

to discuss the matter. 

Zhu and a team of his reports were brought 

in by Tesla late last year to troubleshoot 

production issues in the U.S., driving an 

expectation among his colleagues then that 

he was being groomed for a bigger role. 

Zhu’s appointment to a global role comes 

when Musk has been distracted by his 

acquisition of Twitter and Tesla analysts 

and investors have urged action that would 

deepen the senior executive bench and 

allow him to focus on Tesla. 

Under Zhu, Tesla’s Shanghai plant 

rebounded strongly from COVID-19 

lockdowns in China. 

Tesla said that it had delivered 405,278 

vehicles in the fourth quarter, short of 

Wall Street estimates, according to data 

compiled by Refinitiv. 

The company had delivered 308,600 

vehicles in the same period a year earlier. 

The Tesla managers reporting to Zhu 

include: Jason Shawhan, director of 

manufacturing at the Gigafactory in 

Texas; Hrushikesh Sagar, senior director of 

manufacturing at Tesla’s Fremont factory; 

Joe Ward, vice president in charge of 

Europe, the Middle East and Africa; and 

Troy Jones, vice president of North America 

sales and service, according to the Tesla 

notice on reporting lines reviewed by 

Reuters. 


Tesla country managers in China, Japan, 

Australia and New Zealand continued to 

report to Zhu, the notice revealed. 

Zhu does not have a direct report at Tesla’s 

still-ramping Berlin plant, but a person with 

knowledge of the matter said responsibility 

for that operation would come with the 

reporting line for Amsterdam-based Ward. 

Ward could not be immediately reached for 

comment. 

Zhu, who was born in China but now 

holds a New Zealand passport, joined 

Tesla in 2014. Before that he was a project 

manager at a company established by 

his MBA classmates at Duke University, 

advising Chinese contractors working on 

infrastructure projects in Africa. 

During Shanghai’s two-month COVID-19 

lockdown, Zhu was among the first batch 

of employees sleeping in the factory as 

they sought to keep it running, people who 

work with him have said. 

Zhu, a no-fuss manager who sports a buzz 

cut, favors Tesla-branded fleece jackets 

and has lived in a government-subsidized 

apartment that is a 10-minute drive from 

the Shanghai Gigafactory. It was not 

immediately clear whether he would move 

after his promotion. He takes charge of 

Tesla’s main production hubs when the 

company is readying for the launch of 

cyberattack and a revamped version of 

its Model 3 sedan. Tesla has also said it is 

developing a cheaper electric vehicle but 

has not provided details on that plan. 

When Tesla posted a picture on Twitter last 

month to celebrate its Austin, Texas, plant 

hitting a production milestone for its Model 

Y, Zhu was among hundreds of workers 

smiling on the factory floor. 

Allan Wang, who was promoted to vice 

president in charge of sales in China in July, 

was listed as the legal representative for 

the operation in registration papers filed 

with Chinese regulators in a change by the 

company last month. 

Tesla board member James Murdoch said 

in November the company had recently 

identified a potential successor to Musk 

without naming the person. Murdoch did 

not respond to a request for comment. 

Elecktrek previously reported that Zhu 

would take responsibility for U.S. sales, 

delivery and service. 



Everrati completes build of first redefined electric 

Porsche 911 (964) for Us Market 

Everrati Automotive Limited (Everrati), 

the leading technology company 

specialising in the redefining and 

futureproofing of automotive icons through 

the integration of 

cutting-edge electric vehicle (EV) 

powertrains, has completed the build of its 

first Porsche 911 (964) for the US market. 

Featuring a state-of-the-art OEMgrade 

electric powertrain designed and 

developed at its global headquarters in 

Oxfordshire, England, the full build of the 

redefined 911 (964) has been carried out to 

the highest standards by Everrati’s technical 

partner, Aria Group. 

Based in Irvine, California, Aria has peerless 

expertise in low-volume, high-end vehicle 

engineering production supporting 

world-leading OEMs and reimagination 

specialists, an arrangement which enables 

Everrati to manufacture on both sides of 

the Atlantic. 

