Automotive Exports March 2021

Turkey’s
January auto
sales up 60%
Passenger and light commercial vehicle
sales in Turkey continued to increase
in the first month of the new year, just
they did last year, despite the pandemic.
Accordingly, the sales surged 60.3%
annually in January, data released by an
industry group said.
A total of 43,728 vehicles were sold
across Turkey last month, the Automotive
Distributors’ Association (ODD) said in a
statement. Passenger cars accounted for
80% or 35,358 of the sales, rising 60.6%
during the same period.
As many as 8,370 light commercial vehicles
were sold this January, up 59.2% from the
same month last year.
The statement also reported that the
automotive market last month rose 35.8%
compared with the average 10-year
January sales.
Last year, when the coronavirus pandemic
brought unprecedented obstacles to the
sector, from restrictions to the supply gluts,
the Turkish auto industry managed to end
the year on a positive note in contrast to
many European countries.
Sales of passenger cars and light
commercial vehicles jumped 61.3%
year-on-year in 2020 to 772,788 vehicles,
according to the ODD data published
earlier in January.
The industry worldwide was ravaged by
the outbreak, with sales plummeting
after governments worldwide imposed
lockdowns to stem the spread of the
virus, while the struggle for the European
countries continued throughout the year. In
Europe, sales were declining every month
except in September.
Turkey ranked sixth in Europe in auto sales,
up from the ninth rank in 2019, according
to the figures which were published before
the European December sales data.
According to the latest data by the
European Automobile Manufacturers
Association (ACEA), which included the
December data, European car sales
plunged by nearly a quarter last year. New
car registrations sank by 23.7%, or 3 million
vehicles, to 9.9 million units.
All major markets recorded double-digit
declines, down 32.3% in Spain, 28% in Italy
and 25% in France. Germany suffered a
more contained 19% drop.
December sales were just 3.3% lower than
the previous year, but performance varied
drastically between markets. Italy and
Spain both had double-digit dips. Germany
gained 10% while Spain was flat.
Special consumption tax up
Turkey has raised the special consumption
tax (ÖTV) level on electric motor vehicles
only from between 3%-15% to 10%-
60%, according to a presidential decision
published in the country’s Official Gazette.
It said that for vehicles with an engine
power of up to 85 kilowatts (kW), the tax
will be raised to 10% from 3%, for vehicles
with a power of between 85-120 kW to
25% from 7% and for vehicles with a power
of over 120 kW to 60% from 15%.
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