Automotive Exports November 2021

www.automotive-exports.com November 2021

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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Editor 

Ali Erdem 

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Mehmet Soztutan, Editor-in-Chief 

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Advertising Managers 

Adem Saçın 

+90 505 577 36 42 

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Enes Karadayı 

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An integral part of the 

global network... 

Actually, the Turkish automotive industry has been able to consolidate and restructure 

its market share both at home and abroad. With a cluster of car-makers and parts 

suppliers, the Turkish automotive sector has become an integral part of the global 

network of production bases. 

The exports by Turkish automotive sector, which is the driving force of Turkish 

economy, reached remarkable figures in the last decade. The Turkish automotive 

industry has been active since the early seventies. Initially, the majority of the market 

development was based on imports and some level of local system integration. Since 

the full integration to the European Customs Union in 1994, Turkey has become a 

major production platform for global automotive manufacturers. 

Currently, there are major multinational vehicle manufacturers with their own 

production facilities in Turkey. While some of these companies are engaged in a joint 

venture with Turkish companies, others are operating independently. 

The Turkish automotive components industry reaches into many different sub-sectors 

of activity. Turkish producers of parts and components have attained high standards 

reflected by large export volumes to the Western countries. There are numerous 

producers of automotive components and services in Turkey. More than half of these 

manufacturers compete in international markets and set high standards of export 

figures. Among them are many small and medium manufacturers with advanced 

technologies, constant updates and support from outside Turkey, and a dynamic 

company structure. Many companies operating in the Turkish market possesses 

international certifications, enhancing their global market position. 

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. 

As noted several times in this column, we think that technology will always be the key 

for the survival of the automotive industry. History says so. 

Our publications remain at the service of those businesses people seeking to increase 

their share in the increasingly competitive foreign markets. 

We wish all business people success and lucrative business. 

International Marketing Coordinator 

Ayca Sarioglu 

ayca.sarioglu@img.com.tr 

Correspondent 

İsmail Çakır 

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Finance Manager 

Cuma Karaman 

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Accountant 

Yusuf Demirkazık 

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Digital Assets Manager 

Emre Yener 

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Technical Manager 

Tayfun Aydın 

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Design & Graphics 

Sami aktaş 

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Subsciption 

İsmail Özçelik 

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automotiveexport 

2021 

automotiveexports

Turkey to 

emerge from 

auto chip crisis 

through local 

production 

As the world grapples with a chip crisis that 

has particularly plagued global automakers, 

Turkey is relying on a local production 

center that produces components for the 

country’s ever-growing defense industry. 

The National Electronics and Cryptology 

Research Institute (UEKAE) is attempting 

to develop the components at its 

Semiconductor Technologies Research 

Laboratory (YITAL) in the Gebze district of 

the northwestern industrial province of 

Kocaeli. 

The UEKAE is part of the Scientific and 

Technological Research Council of Turkey 

(TÜBITAK) Informatics and Information 

Security Research Center (BILGEM). 

A significant portion of the chip needs of 

Turkish companies, including Roketsan, 

Aselsan and TÜBITAK Defense Industries 

Research and Development Institute 

(SAGE), are met at the center. 

YITAL executive Aziz Ulvi Çalışkan said they 

have the competence to manufacture 

components for the country’s first 

homegrown car, developed by Turkey’s 

Automobile Joint Venture Group (TOGG), a 

consortium manufacturing the car. 

“We are in preparation for this, we will be 

knocking on their door soon,” Çalışkan told 

Turkish daily Sabah. 

Turkey is among the few countries that 

design and produce all components of 

information security, from the algorithm 

to the chip, said UEKAE Manager Erdal 

Bayram. 

The recent chip shortage plaguing global 

automakers has forced many to halt 

production and there does not seem to be 

an immediate solution. 

Three Turkish carmakers, Ford Otosan, 

Tofaş and Oyak Renault, recently had to 

temporarily suspend their production due 

to the chip supply crisis. 

The shortage has forced production cuts 

worldwide and sparked worries across the 

industry, including at Volkswagen, Ford, 

General Motors, Honda, Hyundai and 

Toyota, prompting countries to ramp up 

efforts to resolve the shortage. 

The spread of COVID-19 has scrambled 

supply and demand patterns worldwide, 

and as a consequence caused a chip 

shortage. 

Erdal says that they are confident they 

have the ability to adapt the production 

of microchips for the defense industry to 

other sectors, including the automotive 

industry. 

Çalışkan said it is possible for the 

domestically-developed chips to be used in 

TOGG. 

“In the automobile industry, there is a 

power control system that transfers power 

from the battery to the wheels. These 

are critical materials. We have important 

solutions, and we have the necessary 

technology,” he said. 

Preparations are underway, he says. “TOGG 

also needs to turn to us, tell us their needs 

and shape us.” 

“We manufacture according to order. It 

could be the same for TOGG,” Çalışkan said. 

The TOGG was formed in June 2018 by 

five industrial giants – the Anadolu Group, 

BMC, Kök Group, Turkcell and Zorlu Holding 

– as well as an umbrella organization, 

the Union of Chambers and Commodity 

Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), to produce the 

country’s first domestically manufactured 

electric vehicle (EV). 

The consortium will produce five different 

models – an SUV, sedan, C-hatchback, 

B-SUV and B-MPV – by 2030. 

The country in December 2019 unveiled 

prototypes of an SUV and a sedan, both 

fully electric and C-segment models. Mass 

production of the SUV will begin in 2022, 

with the sedan to follow. 

November 2021 6

Turkey’s first 

electric car to 

enter European 

markets via 

Germany 

The first models of Turkey’s domestic and 

fully electric vehicle, produced by Turkey’s 

Automobile Enterprise Group (TOGG), 

will come off the mass production lines at 

the end of 2022 and are to be put on the 

country’s market, the industrial entity’s 

CEO, Gürcan Karakaş, said. 

Speaking to the German press, he said that 

after being sold in the domestic market, 

the vehicles will initially enter the German 

market in around one and a half years and 

then be available to European markets in 

general. 

Karakaş commented on the developments 

during his interview for Automobilwoche, 

Germany’s respected automotive 

publication, as the TOGG has started to find 

itself wide coverage in the European press 

as well. 

The German publication emphasized that 

TOGG’s ambitious plans are preparing for a 

great competition. 

Underlining that TOGG, which was 

established with the partnership of the 

most influential companies in the sector 

in Turkey with a combined investment of 3 

billion euros ($3.6 billion), the article said, 

“This is also a transformation project of 

Turkey. Turkey is one of the most important 

supplier countries of Europe in the 

automotive field and has a significant cost 

advantage.” 

TOGG has partnered with Chinese battery 

company Farasis for its electric batteries. 

The Chinese company has established 

a factory in Germany and will supply 

the battery cells from the production 

conducted there. 

“We have plans for joint production with 

the company in Turkey,” Karakaş also said. 

Meanwhile, Turkish daily Akşam also 

reiterated that TOGG is planning to take 

its first step into European markets from 

Germany, where there is a large Turkish 

population. 

TOGG started to establish an innovation 

center in Stuttgart last May and TOGG 

Europe GmbH will serve as an important 

base, the report underlined. 

Further commenting on the export plans 

and new targets of the company Karakaş 

said they currently employ around 450 

people but the company is growing very 

fast in terms of human resources. 

“We plan to reach a total of 800 employees 

by the end of the year,” he said. 

Until 2030, a total of 1 million units of 

five different all-electric models, whose 

intellectual and industrial property rights 

belong entirely to TOGG, will be produced 

at TOGG’s Gemlik factory in Turkey’s 

northwestern Bursa province. 

In July 2020, a groundbreaking ceremony 

for the construction of this particular 

factory, the country’s first domestic car 

plant, was held in Bursa, dubbed the 

country’s automotive capital. The event 

came after the country unveiled prototypes 

of the first fully domestically produced car 

in December last year. The plant will host 

an indigenous car engineering, design and 

production center. 

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said during 

the ceremony that it was a “historic step” 

to realize a 60-year-old dream to produce 

the country’s first domestic car. 

The article published in the German press 

also stated that Turkey has stepped up its 

efforts to provide comprehensive charging 

infrastructure in the country. 

More than 4,000 charging stations are 

planned to be put into operation. The 

investments made aim to establish a 

standard charging station for every 10 

kilometers and fast-charging stations at 

every 25 km on main roads. 

TOGG will be the first nonclassical innate 

electric SUV manufacturer in Europe as of 

2022 when it will start production. 

In June 2018, five industrial giants – the 

Anadolu Group, BMC, Kök Group, Turkcell, 

and Zorlu Holding as well as an umbrella 

organization, the Union of Chambers and 

Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) – 

joined hands to produce the TOGG. It will 

produce five different models – a sport 

utility vehicle (SUV), sedan, c-hatchback, 

b-SUV and b-MPV – until 2030 and own all 

intellectual and industrial property rights. 


Nissan to build 

battery factory, 

make new 

electric cars 

in UK 

Nissan announced plans for a vast battery 

factory in northeast England, where the 

Japanese carmaker will manufacture a 

new electric vehicle as companies and 

governments accelerate away from fossilfuel 

cars. The move marks a major victory 

for the U.K. government’s efforts to attract 

jobs and investment following the country’s 

departure from the European Union. 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson hailed the 

post-Brexit investment totaling 1 billion 

pounds ($1.4 billion) at Nissan’s largest 

European factory that is set to 6,200 jobs 

as “a major vote of confidence in the U.K.” 

Nissan’s Chinese battery supplier Envision 

AESC will invest 450 million pounds to 

build the battery plant that will be run 

on renewable energy and power up to 

100,000 Nissan electric vehicles per year. 

The facility, which will be built next to 

Nissan’s factory in Sunderland, was hailed 

as key to the U.K.’s transition away from 

high-polluting fossil fuel vehicles. 

The news comes just days after Nissan’s 

French partner Renault unveiled plans 

for an Envision-owned battery factory in 

France, as global carmakers race to meet 

booming demand for greener transport 

and governments target net-zero carbon 

emissions by 2050. 

The Japanese auto company is to spend 

up to 423 million pounds on Britain’s 

all-electric EV36Zero project, while 

Sunderland City Council will help to bring 

the total amount of investment up to 1 

billion pounds. 

“This is a landmark day for Nissan, our 

partners, the U.K. and the automotive 

industry as a whole,” said Nissan’s Chief 

Operating Officer Ashwani Gupta, stood 

next to a line of newly-made Nissan 

vehicles awaiting their final inspections. 

