Automotive Exports August 2023

Electric car drive
heats up as H1
sales in Türkiye
jump over 465%
Electric vehicle (EV) sales in Türkiye jumped
over 465% in the year through June,
according to the industry data, spurred by
the increasing momentum in the deliveries
of the country’s first indigenous car and the
arrival of new brands.
Some 12,792 battery-power cars exchanged
hands in the first half of the year, according
to the Automotive Distributors and
Mobility Association (ODMD) data that
showed overall vehicle sales in Türkiye
achieved their best June and six-month
figures ever.
EV sales mark a whopping 465.3% yearover-year
increase from 2,263 units sold
last year, the data compiled by the Anadolu
Agency showed. Their gasoline-electric
hybrid rival saw sales jump 47.5% in the
first half of this year to 43,649 units.
Battery-powered and hybrid vehicles saw
their market shares reach 3% and 10.2%,
up from 0.8% and down from 10.6% in the
first six months of last year, respectively.
Cars powered by gasoline held a 68.9%
share in the overall sales in the January-
June period, down from 69.7% a year ago,
while that of diesel vehicles remained
unchanged at 16.9%.
Overall, passenger cars and light
commercial vehicles from January through
June reached 555,867 units, an increase of
55.3% versus the first half of last year.
Demand has been notably high as
depreciation in the Turkish lira and soaring
prices prompted consumers to continue to
opt for cars they see as a tool to safeguard
themselves from high inflation.
Annual inflation cooled further and fell
to 38.21%, marking a significant regress
after touching a 24-year high above 85% in
October last year.
The prices of vehicles soared due to supply
shortages coupled with strong demand, as
well as high inflation and the depreciation
in the lira, which makes imports more
expensive.
The battery-powered cars trend is gaining a
fresh impetus as Türkiye’s first domestically
produced electric vehicle Togg hit the
roads.
The brand said it delivered some 808 units
of its T10X as of the end of June. Mass
production of a fully electric C-segment
SUV was launched last October, and
deliveries started in late April. The
carmaker had said it planned to deliver
20,000 units by the end of 2023.
Togg said the two-month sales figure
granted it a 28.9% market share, making it
a leader in the electric SUV segment. It also
topped the first-half list with a 15% market
share, the company said in a statement.
The T10X is initially being sold with one
engine type and two battery options. It will
feature battery packs with 52.4 and 88.5
kilowatt-hours capacities, boasting ranges
of 314 and 523 kilometers (195 and 325
miles).
The batteries of the T10X can be recharged
to up to 80% from 20% in less than 28
minutes at fast-charging stations.
A consortium of five Turkish companies
called the Automobile Initiative Group
of Türkiye, or Togg, is manufacturing the
vehicle in cooperation with the Union of
Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of
Türkiye (TOBB).
Besides the SUV, Togg will manufacture
four other models – a sedan, C-hatchback,
B-SUV and B-MPV – by 2030. The sedan will
follow the mass production of the SUV.
The current production capacity of around
100,000 vehicles per year will reach
175,000 once Togg’s factory reaches total
capacity.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said
some 28,000 units would be produced
this year. The brand aims to manufacture
1 million vehicles across the five segments
by 2030.
Togg plans to begin exports as of 2025,
while the initial production will be tailored
for the domestic market.
August 2023 28