While the development of electric mobility in Turkiye attracts the attention of many brands, data and developments indicate that the share of electric and hybrid cars, which are becoming widespread in the world, in the Turkish automobile market continues to rise and will rise even further.
The journey of “green cars” in Turkiye continues to develop with increasing momentum. Many European and Asian brands launched their previously announced ambitious models for sale in the Turkish market during the year. In addition to electric cars, the number of hybrid engine cars, which is another part of electric mobility, is also increasing. Survey studies also reveal that the purchasing interest in electric vehicles is quite high.
The share of electric cars reached 7.1%
According to data compiled from the Automotive Distributors and Mobility Association (ODMD), gasoline car sales in the Turkish automobile market had a 66.7% share with 561 thousand 53 units, while diesel car sales had a 14.4% share with 121 thousand 511 units. The share of auto gas car sales was 1.1% with 9 thousand 247 units.
While the share of hybrid cars in the market was recorded as 10.6% with 89 thousand 13 sales, the share of electric car sales was 7.1% with 60 thousand 101 units.
Top managers of automotive brands operating in Turkiye shared their 2023 evaluations and 2024 predictions regarding the electric car market with the AA correspondent.
“We continue our infrastructure preparations and work for the investment.”
Skywell Turkiye Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mahmut Ulubas said that the presence of electric vehicles in the automobile market in 2023 has become even stronger with the arrival of Togg.
Ulubas pointed out that both the strategies of the manufacturer brands and the evolution of consumer demand towards electric cars are a clear indication that the distribution among engine types in the automotive market will continue to change in favor of electric vehicles. “I think the next period will be a period in which electric vehicles become more widespread and more accessible in line with consumer behavior and the goals of brands.”
Stating that, as Ulu Motor, they have a very important place in the Turkish market with their Leapmotor and Skywell brands, Ulubas said:
“Following our brands that are well accepted by the consumer and our rapidly strengthening dealer structure, we aim to make serious breakthroughs in the industry as well as the commercial part of the automotive industry. The year 2024 is extremely exciting for us, both commercially and in terms of our new initiatives and the contribution we will make to our country’s industry. We continue our infrastructure preparations and work to continue our investments, which will begin with battery production in the short term, with vehicle production. The year 2023 was very productive for us. As Skywell, we will complete 2023 with approximately 3 thousand sales. We predict that we will complete 2023 with a total sales of 500 units in our other brand, Leapmotor.”
“The regulation regarding the import of electric cars will be decisive”
Honda Turkiye Senior Deputy General Manager Bulent Kilicer also stated that the electric car market has left behind a year above expectations and said that Togg had a great impact on this.
Pointing out that the regulation made recently for the import of electric cars will be one of the most important indicators of where the market will evolve in the future, Kilicer said, “A retreat there or reaching a more understandable point means that this momentum will increase. But if there is no retreat there, I do not expect the market share to rise above 5% next year. There is no problem with infrastructure works. We are still ahead of Europe in terms of charging stations per vehicle. I don’t think we will have any problems here with technology.”
“Turkiye is a country that is really suitable for production in every respect.”
Bulent Kilicer answered the question about whether Honda, which ended its production in Turkiye, will return to production with the plan to produce an electric car as follows:
“It is not possible to answer this question positively or negatively. After all, Honda Turkiye is a commercial company. It does business. Of course, it will consider this issue when there are suitable conditions, but these suitable conditions must be provided first. But one of the most important reasons behind us closing the factory was electrification. Unfortunately, we had to close our factories not only in Turkiye, but also in Europe and England. Therefore, it was a move made for the purpose of more compact production. But if the conditions are ripe, why wouldn’t it be possible to produce an electric car in Turkiye? Because Turkiye is a country that is really suitable for production in every respect. Both in terms of labor costs and raw materials. We are currently very far from the maturation of these conditions. I can say that.”
“We will again make significant investments regarding our electrification journey in 2024”
Dogus Otomotiv Chairman of the Executive Board and Board of Directors, Ali Bilaloglu, stated that they expect 2024 to be a year in which electric vehicles (EVs) increase in the Turkish automotive market and said, “Many brands, including our own brands, will start to introduce new models to the market. The EV market share in Turkiye, which was 0.4% in 2021 and 1.05% in 2022, reached 7.1% in the 11-month period of this year. The total number of EV sales reached 60 thousand 101 units in January-November. This shows us that Turkiye has a serious market potential.”
Stating that they will carry out a full electric model offensive in 2024, which is the 30th anniversary of Dogus Otomotiv’s establishment, Bilaloglu shared the following information:
“In our Volkswagen Passenger Car brand, ID.4 and ID.5 in the 2nd quarter, ID.7 in the third quarter and ID.3 in the last quarter, ID.Buzz in our Volkswagen Commercial Vehicle brand in the 3rd quarter of the year, Q4 e-tron and Q6 e-tron in our Audi brand in the second half of the year… Porsche will launch its second electric model after the Taycan this year. As of the first half, Porsche Macan will be available for sale. Our CUPRA brand will introduce 2 electric models to the market. Our CUPRA Born model will meet our customers in the 3rd quarter of the year, and CUPRA Tavascan models will meet our customers in the last quarter. Considering the rapidly growing electric vehicle park, it seems necessary to reach more than 100 thousand charging stations across Turkiye before 2030 in order to support this market. As Dogus Otomotiv, we will again make important investments regarding our electrification journey in 2024. We aim to provide charging services, especially at our authorized dealers and service points, in 2024 with our D-Charge brand, which is a Dogus Otomotiv subsidiary brand. We aim to provide charging services to electric vehicle users with 185 DC and 450 AC units, especially starting from the second half of 2024.”
“Consumer interest in electric cars is high”
Borusan Otomotiv Chief Executive Officer Hakan Tiftik also stated that electric car sales in Turkiye in 11 months were 10 times higher than in the same period of the previous year and that this data can be shown as the biggest indicator of consumer interest in electric cars.
Stating that, as Borusan Automotive Group, they continue their electrification journey, which they started in 2013 with the BMW i3 model, by introducing the fully electric and hybrid models of the brands they represent to customers around the world, Tiftik said, “We have set important targets for ourselves within the framework of our vision of ‘Being a Pioneer in the Electrification Transformation of the Turkish Automotive Sector’. In 2030, we plan to increase the share of electric vehicles in the total sales of our BMW and MINI brands, which we distribute, to 75%, and to 70% for the Range Rover, Defender and Discovery brands. We predict that competition in this field will increase with new brands entering the Turkish automotive market and that sales of electric vehicles will rise to higher numbers in parallel. The increasing number of electric cars will also contribute to the rapid development of Turkiye’s charging infrastructure.”
Source: Trthaber / Prepared by Irem Yildiz