With multiple 911 (964) models in build, 

demand for Everrati’s products is surging 

in North America, with customers in 

multiple US States, and in Canada. The 

first completed US built cars are now 

ready for delivery and signify the UKbased 

company’s continued growth in all 

global markets and momentum as the 

international go-to creator of dream car 

electrification. Its advanced bespoke 

OEM-grade electric powertrain technology 

transforms and preserves masterpieces 

of automotive engineering and design, 

into rolling pieces of art that are not 

only sustainable luxury models fit for the 

21st century but also can be enjoyed for 

multiple generations. 

“It is a huge milestone for Everrati to see 

the completion of our first US customer 

car, which will now undergo final predelivery 

testing before handover to the 

customer. This is both a sign of our rapidly 

growing presence in markets around 

the globe, especially North America, 

and a representation of the shifting 

paradigm in car ownership for a conscious, 

progressive, and responsible generation. 

Our Signature 911 (964) is a redefinition 

of an automotive icon that will have its 

legacy live on for generations to enjoy. 

It is a truly sustainable supercar. I’d like 

to thank our partners, Aria Group, who 

from their state-of-the art base in Irvine, 

California, have expertly led the build of 

our first customer car - and are building 

multiple redefined 911 (964) models for 

Everrati customers - showing just why 

they are the leaders in low-volume, highend 

vehicle engineering and production,” 

commented Justin Lunny, Everrati Founder 

and CEO. The 964 generation of the 911 

came onto the market in 1989 and remains 

a symbol of performance and engineering, 

matched by Everrati’s passion to preserve 

and redefine this legacy. Everrati’s 

‘Signature’ wide body edition is based 

upon a fully restored 911 (964), featuring 

carbon fibre body elements and a stateof-the-art 

EV powertrain: a 62kWh battery 

pack and battery management system, 

capable of delivering an emission-free 

range of more than 200 miles and sub-4- 

second 0-60mph acceleration. Combined 

AC and DC Fast charging completes the 

high-tech specification. The development of 

Everrati’s leading powertrain technology is 

supported by a robust network of extremely 

experienced and best-in-class partners and 

suppliers to deliver OEM-grade products, 

processes, and quality. Its growing portfolio 

of redefined automotive icons now includes 

electric versions of the Porsche 911 (964) 

Coupe, Targa, Cabriolet, Range Rover Classic, 

Land Rover Defender, Land Rover Series, 

GT40, and Mercedes-Benz W113 SL Pagoda. 


Automotive 

market expanded 

6 percent last 

year 

The combined sales of passenger cars and 

light commercial vehicles (LCV) increased 

by 6.2 percent in 2022 from the previous 

year to more than 780,000. 

Passenger car sales grew 5.5 percent 

to 593,000, data from the Automotive 

Distributors’ and Mobility Association 

(ODMD). 

The light commercial vehicle market 

expanded by 8.6 percent as a total of 

191,000 LCVs were sold in Türkiye last year. 

In December alone, total vehicle sales 

leaped 85 percent from December 2021 to 

reach 115,000. 

The ODMD reported that passenger sales 

rose by 99.2 percent year-on-year last 

month to around 87,000, while the LCV 

sales grew 55.2 percent to 28,500. 

The combined sales of passenger cars and 

LCVs last month were, however, 0.8 percent 

lower than the 10-year December average. 

In December, 1,519 electric vehicles (EVs) 

were sold on the local market. Even though 

sales soared 252 percent from the same 

month of 2021, EV sales accounted for only 

1.8 percent of all vehicle sales in Türkiye. 

In the whole of 2022, EV sales amounted to 

7,7300, showing an increase of 171 percent 

from the previous year. 

As domestically produced Togg is 

preparing to enter the market this year, 

electric vehicle sales are expected to rise 

to 40,000 in 2023. Hybrid vehicle sales 

grew 30 percent last year from 2021 to 

64,387, accounting for 11 percent of all 

vehicle sales, while in December alone, 

sales increased 104 percent year-on-year 

to 8,794. The country’s large automotive 

industry is optimistic that, despite 

challenges, it may increase its export 

revenues this year compared to 2022. 