Nissan, which had previously warned that a 

no-deal Brexit would threaten its 35-yearold 

Sunderland factory, said the new 

investment represents 6,200 jobs at the 

Japanese group and its U.K. suppliers. 

There will be 900 new Nissan jobs and 750 

new Envision AESC jobs. 

“This is a huge step forward in our 

ambition to put the U.K. at the front of 

the global electric vehicle race,” said U.K. 

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng. 

“The cars made in this plant, using 

batteries made just down the road at the 

U.K.’s first at scale gigafactory, will have 

a huge role to play as we transition away 

from petrol and diesel cars.” 

The U.K. government, which hosts the 

U.N.’s climate change summit in November, 

plans to ban sales of fossil fuel cars from 

2030 as part of efforts to reach net-zero 

carbon emissions by 2050. 

Europe now has projects to build dozens 

of gigafactories that could potentially 

produce 16.7 million battery-electric 

vehicles by 2030, according to Transport 

& Environment, a nongovernmental 

organization (NGO). 

Volvo and Swedish startup Northvolt 

announced they were joining forces to 

build a new battery factory in Europe. 

“U.K. and European carmakers are engaged 

in a race to develop capacity to produce 

battery electric cars,” Peter Wells, an expert 

on the auto sector, told Agence France- 

Presse (AFP). 

“Those manufacturers that fail to develop 

BEV (battery electric vehicle) capabilities 

will simply lose market share,” the Cardiff 

University economics professor said. 

Nissan established Britain’s first electric 

vehicle and battery production at 

Sunderland in 2013 with its Leaf car. 

The company has more recently faced a 

series of trials, from weak demand during 

the pandemic to the fallout from the arrest 

of former boss Carlos Ghosn, now an 

international fugitive after jumping bail and 

fleeing Japan. It has delayed the planned 

summer launch of its flagship new electric 

Ariya model to this winter over the global 

chip shortage plaguing automakers. 

Announced in July 2020, the new 100% 

electric model was initially supposed to 

go on sale in Japan from mid-2021, before 

arriving in Europe, North America and 

China by the end of the year. 

In the U.K., Lei Zhang, founder and chief 

executive officer of Envision Group, said 

his company was building on its long-term 

partnership with Nissan “to make high 

performance, longer range batteries for 

electric vehicles affordable and accessible 

for millions more motorists.” 

He said growth in demand could bring 

a future investment of up to 1.8 billion 

pounds and 4,500 jobs by 2030. Nissan’s 

Sunderland hub currently employs about 

6,000 workers and produces 400,000 cars 

annually, mostly for export. 


a new hologram and artificial intelligence 

technology to vehicles in 2023, will be the 

first person to do so. 

From hack to artificial intelligence 

Erbakan Malkoç… Many important names not only from Turkey, but also 

from all over the world, want him to design “walking offices” in his own words. 

First of all, can we listen to the adventure 

of DizaynVip since its establishment? 

I always had the feeling of discovering 

something new. Because the situation I 

was in did not make me happy. I needed 

to do something different from everyone 

else and I needed to make my dreams 

come true. Yes, there were luxury cars 

like Ferrari and Porsche at that time, but, I 

decided to go this way with the idea ‘Why 

not a personalized car?’ Just as there is 

a personal tailor and a personal watch, 

there must be a personal car. I decided 

to establish DizaynVip with the idea that 

especially business people should use the 

time they spend in their vehicle efficiently. 

Today, we transform the vehicles of the 

most important names in the world with 

our 10 thousand square meter factory 

and more than 100 employees. We have 

enabled a sector whose name is not 

even spoken in Turkey to be appreciated 

in many parts of the world. We are now 

among the few companies, doing this job 

best in the world. This is an indescribable 

feeling. Europe recognizes us not only as a 

company, transforming cars, but also as the 

best company for sustainable competition 

and innovation. 

Erbakan Malkoç, who started his love for 

cars with a horse cart he saw in the village 

where he lived as a child, is today the only 

authorized van partner of Mercedes-Benz 

in Turkey. Malkoç, who is so well-known 

and exemplary in his field in the world, 

is again coming with a game-changing 

innovation. Erbakan Malkoç, who will apply 

What achievements have you made to 

your brand? 

We are making time and place independent 

designs and walking offices. We are the 


only authorized van partner of Mercedes- 

Benz in Turkey in terms of vehicle 

conversion. We were invited from the USA 

and received the “The company, using 

technology best in automobile design 

in the world” award. We participated in 

seminars and conferences as speakers by 

receiving invitations from many universities 

in Turkey. We receive invitations as 

speakers from engineering faculties 

and entrepreneurship clubs of many 

different universities, and whenever we 

have time, we come together with future 

engineers and entrepreneurs to share our 

experiences. By sharing our success story 

with our young friends, we try to be a role 

model for them. 

So what is your difference? 

First of all, we use 100% domestic and the 

best materials. We manufacture most of 

our parts in DizaynVip factory. For example 

we are breaking new ground with each of 

our designs, from the technology that I 

developed in 2009, which the automotive 

industry could only detect in 2013, to the 

technology that you can command your 

vehicle via your smart phone or tablet 

wherever you are in the world, to the 

automobile that speaks to you. 

You can command 196 parts of your vehicle 

with your tablet or smart phone wherever 

you are in the world. We have been 

working on artificial intelligence technology 

for a long time. We are preferred because 

we offer designs that are beyond time and 

we always present firsts to the world about 

our industry. 

To put it in titles, we built DizaynVip on a 

tripod. The car will have such a design that 

it will not resemble any other car. This is 

the most important feature, distinguishing 

us from other competitors. We do not 

imitate. Everyone imitates us, including the 

world’s automakers. Two, we adapt such 

a technology to our different design that 

we equip a technology that is not in the 

dream of any automobile manufacturer in 

the world. Three, we offer this design and 

technology in such a quality that we exceed 

European standards. In other words, no 

production can be offered anywhere in 

the world with the quality we offer. These 

three facts distinguish DizaynVip from the 

people who do business in their own sector 

in the world. We maintain our “handmade” 

feature even in mass production. Our 

most important feature is that we use 

and produce our own imagination 

and assemble it into our cars, without 

imitating any of the world’s automobile 

manufacturers in technology. No one 

can reach these three special structures 

anywhere in the world, and our three 

characteristics differentiate us. 

Where from are the designs you made 

demanded? 

Also in 2013, we have been granted the 

award “Best Automobile Design Award in 

Europe” in International Brand Leaders 

Summit Lob’in Europe and in 2014, “The 

Company that Uses Technology the Best 

in Automobile Design in the World” in 

the most prestigious organization of the 

USA, IMA IMPACT Technology Summit. 

These have made us a brand in the 

international arena. As DizaynVip, we 

have become a brand that is in demand 

from almost 200 countries and exports 

to more than 30 countries. In addition to 

having distributorships in China, Dubai, 

America and Russia, we also have our own 

company in Germany. During this period, 

we have made significant progress in mass 

production. We opened a production 

facility in China. Now we will be able 

to increase our exports even more by 

producing more vehicles without losing our 

handmade feature. Today, DizaynVip makes 

a significant contribution to the Turkish 

economy with an export of 250 dollars per 

kilogram. 

15 November 2021

Turkey to allocate $500M restructuring 

credit to Northern Cyprus 

A$500 million (TL 4.32 billion) line of credit 

to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus 

(TRNC) was approved by Turkey according 

to a decree published in the Official 

Gazette. 

The funds will be used in the restructuring 

of the public and financial sectors in the 

TRNC, as well as other fields included 

within the scope of the deal. 

The TRNC will make interest payments for 

the provided credit per the six-month U.S. 

dollar LIBOR (London Interbank Offered 

Rate) published on Reuters’ LIBOR page. 

The interest payments will begin six 

months after the signing of the credit and 

payments will be made every six-month 

basis. 

The capital payment, meanwhile, will begin 

36 months after the signing of the credit 

and will be paid back every six months in 

14 installments. 

The two countries in March signed an 

“investment-oriented” agreement for 

financial cooperation. 

“Our main goal in this agreement is 

investments. Our aim is to contribute to 

the formation of a self-sufficient TRNC 

economy by strengthening the areas 

with a high multiplier effect in the TRNC. 

With this agreement, we allocated TL 2.5 

billion ($336.83 million) of new resources 

to the TRNC this year. We anticipate total 

support of TL 3.25 billion with the amount 

transferred from last year,” Turkish Vice 

President Fuat Oktay said during a joint 

press conference with TRNC Prime Minister 

Ersan Saner. The agreement covers 

investments in important infrastructures, 

including the health system, main road 

projects and the establishment of a new 

industrial zone in the TRNC, to which 

Turkey will provide support. 

Confidence in 

Turkey’s key 

sectors improves 

Turkey’s sectoral confidence index improved on a monthly basis in June, according to data 

the country’s statistical authority, Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), showed. 

Among all sub-indices, the services sector index posted the largest rise with 6.2% to 108.5 

this month thanks to the easing of lockdown restrictions after mid-May as coronavirus cases 

and fatalities continue to ebb nationwide. 

The retail trade confidence index climbed 4.8% month-on-month to 105.7, mainly driven by 

business activity-sales expectation over the next three months. 

Calculated from the monthly survey, results are evaluated within the range of 0-200, with 

sectoral confidence indices signaling an optimistic outlook when the value is above 100, 

and a pessimistic outlook when it is below 100. 


The target is Europe 

Naya, planning to move to new production 

facilities within 3 years, aims to produce 

different products for the sector. 

Naya, started to produce truck and trailer 

components in 2001, continues to produce 

the connection cables between the trailer 

and the tractor. Bulent Nasipoğlu, the 

owner of the company, said that Turkey 

ranks number three in the world in terms 

of aftermarket in the automotive sector, 

underlined that they want to export to 

Europe in their new production facilities. 

When was Naya founded? Could you give 

information about your production and 

products? 

Naya has been producing, exporting and 

importing truck and trailer equipment since 

2001. Our company operates in a total 

area of 1500 square meters in Istanbul. 

Our company, which specializes in the 

production of electrical cables, air hose, 

plugs and sockets, air couplings, door 

handles, various valves, cargo tensioning 

apparatus, customs rope, etc., also makes 

efforts to develop new products in its own 

molding house. 

What are the products you specifically 

produced? 