The automotive sector aims to generate 

$34 billion in exports this year, up from 

$31 billion in 2022, said the Automotive 

Industry Exporters’ Association (OİB) 

earlier. The industry managed to increase 

its export revenues by 5.7 percent last 

year from 2021, even though it faced 

strong headwinds, including the troubles in 

Europe’s economy, its main export market, 

the chip shortage, elevated inflation, higher 

energy costs and the looming recession 

risks in the global economy, OİB head Baran 

Çelik said. 


‘SK On plans to scrap battery venture in 

Türkiye with Ford, Koç’ 

South Korean electric vehicle battery 

maker SK On said it has not decided 

whether to pursue a battery cell venture 

in Türkiye with Ford Motor Co and Turkish 

conglomerate Koç Holding, after signing a 

memorandum of understanding (MoU) in 

March. The Dong-A Ilbo daily newspaper 

earlier reported, citing an unidentified 

source, that SK On plans to scrap the 

idea due to a weak macro economic 

environment. 

“After signing the MoU in March 2022, we 

have been discussing the joint venture case 

in Turkey, but discussions have not been 

completed. The final decision whether or 

not to halt negotiations regarding the joint 

venture has not been made yet,” SK On 

said in a statement. 

SK On is the wholly owned battery unit of 

SK Innovation Co Ltd, and counts Hyundai 

Motor Co, Volkswagen AG and Ford Motor 

among its customers. 

In announcing the joint venture plans in 

March, SK On said the partners aimed 

for annual production capacity of 30-45 

gigawatt hours (GWh) with production 

starting in 2025. SK On has battery 

manufacturing sites in South Korea, China, 

Hungary and the United States. 


Türkiye on its way to become energy hub 

The natural gas deal with Bulgaria is a step 

forward in Türkiye’s efforts to become an 

energy hub, Energy Minister Fatih Dönmez 

has said. 

“With this agreement, natural gas could be 

transmitted not only to Bulgaria but other 

countries via Bulgaria,” Dönmez added. 

On Jan. 3, Türkiye and Bulgaria signed an 

agreement for the transmission of up to 1.5 

billion cubic meters of natural gas a year. 

The new deal covers a 13-year period. 

Dönmez traveled to the Bulgarian capital 

Sofia to attend the signing ceremony. 

The gas deal was inked between the two 

countries by the general managers of 

the Turkish Petroleum Pipeline Company 

(BOTAŞ) and Bulgargaz. 

“The deal means almost 20 billion cubic 

meters of gas trade in 13 years. We will also 

be able to provide service to all European 

countries via Bulgaria,” Dönmez said. 

The minister recalled that the natural gas 

agreement was signed only three weeks 

after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met 

his Bulgarian counterpart, Rumen Radev, in 

Istanbul. 

Türkiye has been working over the past 

years to position itself as an energy hub, 

Dönmez said. 

“We have plans to establish a natural gas 

trade center. We have largely completed 

our physical infrastructure for this initiative. 

The deal [with Bulgaria] means that we are 

reaping the first fruits of these efforts.” 

Dönmez reminded the energy cooperation 

between Türkiye and Bulgaria has a long 

history. “Türkiye received the first natural 

gas via Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria. This 

pipeline has been offline over the past two 

years. Now the direction of gas flow will 

reverse,” the minister said. 


Turkish business world calls for ‘urgent’ solution amid EU visa row 

Asenior Turkish business official called for 

a swift solution to the European Union 

visa issue, which has triggered public 

outcry and prompted Ankara to vow 

countermeasures. 

Turkish nationals have been complaining 

of lengthy processing times and a growing 

number of EU visa rejections since last 

year, in a row that frustrated Ankara, which 

called the efforts “deliberate.” 

The issue has reached “serious dimensions” 

for the Turkish businesspeople and traders, 

said Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, chair of the Union 

of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of 

Türkiye (TOBB). 

“The visa issue has recently reached 

serious dimensions for the business world, 

and transport quotas have also negatively 

affected bilateral trade,” Hisarcıklıoğlu told 

an event in the Aegean province of Izmir. 

“We need to find an urgent solution to the 

issues of visa and transport quotas.” 

Turkish officials have called for a swift 

solution, lower fees, permits for multivisa 

entries and “fairer” evaluation 

standards for people like academicians and 

businesspeople in terms of economic and 

educational activities. 

Türkiye and the bloc enjoy good trade 

ties and decades of migration, however, 

relations are strained over multiple 

issues, including the prolonged process of 

modernization and expansion of the scope 

of the current customs union agreement 

and EU policies on refugees from Syria. 

Before the coronavirus pandemic, 

Schengen states received more than 

900,000 visa applications annually from 

Türkiye, but that figure dropped to around 

270,000 in 2021. Citizens from all Schengen 

countries are exempt from visas when 

visiting Türkiye, most for up to 90 days, and 

some can enter with only their ID cards, 

according to Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry 

website. Hisarcıklıoğlu said they always 

consider relations with the EU as a priority. 

He stressed that the customs union 

deal, a modernization of which would 

comprehensively shake up economic 

relations between the sides, has been the 

most important tool for the transformation 

of Türkiye’s production capacity. 

The host of disagreements between Ankara 

and Brussels over recent years has been 

stalling the negotiations for the update of 

the agreement. A deeper 1990s-era trade 

agreement would be expanded to services, 

farm goods and public procurement. 

The modernization would bring Türkiye 

fully into the internal market of the world’s 

largest trading bloc, allowing almost all 

goods and services to flow unhindered. 

“The accession negotiations have further 

expanded and deepened Türkiye’s 

transformation process. The accession 

process has stalled in recent years. As the 

Turkish business world, we are not happy 

about this situation. If we take into account 

the current problems that our countries 

are facing, the need to revive relations is 

obvious,” Hisarcıklıoğlu said. 

Bilateral trade surged fourfold in the last 

quarter century, he noted, stating that the 

exchange of goods between Türkiye and 

the EU reached about $196 billion as of 

2022. 

“Companies support the updating of the 

customs union. The European Union’s 

enterprises also support the cooperation 

between the EU and Türkiye on the Green 

Deal and the single digital market. There is 

a very favorable environment for Türkiye 

and the EU to further advance their 

economic relations,” Hisarcıklıoğlu noted. 

Türkiye is the only non-EU country with 

a customs union agreement with the 

bloc. The deal was struck in 1995. In its 

Dec. 21, 2016 assessment, the European 

Commission proposed revamping the deal. 

The current customs union agreement 

only covers a limited range of industrial 

products and excludes agriculture, public 

procurement, e-commerce and services. 


Türkiye plant 

pitched to build 

new Toyota C-HR 

plug-in hybrid 

Toyota announced its second generation 

Toyota C-HR will be manufactured at the 

Japanese automaker’s plant in Türkiye, 

marking it the first plug-in hybrid passenger 

car to be produced in the country. 

Available in hybrid and plug-in hybrid 

versions, the new Toyota C-HR will be 

produced at Toyota Motor Manufacturing 

Türkiye (TMMT) in the northwestern 

province of Sakarya, the company said. 

In addition, TMMT will be Toyota’s first 

European plant to start producing plug-in 

hybrid vehicles and the first to be equipped 

with a battery production line, it noted. 

The carmaker said the 100% electrified 

powertrain line-up of the new Toyota C-HR 

“reflects Toyota’s commitment to offer 

appropriate carbon reduction opportunities 

to the largest and most competitive market 

segment in Europe.” 

“In addition to the hybrid version, the new 

plug-in hybrid Toyota C-HR with locally 

assembled batteries will further expand 

Toyota’s multi-technology offer toward its 

target of 100% CO2 reduction in its vehicle 

line-up in Europe by 2035,” the statement 

read. 

Alongside the vehicle production line, 

TMMT will build a new plug-in battery 

assembly line with a capacity of 75,000 

units per year within its facility, it said. 