Our main product range is trailer cables 

and fittings, which we call hoses. These 

connection cables between the trailer and 

the tractor are divided into two as air and 

electrical groups. The air group includes air 

hoses, couplings, air gun and in-cab hoses. 

In the electrical group, there are plugs, 

sockets, circuit breakers, ABS and adapter 

cables. 

What other services do you have for spare 

parts? 

In addition to our production activities, 

we also serve our customers in the supply 

and sale of spare parts for many trucks 

and trailers. We can briefly line up these 

products such as suspension bellows, 

trailer shock absorber, various valves, 

repair kits, record and apparatus, lighting 

products. 

If you need to evaluate the last period of 

the sector, what would you like to say? 

We believe that in the current state of the 

market, it is necessary to develop new 

products. In the pandemic process, the 

problems experienced in the products we 

imported showed us the necessity of this. 

I think we will see the positive effects of 

the Automechanika fair as no fair has been 

held for 2 years and we cannot go abroad. 

Do you have any new investments? 

This facility we established 13 years ago 

is no longer sufficient. We have a place 

in Gebze, Istanbul. We are planning to 

move to this new place in 3 years. We are 

planning to produce different and newer 

products there. In the meantime, we will 

continue to make an aftermarket in our 

country by bringing imported products. 

Can you tell us about the countries you 

export to? Do you have any new plans? 

Until 5 years ago, we directed 95% of our 

production to export. Then we started to 

open up to the domestic market. It is a 

difficult situation to import and sell abroad, 

except for the nearby countries. Currently, 

we continue our exports mainly to Iran, 

Iraq, North African countries, Nigeria and 

Balkan countries. Our new target is Europe. 

We will do this work when we move to our 

new production facility. 

If we compare Turkey and other countries 

in the automotive sector, what would you 

like to say? 

Turkey ranks number three in the world 

in terms of aftermarket in the automotive 

sector. We are producing in a locomotive 

sector. So, this sector is dragging many 

different sectors after it. This also improves 

the manufacturing infrastructure. For 

example, in countries such as Russia and 

Ukraine, our customers want to do some of 

the production there over time. However, 

their infrastructure is not suitable for this. 

Our infrastructure has improved a lot, 

especially thanks to the automotive sector. 

We are a very developed country in terms 

of raw materials, molding, engineering and 

qualified personnel. In short, we can say 

that the automotive sector is one of the 

most important sectors that support our 

country, especially in exports. 

How did the events of the last 2 years 

affect you and therefore the industry? 

I don’t think there is a problem in the 

aftermarket. In real terms, we closed 2020 

and 2021 with a growth of more than 20%. 

We can say that these growths have taken 

place because of the ability to act quickly 

or because the aftermarket is a strong 

sector. In addition, there were problems 

with the original parts during this period. 

This was reflected to the sub-industry and 

therefore to us. 

Finally, what would you like to add? 

As Naya, we will continue our activities 

with the awareness of being the first 

address in the future, as it is today, in 

providing services to our customers in the 

production and supply of spare parts for 

trucks and trailers. 


Turkey-A 

global player 

in autumotive 

industry 

During the 1990’s, as other international 

manufacturers like Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, 

Isuzu and Mercedes-Benz 

entered the market, Turkey rapidly became 

an automotive production base which not 

only caters to one-time 

developments of the industry but rather 

holds long-term development options. 

Turkey has a thriving automotive sector, 

demonstrating substantial growth in the 

past. All players involved, including local 

authorities and the government, are 

participating in providing conditions to 

increase output in the future. Some of the 

facts are: 

-High level of integration into the global 

automotive industry 

-14th major automotive producer in 

theWorld,with 78% average export rate 

-Vehicles of Turkish origin hold the leading 

position among the vehicles coming from 

outside of EU 

-Production, export, and engineering hub 

of global brands for international markets 

-Quality products with high export rates 

-Hundreds of Tier 1 companies working 

directly with OEMs 

-Center of excellence in automotive 

engineering and R&D,in which new 

technologies are developed 

Strong international presence 

-Giants of global automotive value chain 

benefit from Turkey’s location, cost, 

andcompetitiveadvantages 

-Because of their profitable business in the 

country, companies in Turkey continue to 

invest in the country’s future 

-9 R&D centers support not only the local 

operations, but also the operations in other 

plants of parent companies. Ford Otosan’s 

R&D department is one of Ford’s 3 largest 

global R&D centers 

-R&D centerin Bursa is the only center of 

Fiat outside of Italy serving the European 

market. 

-For Courier, Ford’s new light commercial 

vehicle, the Yeniköy plant is the sole 

production center in the world. 

-Toyota’s C-HR Hybrid is produced in Turkey 

for World markets 

-Daimler R&D is the center of competence 

for some parts and carries global 

responsibility. 

-With more than 40 thousand employees, 

automotive OEMs are one of the major 

employers in the manufacturing industry. 


Good news of 5 

thousand new 

employment from 

GKN Kargo! 

Business target of GKN Kargo for 2022 

is “100% delivery, 100% customer 

satisfaction thanks to digitalization.” 

GKN, the fastest growing player in 

its sector, started the transition to 

digitalization in the cargo sector. The 

company, which aims to achieve 100% 

delivery and 100% customer satisfaction 

with its real-time vehicle tracking system, 

also gave the good news of 5 thousand new 

employments. 

Giving the good news of 5 thousand new 

employments with the management 

meeting and training event held at the 

Swiss Hotel on Sunday, October 10, Gökhan 

Akyürek, Chairman of the Board, GKN 

Kargo said, “Our goal is to reach 18 transfer 

centers and 300 agencies across Turkey. 

With new partners who will join us without 

stopping, we will increase our daily delivery 

of 350 thousand packages to 1 million.” 

Stating that GKN Kargo will grow its trade in 

2022, as it did this year, Akyürek, referring 

to the digitalization process, said, “Now is 

the time to set new targets and new routes 

for ourselves. We invested in technology 

in order not to disappoint the trust placed 

in us. With our latest software investment, 

you will now be able to see all variables 

from a single system, from receiving 

the cargo to tracking, road and weather 

conditions. In this way, we will create 

the most accurate route and deliver the 

products to our customers at the promised 

time. With our digitalization trainings, we 

will use our new software efficiently and 

prevent human-induced errors, and we will 

delete expressions such as ‘we couldn’t 

find you at home’ from the sector.” 

‘We have achieved our 150 percent 

growth target’ 

Emphasizing that it is difficult but not 

unattainable to reach the target of sending 

1 million cargo per day, Gökhan Akyürek 

said, “We studied the industry that shifted 

from retail to internet shopping during 

the pandemic and took quick action. We 

achieved our 150 percent growth target 

in the first half of 2021, when the effects 

of the pandemic began to wane. We have 

no doubt that we will achieve our 2022 

goals. We will continue to carry the Turkish 

economy to keep it alive.” 


Turkey safe 

harbor for 

international 

investors 

Turkey is a safe harbor for international 

investors that offers a qualified workforce 

and inclusive support, the vice president 

said. 

Holding a joint news conference with 

Tatarstan’s President Rustam Minnikhanov 

in capital Ankara, Fuat Oktay said the 

Turkish economy displayed a “very 

successful performance” during the 

COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting that 

public and private sector investments 

continued without slowing down. 

“Turkey is a safe harbor for international 

investors with its competitive production 

structure, qualified workforce, strategic 

location, modern logistics infrastructure, 

and inclusive support and incentive 

programs,” he said. 

His remarks came following a signing 

ceremony where Turkey inked a 

cooperation deal with Tatarstan and an 

investment deal with Tatneft, a leading 

Russian petrochemical company. 

The deal between Informatics Valley, a 

key Turkish technology ecosystem, and 

Tatarstan’s Innopolis Special Economic 

Zone, is aimed at cooperation on 

technology and science, Oktay said. 

“Under this agreement, we will establish 

an incubation center in Innopolis, Tatarstan 

that will provide infrastructure, training, 

consultancy, and networking services 

to young entrepreneurs in the fields of 

mobility, information technologies and 

game development,” he added. 

Meanwhile, the memorandum of 

understanding signed with Tatneft includes 

support for a production facility that the 

Russian company plans to establish in 

Turkey, Oktay said. 

“Like all other investments, Tatneft’s maleic 

anhydride production facility planned to be 

established in Turkey is supported by our 

Ministry and benefits from the incentives,” 

he stated. The second deal with Tatneft 

is a preliminary protocol in the field of 

chemical industry signed with Gebze 

Organized Industrial Zone for the same 

investment, he elaborated. Minnikhanov, 

for his part, said that many high-tech 

projects have been initiated in Turkey, 

adding: “We want the representatives of 

the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia’s leading 

region, to take part in these projects.” 

“As a result of our two days of hard work, 

interesting projects have emerged involving 

both Turkey and Tatarstan,” he added. 


Continued 

microchip 

shortage forces 

Audi to shorttime 

work 

Due to the continuing shortage of 

semiconductors, the German carmaker 

Audi extends the summer holidays for 

around 10,000 workers at its plants in 

Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm. 

The employees will work short time, a 

company spokesman said and added 

that the measures would mean a cut in 

production of several thousand planned 

cars. 

At the main plant in Ingolstadt, all assembly 

lines will be at a standstill until August 

30. Two of these close-downs are caused 

by the microchip shortage, the other 

because of conversion work for the start of 

production of the electric Q6 Etron. 

Audi has also announced short time 

work for September as a precautionary 

measure, but at the same time has planned 

additional shifts on several weekends. 

The company has full order books but 

was unable to build about 50,000 cars 

in the first half of the year due to a lack 

of components. When components are 

delivered, the carmaker will try to catch 

up with the lost production. “You have 

to plan from week to week. In the past, 

even planned additional shifts had to be 

canceled,” the spokesperson explained. 

CFO Juergen Rittersberger warned in July 

that there could be further production 

stoppages and short-time work in August 

and September due to semiconductor 

shortages. Where possible, the chips would 

be installed in vehicles with the highest 

profit contribution and the lowest carbon 

dioxide emissions. 

Other carmakers are also short of 

microchips. BMW could probably sell 

70,000 to 90,000 more cars this year 

without the shortages, according to chief 

financial officer Nicolas Peter. 

“At the moment, however, all plants 

worldwide are well supplied,” a BMW 

spokesperson said. 


Global electric 

car sales 

leap 41% in 

2020 despite 

pandemic 

Global electric vehicle (EV) sales jumped 

by a record 41% year-on-year to around 

3 million units last year, the International 

Energy Agency (IEA) said. 