Plug-in hybrid battery assembly will start 

in December 2023, around 60 new skilled 

jobs. 

Toyota said the investment for the project 

will be around 317 million euros ($345.72 

million), bringing the overall cumulative 

investment in TMMT to around 2.3 billion 

euros. 

In the scope of the new model investment, 

it said the TMMT will improve and 

enhance its production line, whilst laying 

down the framework to meet the future 

requirements of production diversity and 

flexibility. 

Toyota says it is committed to achieving 

full carbon neutrality in Europe by 2040, 

and is targeting carbon neutrality in all its 

manufacturing facilities by 2030. TMMT 

says it is progressing toward this goal by 

introducing technologies that minimize 

energy consumption while at the same 

time, switching to renewable energy within 

the Sakarya plant. 

These measures include the introduction 

of new paint shop technologies which 

minimize CO2 emissions and the use of 

solar energy which aims to make the plant 

self-sufficient in its energy use. 

“In this project, which reveals TMMT’s 

high-quality vehicle production experience 

and advanced engineering ability, we will 

implement our responsibilities with great 

dedication. This represents an exciting 

step forward for TMMT’s future as it 

continues to produce popular attractive 

and high quality models,” said Erdoğan 

Şahin, president and CEO at Toyota Motor 

Manufacturing Türkiye. 

“This project once again confirms that our 

production facility in Sakarya is a globally 

important place for Toyota,” Şahin noted. 

“We are proud to announce that TMMT 

will produce the second-generation 

Toyota C-HR including the first plug-in 

hybrid vehicle in Europe. The outstanding 

performance and dedication which our 

TMMT employees deliver will make this 

new model a great success, just like its 

predecessor,” said Marvin Cooke, executive 

vice president in charge of manufacturing 

at Toyota Motor Europe. 

“It also marks another important 

milestone with the start of our first 

battery assembly line in Europe, which 

is an important step in our European 

electrification plan,” Cooke said. 


Europe ends 

bad inflation 

year with some 

relief but costs 

still high 

Price gains in Europe eased again in 

December, bringing some relief for the 

continent that ended a bad year for 

inflation. While the cost of living is still 

painfully high, the slowdown is a sign 

that the worst might be over for weary 

consumers. 

The consumer price index (CPI) for the 19 

countries that used the euro currency rose 

9.2% in December from a year earlier, the 

slowest pace since August, the European 

Union statistics agency Eurostat said. 

Croatia joined the eurozone on Jan. 1. 

It was the second straight decline in 

inflation since June 2021. In November, 

the rate dipped to 10.1% after peaking at a 

record 10.6% in the previous month. 

Households and businesses across Europe 

have been plagued by surging energy costs 

since Russia launched its war in Ukraine in 

February, which played havoc with oil and 

natural gas markets and has been the main 

driver of inflation. 

The latest numbers indicate that the energy 

crisis may be easing for now. Energy price 

rises slowed to 25.7%, down from 34.9% in 

November and 41.5% in October. 

Natural gas prices have slipped from 

all-time highs this summer as Europe 

has largely filled its storage for winter 

with supplies from other countries, while 

warmer-than-usual weather has reduced 

fears of a shortage during the heating 

season. 

Food price gains, the other significant 

factor driving up European inflation, held 

pretty steady. Prices for food, alcohol and 

tobacco rose at a 13.8% annual pace in 

December, slightly higher than the month 

before. 

Inflation has also been worsened by 

bottlenecks in raw materials and parts 

supplies amid rebounding global consumer 

demand after COVID-19 pandemic 

restrictions ended. 

“The peak in inflation is likely behind us 

now, but far more relevant for the economy 

and policymakers is whether inflation will 


structurally trend back to 2% from here 

on,” said Bert Colijn, senior eurozone 

economist at ING Bank. 

So-called core inflation, which excludes 

volatile food and energy costs, climbed to 

5.2% last month from November’s 5%, as 

prices rose for services and goods such as 

clothing, appliances, cars and computers. 

Colijn and other economists said that 

European Central Bank (ECB) officials will 

likely roll out more interest rate hikes to get 

inflation back to their 2% target. 

Soaring costs for energy and food have 

threatened a recession and fed labor unrest 

as wages fail to keep pace with the price 

rises. Across Europe, subway staff, hospital 

workers, train drivers, postal workers and 

air traffic controllers have gone on strike, 

threatening political turmoil. 

In a sign that energy costs remain a worry 

for political leaders, French President 

Emmanuel Macron urged energy suppliers 

to renegotiate what he called “abusive 

contracts” with small businesses to ensure 

“reasonable” price hikes. 

Macron spoke to bakers at the presidential 

palace for a traditional Epiphany kings cake 

ceremony, underscoring how energy and 

food prices are intertwined. 

“Like you, I’ve had enough people making 

excessive profits on the crisis,” he said. 

The French government has capped natural 

gas and electricity price hikes to 15% 

this year for consumers and some tinny 

companies that don’t use much energy. 

But more energy-intensive businesses, 

like bakeries, aren’t covered, leaving some 

facing closure because they can’t pay their 

bills. While governments have offered 

relief on high energy bills, central banks are 

battling inflation by hiking interest rates. 

Last month, the European Central Bank 

raised its benchmark rate by half a point, 

slowing its record pace of interest rate 

increases slightly but promising that more 

hikes are on the way. It matched actions 

taken by counterparts in the U.S., United 

Kingdom and elsewhere. 

“The eurozone economy is at best 

stagnating, and persistently strong core 

inflation means the ECB will feel duty 

bound to press on with its tightening cycle 

for a while yet,” said Andrew Kenningham, 

chief Europe economist for Capital 

Economics. 



Chinese giant 

Alibaba to invest 

over $1B in 

Türkiye 

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba plans 

to invest over $1 billion (TL 18.75 billion) in 

Türkiye, Alibaba President Michael Evans 

said during a visit to Turkuvaz Media Group 

in Istanbul. 

“There is a great production power in 

Türkiye, which is the most advantageous 

country in the world in this sense,” he said. 

Evans said that there are always volatilities 

in economies, and there are opportunities 

when one considers the long term. 

“We will continue to invest in small- and 

medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and 

tradesmen in Türkiye.” 

He said that they “will carry Türkiye’s 

production power and export potential to 

Europe and the Middle East.” 

He also said many G-20 countries have 

consumption power, but there is no 

production power. 

“Countries with high technology 

infrastructure and production power will 

come to the fore. Since we see that Türkiye 

is very strong in these two areas, it will 

definitely be advantageous in the G-20,” he 

said. 

Evans also commented on the questions 

on Türkiye’s largest e-commerce company, 

Trendyol, which, backed by Alibaba, 

became Türkiye’s first “decacorn.” 

Asked whether Alibaba has a stock market 

plan in Türkiye with Trendyol, Evans said, 

“Going public has both advantages and 

disadvantages. I think it is advantageous 

to be a public company. But Trendyol 

management should decide this.” 

“If they want to go public, we will support 

them, as Trendyol grows,” he said. 

Trendyol Group President Çağlayan Çetin 

meanwhile stated that the company has 

many investors and that there is no need to 

go public and raise capital at the moment. 

“We do not have a short-term plan. If we 

achieve the growth targets we want in a 

short time, it may be in three to five years,” 

he explained. 

Çetin also said that for the first time, 

a Turkish brand is the main sponsor of 

the Olympics and that products such as 

ready-made clothing and souvenirs to be 

sold during the Olympics will be produced 

in Türkiye and exported to 100 countries 

through Trendyol. 

Trendyol, one of Türkiye’s best-known 

e-retail platforms, has received foreign 

investor backing and holds a leading 

position in the country’s fragmented 

e-commerce market. 

Since 2018, Alibaba has been a strategic 

investor in Trendyol, which has been 

reported to have been planning a duallisting 

initial public offering (IPO) in New 

York or London when its income from 

foreign sales reaches 30%-35% of its total 

revenue.

Automotive Exports February 2023

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