Globally, consumers spent around $120 

billion on EVs in 2020, while governments 

forked out around $13 billion in subsidies, 

or equivalent to around 10% of total 

spending, down from 20% of total spending 

in 2015, the report said. 

The record rise in electric car sales came 

despite the COVID-19 crisis during which 

the global auto industry suffered a 

major shock by contracting 16% last year 

compared to 2019. 

Sales of electric vehicles represented 

4.6% of total global car sales last year, the 

agency said. 

With last year’s increase, the number 

of electric cars on the roads worldwide 

reached over 10 million, with the addition 

of approximately 1 million electric vans, 

heavy trucks and buses. 

The global EV fleet in 2020 consumed 

over 80 terawatt-hours of electricity, 

corresponding to the current electricity 

demand of Belgium. Electricity demand 

from EVs accounted for only about 1% of 

the world’s current total final electricity 

consumption, according to the IEA. 

Europe, for the first time last year, overtook 

China to register 1.4 million cars on an 

annual basis to become the center of the 

global electric car market. 

As electric car registrations in Europe 

more than doubled last year, those in 

China increased 9% to 1.2 million. These 

figures compare favorably against the U.S., 

which only registered 295,000 electric 

cars in 2020. China still has the biggest car 

fleet, reaching 4.5 million last year, while 

Europe’s electric car fleet hit 3.2 million by 

the end of 2020. 

Fatih Birol, executive director of the IEA, 

asserted in the report that electric vehicles 

have an indispensable role to play in 

reaching net-zero emissions worldwide and 

urged governments to focus on expanding 

EV infrastructure. 

“Current sales trends are very encouraging, 

but our shared climate and energy 

goals call for even faster market uptake. 

Governments should now be doing the 

essential groundwork to accelerate 

the adoption of electric vehicles by 

using economic recovery packages to 

invest in battery manufacturing and the 

development of widespread and reliable 

charging infrastructure,” he said. 

Consumer spending on electric cars 

increased by another 50% in 2020 to reach 

$120 billion, while governmental support 

stood at $14 billion, showing a drop for the 

fifth consecutive year. 

“Even if government subsidies remain 

important for spurring the uptake of 

electric vehicles, this suggests sales 

are increasingly being driven more by 

consumer choice,” the report revealed. 

The IEA showed that automakers offered 

370 electric car models in 2020, marking a 

40% year-on-year increase. 

Eighteen of the 20 largest automakers have 

announced intentions to further increase 

the number of available models and boost 

production of electric light-duty vehicles 

as these automakers account for 90% of all 

global auto sales. 

The report said: “governments helped 

buffer electric cars from 2020’s downturn 

by extending existing policy and fiscal 

support, and augment them with stimulus 

measures in response to the COVID-19 

crisis.” 

140% rise in first quarter 

The strong growth maintained its trend 

in the first quarter, but more government 

action is needed on charging stations 

and fossil-fuel vehicle bans to keep the 

momentum going, the agency said. 

“We still see no sign of a slowdown in 

global electric car markets,” said Timur Gül, 

head of the IEA’s energy technology policy 

division, in a presentation on the global 

outlook for EVs. First-quarter global EV 

sales soared 140% to 1.1 million vehicles, 

with strong growth in China, Europe 

and the United States, the IEA said. The 

report said that based on current trends 

and policies, the number of electric cars, 

vans, heavy trucks and buses on the roads 

worldwide will see a major expansion and 

reach 145 million by 2030. 

However, the IEA said the global fleet could 

reach 230 million if governments accelerate 

efforts to reach international climate 

and energy goals, as outlined in the IEA’s 

Sustainable Development Scenario. 

It added that if governments around the 

world pull together to pursue the even 

more ambitious goal of reaching net-zero 

emission by 2050, the global electric car 

fleet would grow further. 


ABA Automotive 

excels in exports 

of belt tensioners, 

idler pulleys, 

Multi-V Belts, 

timing and PK kits 

Rafet Berk Bulut: “First, we need to export culture and characteristics, not products. If the name of 

“Made in Turkey” improves, I have no doubt about the capability of Turkish manufacturers” 

ABA Automotive, which has been serving 

the sector since 1982 and started its 

operations under its own name in 2002, 

continues its activities in the most 

important areas of the automotive sector 

such as belt tensioners, idler pulleys and 

OAPs. Pointing out that they export most 

of their production, Rafet Berk Bulut, 

ABA Automotive Business Development 

Manager, stated that they are working on 

the demands coming from the Americas 

region in the coming period. 

First of all, can you furnish us with some 

information about ABA Automotive? 

How long have you been serving in the 

industry? 

We have been in the industry since 1982. 

Our journey begins as a spare part retail 

shop in Istanbul-Goztepe. We still have 

these retail shops. But ABA Automotive 

has officially established in 2002. Since 

2002, we have been manufacturing belt 

tensioners, idler pulleys, OAPs and since 

2017 we have Multi-V Belts, timing and PK 

kits in our range. Currently, we have two 

factories in Tekirdag and one distribution 

hub in Istanbul with total of 200+ 

employees. 

Could you tell us about the products you 

produce on the automotive side and the 

features of these products that distinguish 

them from their similar products? 

We are manufacturing powertrain 

parts. These parts require sensitive 

manufacturing and plays a big role in the 


engine performance. If your timing belt 

slips from the tensioner, it may cause 

whole engine to be damaged. 

We have many advantages and 

disadvantages compared to our 

competitors. I think the biggest difference 

of ABA is reliability. We have a warranty 

that can cover every cost like towing, 

demaged parts, labor etc. not only the 

product. This is how much we trust our 

production. We are offering the optimum 

product in a mid-price level for the market. 

This is also really important for our 

customers to choose us. 

What are the countries and regions you 

export to? Are there any new markets and 

countries that you intend to enter? What 

are your export plans for the next year? 

Approximately %80 of our sales are 

export. Most of this %80 is Europe. France 

and Germany is %50. We are exporting 

tensioners every year to more than 50 

countries. We have distributors in Chile, 

New Zealand, Cote d’ivoire. 

Regarding to the new markets, we have 

a big demand from North and South 

America. We are also planning to increase 

our availability. In today’s market, 

availability is maybe the most important 

point. We have some short-term plans to 

open regional distribution hubs in EU and 

North America in the following years. 

How has COVID, which has affected the 

whole world in the last 2 years, affected 

you? What advantages and disadvantages 

have occurred both in production and in 

marketing? 

Covid-19 has affected all the supplychain 

for all industries. In the first year 

of pandemic, everybody was panicked. 

Some of our customers increased their 

supply and some decreased. But the real 

impact on supply-chain hit in the beginning 

of 2021. All the raw material prices are 

increased a lot. Today as November 2021, 

Aluminum price has increase more than 

%100 in the last 16 months. When it comes 

to us and auto parts industry, Aluminum 

is really crucial and highly consumed 

raw material. But worse was not the 

price increase. The biggest problem was 

availability. Even with the increased prices, 

manufacturers couldn’t purchase the basic 

raw materials with demanded volume. 

We were also affected negatively on raw 

material problems but, hopefully we have 

had stocks and alternatives suppliers. 

I think there were so many opportunities 

during the pandemic. There still are. 

Everybody increased their prices, 

availabilities changed, that created 

opportunities for manufacturers to work 

with new customers. We are also one of 

those manufacturers. Every crise creates 

opportunities. In conclusion, I would say 

that for us, pros were more than the cons. 

Our sales grew %40 in one year despite the 

supply chain problems. 

As someone from the industry, what 

would you like to say about Turkey’s place 

in the world in the automotive industry? 

Turkey is an important country for 

Automotive OEM and Aftermarket. Lots 

of OE manufacturers and aftermarket 

manufacturers are supplying not only for 

domestic market but also exporting all 

over the world. After the recent changes 

in the global supply chain, manufacturing 

in Turkey has improved and the trend 

looks to be improved even more. That 

is of course a good thing but we also 

need to increase the sales of Turkish 

branded products. It is really sad to see 

Turkish brand names trying to be look like 

German and German distributors rarely 

sell Turkish branded products. This applies 

for all industries in Turkey and I believe it 

is still fixable. Maybe not in a short term 

but long term. 

First, we need to export culture and 

characteristics, not products. If the name 

of “Made in Turkey” improves, I have 

no doubt about the capability of Turkish 

manufactures. In order to that, we need 

to be reliable and honest to both our 

customers and suppliers in the global 

trading. Trust is the most important point 

in sales. As a country, I believe these are 

the points that the Turkish manufacturers 

should improve. 


Cars sales to 

surge as Turkey 

hikes tax 

thresholds for 

some vehicles 

Turkey increased the price threshold to 

impose a special consumption tax (ÖTV) 

on some new vehicles, a move that will 

prompt price cuts and boost sales. 

The tax base for some cars was raised in 

lower-tier tax brackets, which cover the 

bulk of the car market, according to a 

presidential decree published in the Official 

Gazette. The ÖTV rates on car purchases 

were kept unchanged. 

The new price threshold for cars with 

engine capacity of up to 1,600 cubic 

centimeters that are included in the 45% 

tax bracket has been increased to TL 92,000 

($10,770), up from TL 85,000. 

The previous base of over TL 85,000 but 

below TL 130,000 for vehicles included in 

the 50% ÖTV bracket has been lifted to TL 

92,000-TL 150,000 range, according to the 

decree. The price threshold of TL 130,000 

and above for vehicles in the 80% tax 

bracket has been increased to TL 150,000 

and above. 

For cars with an engine capacity of over 

1,600 cubic centimeters but below 2,000 

cubic centimeters, the ÖTV price threshold 

has been increased to TL 114,000-TL 

170,000 range, up from TL 85,000-TL 

135,000. 

The tax base change has lead to price 

cuts of more than 16% for certain cars, 

according to sector representatives, while 

it is also expected to prompt a roughly 10% 

decline in the secondhand market. 

Shares in Turkish auto manufacturers Tofaş 

and Ford Otosan and automotive importer 

and distributor Doğuş Otomotiv were up 

at market opening while the bluechip BIST 

100 index traded flat. 

The regulation will reflect positively 

and prices could fall in some models 

and brands, Hayri Erce, the head of the 

Automotive Distributors’ Association 

(ODD) said, noting that the volatility in 

the exchange rates and high interest rates 

made access to cars increasingly difficult. 

“The annual sales could exceed our 

forecast of 775,000-825,000 with the 

amendment,” Erce said. 

For instance, she said there would be a 

discount of more than 16% on new cars 

with prices below TL 350,000 since they 

will shift from the 80% tax bracket to the 

50% bracket. 

The amendment will most positively impact 

cars in the 80% tax bracket, she said. “Price 

here will fall by 16% as many models 

that were previously included in the 80% 

bracket will now be included in the 50% 

bracket. In those to be shifted to the 45% 

ÖTV bracket from 50%, the price is falling 

3.3%,” Erce explained. 

On the other hand, Hüsamettin Yalçın, 

general manager of the automotive sector 

data and analysis company Cardata, said 

the amendment would push down the 

price of the vehicles in the secondhand 

market. 

“While models of up to TL 350,000 will 

become cheaper by around 15%, we expect 

prices in the secondhand market to drop 

10%,” Yalçın told the Turkish business 

daily Dünya. Sales of passenger cars and 

light commercial vehicles across Turkey 

increased by 29.6% in the January-July 

period to around 442,550 units, according 

to ODD data. Passenger car sales surged 

27% to 346,636, the data showed. 

The association had forecast that sales 

of passenger cars and light commercial 

vehicles would amount to between 

775,000 and 825,000 this year. 

Sales had jumped 61.3% to 772,788 units in 

2020 despite all the obstacles during a year 

overshadowed by the pandemic. Passenger 

car sales surged 57.6% in the same period 

to reach 610,109 units. 


‘Made in Turkey’ 

horn to equip 

global electric 

vehicles 

Millions of vehicles from dozens of global 

automakers on the road around the world 

have one thing in common: a horn built by 

a Turkish auto parts manufacturer. 

Seger from the northwestern province of 

Bursa, dubbed Turkey’s automotive capital, 

has been manufacturing the only unique 

voice heard from millions of vehicles on 

the road for four decades now. And it 

is now pushing ahead to turn into the 

main supplier for the electric vehicle (EV) 

industry. The company is among the main 

suppliers of horns for many carmakers, 

including Audi, Volkswagen, Mercedes, 

Renault, Citroen, Peugeot, Hyundai, Opel 

and Ford. It has invested in China as well 

and employs nearly 200 people in its Bursa 

factory. 

The biggest horn manufacturer in Turkey 

embarked on its journey in a modest 

workshop with copper wire production 

in Bursa in 1981. It has produced almost 

110 million horns to date, 80% of which 

were sent to nearly 70 countries. It also 

manufactures the parts for trains and ships. 

It had also equipped a Tesla Roadster, an 

electric sports car that Elon Musk launched 

into space on one of his SpaceX rockets in 

February 2018. It is the electric vehicle (EV) 

industry where Seger’s parts have become 

more widespread recently. 

“We don’t have many competitors in 

our product range. This cake is shared 

by three companies in Europe and 10-12 

companies worldwide, said Selim Baykal, 

the company’s chairperson. 

“We are a number player in electric 

vehicles. We are producing the horns of 

Tesla, and Xpeng,” Baykal told Anadolu 

Agency (AA), referring to the Chinese 

electric vehicle manufacturer. 

The company manufactures many parts 

such as electromechanical, electronic, 

air and reverse horns, Baykal informed, 

stressing the recent intense production of 

electric vehicles. 

Seger will also be a supplier for Turkey’s 

Automobile Joint Venture Group (TOGG), 

a consortium developing the nation’s first 

homegrown car. 

TOGG will produce five different fully 

electric models – an SUV, sedan, 

C-hatchback, B-SUV and B-MPV – through 

2030. Mass production of the SUV will 

begin in 2022, with the sedan to follow. 

“We will also provide the horn for our 

domestic vehicle TOGG. I hope that we will 

continue our path by developing further in 

the coming years,” said Baykal. 

The company keeps the bar high as its 

chairperson stressed plans to further boost 

its market share. 

“We want to further increase our share of 

this, to bring our products together with 

more companies,” he noted. “Even though 

it is only one, but we have our product 

even in space. We are proud of this.” 

Baykal also informed they have started 

operating in the lighting group as well. 

“We began to operate not only on the 

horn but also in the lighting group. We are 

aiming to reach a certain market share in 

this field as well,” he noted. 


Turkey’s Karsan to produce Renault’s Megane sedan 

As part of the Renault Group’s strategy 

to optimize its industrial footprint, the 

Turkish-French joint venture Oyak Renault 

signed a five-year agreement with Turkish 

vehicle manufacturer Karsan for the 

production of its Megane sedan model. 

According to the carmaker’s statement, 

the agreement aims to transfer the existing 

Megane sedan production to Karsan, thus 

making room for a new generation of 

vehicles at the Oyak Renault factory. The 

agreement is expected to become effective 

in the latter part of 2022. 

While Karsan will be responsible for the 

production and assembly of the vehicle, 

the Turkish-French joint venture company 

will continue to produce parts for the 

chassis. 

Oyak Renault will also continue to 

be responsible for the quality of the 

completed vehicles and the relations with 

the parts suppliers. The production of the 

Megane Sedan will be carried out by Karsan 

for five years, while the current sales 

network of the vehicle will be continued as 

it is currently. 

The project aims for a yearly production 

capacity of 55,000 units. 

Oyak Renault general manager and cowriter 

of the statement, Antoine Aoun, 

said he believes cooperation with a brand 

like Karsan, who has deep knowledge of 

the field and a competent workforce, will 

contribute greatly to the Turkish economy 

while adding a different perspective to the 

sector. 

Karsan CEO Okan Baş said his company, 

which offers global electric and high-tech 

transportation solutions suitable for the 

mobility needs of the era, is happy for this 

cooperation with Oyak Renault. 

“I believe that our cooperation with Oyak 

Renault will continue by getting stronger 

with this project, which we have taken the 

first step of. At the same time, we wish this 

good development to be auspicious for our 

Turkish automotive industry,” he said. 

Oyak Renault, one of the facilities with the 

highest capacity of the Renault Group with 

an annual production volume of 378,000 

cars and 920,000 engines, continues to 

produce and export the new Clio, new Clio 

Hybrid and Megane Sedan models, as well 

as the engines and mechanical parts used 

in those models. 


Turkey’s auto 

production, 

exports up in 

first 9 months 

Turkey’s automotive production, 

including light commercial vehicles, 

tractors and automobiles, is up by 8% 

during the first nine months of this year 

versus the same period of 2020, an 

association report said. 

The production amounted to 921,619 

units made from January to September, 

according to the Automotive 

Manufacturers Association (OSD). 

Meanwhile, passenger car production 

posted a decline of 1%, standing at 

571,108 units in the same period. 

The capacity utilization rate in the sector 

was 63% from January to September. 

On the sales side, the auto market, 

including light trucks and other vehicles, 

expanded 15% compared to the same 

period last year, reaching 582,083 units. 

Automotive industry exports also 

increased by 24.5% to $21.7 billion (TL 

194.37 billion) on a value basis. The 

sector exported 671,674 vehicles during 

the nine-month period. In September, 

auto production decreased by 24.7% on 

an annual basis to reach 107,029 units. 


“We have become one of the first companies that 

adapt quickly to the new normal.” 

VECTOR Chairman Burak BACAKCI 

Vector continues to increase its share in 

target markets by growing more and more 

each day with the service and product 

quality it offers, increasing its business 

volume and turnover. The company’s target 

is to open up to new markets, to become 

the leading global brand of the world and 

Turkey. 

Vector company representative Burak 

Bacakci evaluated their current positions in 

the country and abroad and conveyed his 

thoughts about his future plans. 

Can you tell us about Vector Automotive? 

Vector Automotive was established in 1981 

and has been exporting spare parts since 

its establishment. Currently, our entire 

sales strategy is aimed at exporting abroad, 

and there may be differences in the 

future. We are offering more than 40,000 

OEM, OES and Aftermarket spare parts 

for Heavy Vehicles, Light Commercial and 

Passenger Vehicles from Engine to Brake 

System, Cooling to Wheel System, Gearbox 

to Steering System, to our customers in 

more than 120 countries under Vector 

Automotive quality and guarantee with our 

experience of more than 40 years. 

As Vector Automotive, what is your 

difference from your competitors? 

What are your features that make you 

stand out? 

As Vector Automotive, we aim to establish 

long-lasting relationships based on trust 

with both our suppliers and the companies 

we export to. In this way, we, as VECTOR 

Automotive, try to do our best to ensure 

that every customer we host leaves our 

country happily, by ensuring mutual trust 

and stability in our work, and by carrying 

our customer satisfaction further in all our 

commercial activities. This is one of our 

most important factors ensuring we are 

always one step ahead of our competitors. 

Our high quality and fast product 

shipments are another important feature 

that brings us to the fore and thanks to 

these shipments we make on time and 

completely, we increase the satisfaction of 

our customers even more. 

With our young, dynamic and experienced 

team, we offer effective solutions to all 

questions and requests from our customers 

without wasting time. Our first priority 

is to act according to the dynamics and 

values of each country within our service 

philosophy. Therefore; we have brought 

together our Sales Team, which is our 

company’s window to the world, from our 

international teammates. 

We are conscious of being a global 

brand, which attaches great importance 

to innovation and development, and 

by making this situation sustainable in 

order to bring dynamism to our sector, by 

carrying it to the top. 

What do you think is Turkey’s role in the 

automotive industry, its advantages and 

disadvantages? 

Although the automotive sector is quite 

important for developing countries such 

as Turkey compared to other sectors, it 

is a key sector. Our country plays a very 

important role in the sector, which is 

divided into many branches such as spare 

parts, service, fuel and transportation. In 


particular, the steps taken for domestic 

automobiles in recent years are also 

capable of responding to changing 

consumer preferences by adapting to 

the developing automotive technology 

trend. With this action, we can talk about 

that the automotive sector gained a new 

momentum in our country. 

Our country has a serious competitive 

power in the automotive sector. This 

situation can put companies in an 

advantageous or disadvantageous position 

depending on the future plans, investments 

and strategies of the companies. Key words 

to be emphasized here are “change and 

development”. As technology changes, this 

affects everyone from large automotive 

companies to small manufacturers. In 

fact, electric vehicles, which have recently 

become popular and preferred in the 

world, are one of the best examples of this, 

showing that even small manufacturers 

are making an intense effort to adapt 

themselves to this development. 

As an exporter company, how do you 

evaluate your position in the sector in 

Turkey and abroad? What are your short, 

medium and long term goals? 

As Vector Automotive, we have been in 

this sector for more than 40 years, so our 

company has a wide network both in the 

country and abroad, and our cooperation 

extends to the other end of the world. 

Today, if the name VECTOR is known in 

many parts of our country and the world, 

we owe it to our reliable and high-quality 

trade understanding as well as our 

experience of more than 40 years. 

Our medium and long-term goals are 

primarily to grow more, to increase our 

business volume and turnover, to expand 

our product range, to develop the services 

we offer to our customers, to expand into 

new regional markets by increasing our 

share in target markets, and to become 

the leading Global Brand of the World and 

Turkey. 

Despite the ongoing pandemic conditions 

in 2021, we had the chance to implement 

many of our business plans. We made visits 

to our current foreign customers and we 

also found the opportunity to host our 

customers in our country. Since we will 

attend the Las Vegas AAPEX fair, which is 

very important for us at the moment and 

will be held between 2-4 November, my 

colleagues are continuing their fair work 

with great care. 

For 2022 our targets are to maintain 

these and similar processes I mentioned 

above and to expand our new customer 

connections. 

What are your future investments and 

plans? 

Our sector, which will almost completely 

change due to changing trends in the 

automotive industry and developing 

consumer preferences as a result of 

technological developments, will reach 

a completely different format by 2030. 

We, as VECTOR Automotive, have always 

attached importance to innovation, 

development and change. For that reason, 

we are trying to realize all our current 

investments under these three main 

components in line with the advantages 

offered by technology. We aim to be in 

a faster and easier communication with 

our customers and suppliers by improving 

the technology infrastructure within our 

structure. 

Do you plan fairs at home and abroad? 

What is your expectation from these 

fairs? What are your products that you are 

assertive about? 

Fairs are of great importance to us as we do 

international trade. For this reason, we take 

care to take part in fair organizations both 

at home and abroad. We have participated 

in Automechanika fairs, which have been 

held in many parts of the world, and we 

continue to participate. In this direction, 

we will participate in the AAPEX Fair, which 

will be held in Las Vegas, USA, which is one 

of the largest fair organizations in 2021, on 

2-4 November. 

How was the pandemic period? How were 

your experiences in the new normal? 

What did you experience? 

Uncertainty in the first two months of the 

pandemic period, of course, affected us 

as well. Although we could not reach the 

figures we expected in the first quarter of 

2020, we completed the end of the year 

by exceeding our export figures in previous 

years. As a result of this, we have achieved 

another success with the “2020 Bronze 

Exporter Award” and added a new one to 

numerous awards we have gained so far. 

Since the technological infrastructure 

of our company is suitable for remote 

working, we have become one of the 

first companies adapting quickly to the 

new normal and switch to the home 

office application. As the continuity of 

business processes is one of the main 

factors making a difference in this period, 

we, as VECTOR Automotive, have once 

again made a difference in the sector with 

the satisfaction of getting the chance to 

fulfill the wishes and expectations of our 

customers without causing any disruption. 

Could you please share your opinions 

about today and the future of the 

industry? 

The spare parts sector is a sector, having 

a responsibility and commitment to its 

customers. Manufacturers in the sector 

work on OEM, OES and aftermarket spare 

parts. Automotive sub-industry is one of 

the industries where technology develops 

and changes very rapidly. In order to follow 

this rapid development and change in the 

world markets and to catch up with the 

competition, both the manufacturer and 

the producer of the spare parts sector have 

to make investments together. 

Despite the ever-increasing cost, Turkey 

is in a strategic position in the global 

competition in the automotive supplier 

industry. Especially with the Covid-19 

epidemic started in China, Turkey has 

become a priority for the automotive 

supplier industry. Today, Turkey has 

reached the level to produce for OEM 

companies operating in Europe and 

America. Despite the economic conditions, 

technological investments are continuing. 

Investments should not be limited to 

production and technology only. There 

are many important elements between 

production and reaching the consumer. For 

this reason, by investing in knowledge, we 

should also increase satisfaction in terms 

of employee quality, human resources and 

logistics processes. 

The automotive industry also serves many 

branches such as defense, transportation, 

agriculture and manufacturing industry. 

For this reason, each development in these 

areas, integrated with each other, grows 

like a snowball and contributes to other 

areas. 

What are your expectations for 2022? 

2021 was a very productive year for our 

company and met our expectations. 

Our expectations from 2022 are to 

increase our market share, to maximize 

our customer satisfaction, and to ensure 

that our achievements are sustainable 

and continuous by reaching export figures 

above the previous year. 


Chip crunch forces 

Toyota to slash 

September global 

output by 40% 

Toyota Motor Corp will reduce global 

production for September by 40% from 

its previous plan, the Nikkei business 

daily reported. Toyota follows other 

major automakers that have had to cut 

production due to critical shortages of 

semiconductors. 

Toyota has fared better than rivals, having 

built a larger stockpile of chips due to a 

business continuity plan revamped in the 

wake of the 2011 Fukushima earthquake. 

But a resurgence in COVID-19 cases across 

Asia has compounded the semiconductor 

crunch. 

Shares in the world’s largest automaker 

by sales volume slid on the report, ending 

down 4.4% in their biggest daily drop since 

December 2018 and pulling the benchmark 

Nikkei average to a seven-month low. 

Toyota had been aiming to make a little 

under 900,000 vehicles in September, 

but has reduced that to about 500,000, 

according to the Nikkei. 

A company representative said checks were 

being made on the report. 

Toyota said this month it was facing an 

unpredictable business environment 

due to fresh COVID-19 cases in emerging 

economies, the semiconductor shortage 

and soaring material prices. Even so, it 

maintained its forecast to sell 8.7 million 

cars globally for the year ending in March. 

Toyota will temporarily suspend production 

lines at domestic factories including its 

Takaoka plant in Aichi Prefecture, the 

Nikkei said. It added that production in 

North America, China and Europe will also 

likely be scaled back by tens of thousands 

of units. 

The carmaker had already halted assembly 

lines at some domestic factories from late 

July to early August, including its Tahara 

plant, due to a surge in COVID-19 infections 

in Vietnam, which had constrained the 

supply of parts, the Nikkei said. 

A person familiar with the matter told 

Reuters this month that Toyota had 

suspended production at one assembly 

line in Guangzhou, China, which it operates 

with its Chinese joint-venture partner 

Guangzhou Automobile Group Co Ltd. 

In Thailand too, Toyota suspended 

production at three factories due to a 

pandemic-related parts shortage. 

The carmaker reported that it would also 

pause production at its Turkey plant, its 

biggest in Europe. 

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Turkey will 

halt output at its base in the Adapazarı 

district of the northwestern Sakarya 

province from Aug. 20 through Sept. 5, 

Bloomberg said. 

It cited problems with the semiconductor 

supply as being behind the temporary 

pause. 

One of Toyota’s biggest overseas 

manufacturing operations, Toyota Turkey 

has an annual production capacity of 

around 280,000 units. 

Its CEO Ali Haydar Bozkurt earlier said 

supply disruptions had caused problems 

in the production. He warned that the 

biggest issue was the inability to respond 

to customer demand, as brands do not 

have enough vehicles on hand to meet 

the demand. Toyota Turkey manufactures 

Corolla and Toyota C-HR models. The 

majority of the production is exported 

to around 150 countries. Microchips are 

essential for the electronics systems of 

modern cars, and have been in short 

supply since the end of last year. When 

the pandemic hit, carmakers scaled back 

orders and chipmakers shifted output to 

consumer electronics as people splurged 

on equipment to work and relax at home 

– leaving automakers in a tight situation as 

demand for vehicles picked up. 


TOGG 

showcases first 

body assembly 

of Turkey’s 

homegrown car 

a sport utility vehicle (SUV) and a sedan, 

both fully electric and C-segment models. 

TOGG will produce five different models 

– an SUV, sedan, C-hatchback, B-SUV and 

B-MPV – through 2030. 

Mass production of the SUV will begin in 

2022, with the sedan to follow. 

Construction of TOGG’s engineering, design 

and production facilities began on July 18, 

2020. The facility, built on an area of 1.2 

million square meters (12.9 million square 

feet) in the Gemlik district of northwestern 

Bursa province, is planned for completion 

in early 2022. 

As for suppliers, TOGG has reached deals 

with 10 global corporations – 75% of them 

from Turkey and the remaining 25% from 

Europe and Asia. TOGG has opted for 

advanced lithium-ion battery technology 

company Farasis as its business partner for 

the battery. The homegrown car will reach 

80% charge in under 30 minutes with fast 

charging. It will have a range of between 

300 to 500 kilometers (186-310 miles). 

Acceleration from 0 to 100 kph (0 to 

62 mph) will be 7.6 seconds with 200 

horsepower, and under 4.8 seconds with a 

400-horsepower engine. 

Turkey’s Automobile Joint Venture Group 

(TOGG) announced that it had completed 

the initial body assembly of the country’s 

first homegrown car. 

The consortium developing the nation’s 

first domestically produced automobile 

showcased the integrated body assembly in 

a post on Twitter. 

“Our first body assembled entirely from 

domestic production parts,” TOGG said on 

social media. 

TOGG was launched on June 25, 2018. It 

is led by former Bosch executive Mehmet 

Gürcan Karakaş, who was appointed chief 

executive officer in 2018. 

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in 

December 2019 unveiled prototypes for 


100’ünü ihraç ediyoruz. Erin Motor 

kısmına bakacak olursak da yüzde 100 

özgün Türk tasarımı yerli motor üretiyoruz. 

Grup olarak, İstanbul Esenyurt’taki 7.500 

metrekarelik fabrikamızda 72’si beyaz yakalı 

olmak üzere 431 kişiyi istihdam ediyoruz. 

Ürettiğimiz motorlar jeneratörlerde, tarım 

sulama alanlarında ve balıkçı teknelerinde 

kullanılıyor. Projemizin temelleri 11 yıl 

önce atıldı ve üniversite-sanayi işbirliğini 

en etkin şekilde kullandık. Yıldız Teknik 

Üniversitesi ile birlikte iki adet SANTEZ 

projesi tamamladık. Buradan kazandığımız 

tüm know how’ı geliştirme çalışmalarımız 

sırasında kullandık. İlk defa 3 yıl önce 

piyasaya sunulan motorların ihracatı o 

yıl başladı. Motorlar Nijerya, Cezayir, 

Moritanya, Romanya, Arnavutluk’a ihraç 

edildi. 2,5 milyar dolarlık motor ithalatının 

önüne geçmek için üretilen motorumuzun 

dizel ve doğalgazlı olmak üzere iki farklı 

çeşidi var. Firmamız aynı zamanda 

savunma sanayisine de hizmet vermekte. 

Teknofest’te sivil ve askeri alanda kullanılan 

İHA’lar için ürettiğimiz Baykuş isimli 6bg 

ve 12bg güce sahip iki motorun daha 

lansmanını yaptık. 

Erin Motor ’dan %100 yerli 

endüstriyel motorlar 

Ersin Şahin: “Ürettiğimiz İHA ve DİHA motorlarının %90’ı yerli. 

Bunu %100 yerli yapmak da elimizde. En kritik ve en stratejik 

parçalarını Türkiye’de üretiyoruz. Seri üretim aşamasına gelindi.” 

Sadece 15 yıl içerisinde tasarımından 

üretimine %100 yerli motorlar üretmeyi 

başlayan Erin Motor, aynı zamanda son 

yıllarda yükselişte olan savunma sanayi 

için de motorlar üretiyor. 

Hedeflerinin bu motorları Orta Avrupa 

ve Amerika pazarına ihraç etmek 

olduğunu söyleyen Erin Motor Genel 

Müdürü Ersin Şahin, 2,5 milyar dolarlık 

motor ithalatının önüne geçmek için 

üretilen bu motorların aynı zamanda zirai 

ilaçlama dronlarında kullanımı üzerine de 

çalıştıklarını ifade etti. 

Öncelikle Erin Motor hakkında bilgi verir 

misiniz? 

Grup şirketlerimizden Şahin Kalıp’ın 

kuruluşu 1975 yılı olup, 1989 yılında Şahin 

Metal ile alüminyum pres döküm sektörüne 

girdik. 2015 yılında kurulan Erin Motor 

ile de içten yanmalı motorlar üzerine 

tasarım ve Ar-Ge faaliyetleri yapmaya 

başladık. Şahin Metal olarak kurulduğumuz 

yıldan beri ihracatçı konumdayız. Dünya 

otomotiv devlerinin alüminyum pres 

döküm işlerini yapıyoruz ve o kısımda 

ürettiğimiz ürünlerin neredeyse yüzde 

İhracat yaptığınız ülke ve bölgeler nereler? 

Yeni girmeyi düşündüğünüz pazar ve 

ülkeler var mı? Önümüzdeki yıl için ihracat 

planlarınız neler? 

Şahin Metal, yüzde 100 ihracat yapan bir 

firma ve ihracatımızı ağırlıklı olarak Avrupa 

ülkelerine gerçekleştiriyoruz. Bunun dışında 

ABD’ye de ihracatımız var. Erin Motor 

kısmında ise şu ana kadar Ortadoğu, Kuzey 

Afrika ve Doğru Avrupa ülkelerine ihracat 

yaptık. Ancak yeni geliştirmekte olduğumuz 

motorlarla Amerika ve Orta Avrupa 

pazarlarını hedefliyoruz. 

Özellikle İHA motorları hakkında yaptığınız 

çalışmalardan da bahseder misiniz? 

İçten yanmalı motor pazarının gidişatını 

yakından takip ediyoruz. Bu bağlamda 

uzun zamandır savunma sanayine ürünler 

geliştirmek istiyorduk. Ancak küçük güç 

grubuna motor geliştirmemiz Baykar ile 

tanışmamızdan sonra gerçekleşti. Açıkçası 

bizi bu pazara Sayın Haluk Bayraktar 

Bey ve Sayın Selçuk Bayraktar Bey 

yönlendirdiler. Firma ziyaretlerimizde “Siz 

bu işi neden yapmıyorsunuz?” sorusuyla 

biz bu işe girdik. Bu bağlamda kendilerine 

müteşekkiriz. Şu anda aynı motorların zirai 

ilaçlama dronlarında kullanımı üzerine de 

çalışıyoruz. 

Marka olarak nasıl bir farklılığınız var? 

Erin Motor’un merkezinde Ar-Ge var. 

Biz tasarım ve üretim yeteneklerimiz ile 


ön plana çıkıyoruz. Buna ek olarak grup 

şirketimizin otomotiv tecrübesi de bizler 

için çok değerli. Bu anlamda geçtiğimiz 

günlerde Teknofest’te sergilediğimiz 

motorlar oldukça ilgi çekti. Bunlardan bir 

tanesi hat basıncı ile çalışabilen doğalgazlı 

motor oldu. Jeneratörlerde kullanılabilen 

bu motorlar, elektronik kontrollü. 

Kontrolü yapan kartın tasarımı ve yazılımı 

tamamen bize ait. Oradaki tecrübeyi 

diğer iki motorumuzda da kullandık. 

Baykuş ismini verdiğimiz diğer iki motor 

da, İHA’larda kullanılabilen iki zamanlı, 

iki silindirli motorlar. Motorlardan biri 6, 

diğeri 12 beygir güç üretmekte. İnşallah 

daha büyük motorlar da gelecek. Mevcut 

motorumuzu farklı kullanım alanlarına göre 

farklı konfigürasyonlarla üretebiliyoruz. 

Elektronik kontrollü ve karbüratörlü 

motorlarımıza PMU ve Starter-Alternatör 

opsiyonlarını sunuyoruz. 

Teknofest’te tanıtılan Bayraktar DİHA’da 

da H12 motorumuz vardı. DİHA’larda 

hedefimiz bizim motorumuzu kullanmaları. 

Hedefimiz öncelikle yerli pazar. Ancak 

uygun firmalara ihracat da yapacağız. 

Savunma sanayinde fiyat avantajından çok 

yurt dışına bağımlı olmamak önemli. Fiyat 

konusunda da Dünya ile rekabet edebilecek 

düzeydeyiz. Motorun yüzde 90’ı yerli. 

Yüzde 100’ünü yerli yapmak da elimizde. En 

kritik ve en stratejik parçalarını Türkiye’de 

üretiyoruz. Seri üretim aşamasına gelindi. 

“Baykuş” isimli motorlarımız kadar diğer 

ürünümüze de çok değer veriyoruz. 

Doğalgazlı motorumuzun yerli ikamesi yok. 

Yurt dışında da tek silindirli bu güçte başka 

bir doğalgazlı motor görmedik. Çok önemli 

bir ürün, burada yaptığımız işten çok 

tecrübe edindik. 

Son dönemde yaşanan çip krizi hakkında 

neler söyleyebilirsiniz? Sizce neler 

yapılmalı? 

Ben bu krizi, çip krizinden çok tedarik 

zinciri krizi olarak adlandırmayı doğru 

buluyorum. Sadece çip, zincirin en zayıf 

halkası konumunda olduğundan dolayı bu 

kadar çok konuşuluyor. Şayet çip sorunu 

çıkmasaydı, farklı bir hammaddeyi de bu 

kadar konuşuyor durumda olabilirdik. 

Çip teknolojisi çok ileri bir teknoloji ve 

yüksek Ar-Ge ve yatırım maliyetlerine 

sahip. Üretim teknolojisinin çok kompleks 

olmasından dolayı yapılan kapasite 

yatırımlarının hayata geçmesi de 

oldukça uzun sürüyor. Bu sebeplerden 

dolayı muhtemelen 2023 yılına kadar 

çip üretimindeki darboğaz hayatımızda 

olacak. Bizim de ülke olarak bilindiği üzere 

çalışmalarımız var. Bunları hızlandırmalı ve 

en azından çok temel teknolojilerde dışa 

olan bağımlılığımızı azaltmalıyız. Yarışın 

neresinde olduğumuzun bir önemi yok. 

Önemli olan bu teknoloji üzerine ülkemizde 

de çalışmaların yapılıyor oluşu. 

Sektörün içerisinden birisi olarak otomotiv 

sektöründe Türkiye’nin dünyadaki yeri 

hakkında neler söylemek istersiniz? 

Türkiye, otomotiv yan sanayisinde 

çok önemli ve stratejik bir noktada. 

Kaliteli ürünü kıyasla ucuza üretebilen 

ve zamanında sevk edebilen ülke 

konumundayız. Ticaret savaşları sonrasında 

stratejik konumumuz dolayısıyla yerimizi bu 

noktada sağlamlaştıracağımıza inanıyorum. 

Bu noktadan sonra yapmamız gereken 

katma değeri artırarak alt sistemleri üreten 

ülke konumuna gelmek. TOGG’un bu 

bağlamda hızlandırıcı bir etkisi olacağına 

inanıyorum. 


Ford Otosan to 

invest $2.4B, 

largest ever for 

Turkish auto 

industry 

Ford Otosan, a joint venture of Koç Holding, 

Turkey’s largest conglomerate, and U.S. 

automotive giant Ford, announced it will be 

making a 2 billion euro (nearly $2.4 billion) 

investment to manufacture new-generation 

commercial vehicles and batteries at its 

factory in Turkey. 

The investment will make the carmaker’s 

factory in the industrial Kocaeli province 

Turkey’s first and only electric vehicle 

integrated production facility that will also 

manufacture batteries, Chairman of the 

Board Ali Koç told a meeting in the capital 

Ankara. 

It also marks the largest investment ever 

made in the Turkish automotive industry, 

Koç said. 

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hailed 

the investment, saying it would provide 

Turkish engineers with serious capabilities 

in electric vehicles and batteries. 

“Turkey will be the largest production 

center of electrical commercial vehicles 

in the future of the automotive industry,” 

Erdoğan told the meeting at the 

Presidential Complex. 

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (C), Ford 

Otosan Chairman of the Board Ali Koç (R) 

and Ford’s Europe Chief Stuart Rowley 

during a meeting in the capital Ankara, 

Turkey, March 16, 2021. 

Once completed, the investment will 

lift the Ford Otosan’s annual production 

capacity from 440,000 to 650,000, the 

president added. 

Erdoğan also announced that the 

carmaker will be manufacturing a one-ton 

commercial vehicle for Volkswagen, as 

part of an alliance between Ford and the 

German carmaker. 

Ford Otosan will open its battery assembly 

factory for electric vehicles (EVs) in 2022. 

It is expected to produce 210,000 newgeneration 

commercial vehicles and 

130,000 batteries per year. 

The Kocaeli facility, located in the Gölcük 

district, is the largest commercial vehicle 

production hub for Ford in Europe. 

The investment in the EV production facility 

will be the second of its kind in Turkey after 

Automobile Joint Venture Group (TOGG), 

the first fully domestic EV, Industry and 

Technology Minister Mustafa Varank said in 

his address. 

The car is being developed by Turkey’s 

TOGG, a consortium of five major 

companies. 

The consortium will produce five different 

models – an SUV, sedan, C-hatchback, 

B-SUV and B-MPV – by 2030. Mass 



Hailing the success of the domestic 

automotive industry, Varank dubbed Ford 

Otosan as being among the pioneering 

firms as it holds a 25% share in the sector’s 

overall production and exports. 

Staying on top as Turkey’s leading export 

sector, the automotive industry’s exports 

exceeded $25 billion (TL 187 billion) 

despite the pandemic, Erdoğan said. 

“Turkey has exported more than 900,000 

vehicles to 180 countries on five continents 

last year,” the president noted. 

The government in December announced 

that the joint venture’s investment 


will benefit from its project-based 

incentives and support such as customs 

duty exemption, value-added tax 

(VAT) exemption, VAT refunds and tax 

deductions. 

The investment is said to provide 3,000 

additional jobs, and the number of 

qualified personnel is projected to be 200. 

The government has provided various 

incentives to businesses to make the 

private sector the engine of the country’s 

development, Erdoğan said. 

Ford Otosan’s Koç said making “the largest 

automotive investment in our history is 

the greatest proof of our community and 

our partner Ford Motor Co’s faith in our 

country.” 

“We see this investment, which will 

span across 10 years, as a strategic move 

forward.” 

In a statement announcing that Ford 

Otosan will make a one-ton commercial 

vehicle for Volkswagen, Ford also said the 

joint venture would build the next version 

of its Transit van for the European market. 

The vans will go into production in 2023 

and include fully electric and hybrid 

variants along with the combustionengined 

version, the number-two U.S. 

automaker said. 

Previously, the firm produced Turkey’s first 

plug-in hybrid commercial vehicle – the 

Transit Custom Plug-In Hybrid. 

Ford is the top commercial vehicle brand 

in Europe with a 15% share and has led the 

commercial van market in Britain, Europe’s 

largest, for 56 years. 

It said its passenger car lineup in Europe 

would be all-electric by 2030. 

Tightening CO2 emissions targets in Europe 

and China have combined with improving 

battery technology to provide greater range 

at lower costs, giving commercial EVs their 

moment in the sun after years of waiting. 

Soaring e-commerce deliveries amid the 

pandemic are also spurring interest in 

commercial EVs. 

Ford is betting it can profit from selling 

electric vans to delivery businesses that 

need to reduce carbon emissions. 

Ford said in February its entire commercial 

vehicle lineup would offer all-electric or 

plug-in hybrid versions by 2024. It said 

it expects two-thirds of its commercial 

vehicle sales in Europe to be all-electric or 

plug-in hybrid by 2030. 

November 2021 

70

The target in 

2022 is to export 

to 90 countries 

Yumak has increased its investment 

volume of this year 

to over 30 million Euros. 

Yumak, having been serving the 

automotive industry for nearly half a 

century, produces the heavy vehicles’ all 

parts, having a connection with air. Yumak 

Ali Emre Gökalp Foreign Trade Manager, 

stated that they are actively exporting to 7 

continents, said that their target is to sell to 

90 countries in 2022. 

Firstly, can you give some information 

about Yumak? How long have you been 

serving in the sector? 

Our company, laid in 1975, started to 

produce sensitive spare parts in the engine 

parts of heavy vehicles. As Yumak, we 

always work to produce the best. Our 

company, made its first export in 1993, 

is proud of exporting to more than 80 

countries with its 750 employees. The 

countries of the world, started to meet 

with Yumak products, soon accepted the 

quality and durability of our products. By 

increasing our investment volume to over 

30 Million Euros in 2021, we are on the way 

to become a world class quality together 

with our advanced R&D team. 

Could you tell us about the heavy vehicle 

systems, brake and clutch systems you 

produce? Could you tell us about the 

features, distinguishing these products 

from their other counterparts? 

Air Brake Compressor, Clutch Servo, Gear 

Lever Actuator and Valve are among the 

most featured products we offer for the 

industry. Our products cover all parts of 

heavy-duty vehicles that are related to 

air. At the same time, we try to help our 

customers with other commercial parts by 

adopting the satisfaction of our customers. 

The controls of raw materials, warehouse 

entrance, manufacturing, assembly, testing 

and packaging processes of our products 

are carried out meticulously. At the same 

time, thanks to our professional engineer 

team, we did not lose our confidence in our 

quality. 

What are the countries and regions you 

export to? Are there any markets and 

countries that you intend to enter new? 

What are your export plans for 2022? 

We are actively selling to 7 continents. 

Since we use English, German, French, 

Russian, Arabic, Spanish and Dutch 

languages professionally in our sales 

department, we are trying to dominate the 

market completely. Our export target is to 

increase to over 90 countries in 2022. 

How has COVID, affected the whole 

world in the last 2 years, affected you? 

What advantages and disadvantages 

have occurred both in production and in 

marketing? 

The Covid 19 virus, influenced the world in 

the last 2 years, has provided advantages 

for us, as well as for all companies, in 

some areas and a disadvantage in others. 

The quarantine conditions applied in 

some countries caused the transportation 

organizations in the countries to be 

disrupted. For this reason, we had 

problems with shipping from time to time. 

But as we always have a Plan B ready, our 

export volume has increased. 


National car TOGG to significantly contribute to 

Turkey’s know-how, industry leader says 

Istanbul Chamber of Industry (ISO) head 

Erdal Bahçıvan highlighted the strategic 

role of Turkey’s Automobile Joint Venture 

Group (TOGG), which is producing the 

country’s first fully domestic electric car. 

“TOGG is doing more than just 

manufacturing a domestic automobile. 

It will contribute to the technological 

know-how of the country,” Bahçıvan said 

in a statement. Noting that, among the 

industry sectors, the most fundamental 

technological transformation is taking 

place in the automotive sector, Bahçıvan 

said that the innovations in the next 

5-10 years will be much greater than the 

progress made in the past 50 years. He also 

mentioned the role of electric cars in this 

transformation process. 

“Cars are transforming into interactive 

smart computers. As our cities, houses and 

factories get smarter, our automobile turns 

into a living space. We are approaching a 

period where everything is connected to 

each other,” he said. 

In June 2018, five industrial giants – 

Anadolu Group, BMC, Kök Group, Turkcell 

and Zorlu Holding – joined hands with 

the umbrella organization, the Union of 

Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of 

Turkey (TOBB), to produce TOGG to realize 

Turkey’s long-term aim of producing a 

fully Turkish-made automobile, unveiling 

prototypes on Dec. 27. 

TOGG will produce five different models 

– an SUV, sedan, C-hatchback, B-SUV and 

B-MPV – by 2030 and own the intellectual 

and industrial property rights to each. Mass 




Kross is on its 

way to becoming 

a world brand 

Kross, serving the automotive 

sector with 110 different 

products, sends its products all 

over Turkey and 80 different 

countries in the world. 

Kross Madeni Yağlar, one of the leading 

brands in the mineral oil sector, introduces 

innovations in the automotive sector with 

its experience and R&D studies. General 

Manager Mahmut Dalgıntekin, talking 

about the product variety and the work 

they have done, said “As Kross Madeni 

Yağlar, we are leading many innovations 

in the sector by combining our 28 years of 

experience with developing technologies 

and R&D studies in the world. Thanks to the 

experience we have gained, we share the 

needs of the day with our solution partners 

in the sector. Besides, we ensure the easy 

accessibility of oils that require quality, trust 

and superior technology. We serve with 

our product range of more than 110 in the 

domestic and international market.” 

Export to more than 80 destinations 

Dalgıntekin, talking about its market and 

export activities, said “We aim to have our 

brand in every point where mineral oil is 

sold from the west to the east, from the 

north to the south of our country in the 

domestic market. We export to more than 

80 countries in order to make our Kross 

brand known in the world. By following 

the developing technology in our country 

and in the world, we share the market by 

producing products with the same quality 

as the preferred international top class 

brands with a high market share.” 


Market leader 

Dalgıntekin, underlining that they are the 

leader in the market, stated that they are 

a brand, maintaining its leadership in the 

sector thanks to their experience from 

the past. “We supply raw materials and 

ready-made products to many domestic 

manufacturers in Turkey. With the 

special training programs and after-sales 

technical support services we apply to 

our customers, we ensure that the right 

product is used in the right place and in 

the most economical way. At the same 

time, we stand by our customers with real 

solutions in the sector we serve by making 

synergy with them.” Mahmut Dalgıntekin, 

General Manager of Kross Madeni Yağlar, 

said and ended his words as follows: “In 

the last two years, the Covid-19 epidemic, 

affected the whole world, has not had 

a very negative effect for us, although it 

has affected the world in a global sense 

in line with this plan, implementing a 

strategic program by evaluating both the 

health of our personnel and its impact 

on the market. As the Kross family, we 

follow the developing technology and 

produce products with less environmental 

pollution and longer life. As a known and 

clued-up company in the domestic and 

foreign markets, we are moving forward 

in line with our goals with confident 

steps.” 


Record high 

freight prices 

make Turkish 

exports 

advantageous 

The supply-demand imbalance caused by 

COVID-19 trade restrictions sent freight 

prices soaring to record highs as exporters 

around the globe faced bottlenecks 

in finding empty containers. On the 

China-Europe route, freight prices have 

increased significantly, which gives Turkey 

a competitive advantage and has brought 

record highs to the country’s export totals. 

The Baltic Dry Index, which includes freight 

for Capesize, Panamax, Supramax and 

Handysize vessels, reached its highest level 

in 10 years with the largest jump seen on 

the China-Europe route during this period. 

For example, a record high price of $20,000 

was set for 40-foot (12.1-meter) containers 

for transport between the United States and 

China. The increase in freight prices between 

China-Europe and China-U.S. by five to 10 

times has benefited Turkey. 

While $2,000 is the going price for freight 

from Turkey to Italy, it was up to $10,000 for 

freight from China to Italy. 

Increasing logistics costs have had less of an 

impact on the Turkey-European Union route 

than the China-EU route. 

Experts say they have not seen such an 

increase in transportation in more than 30 

years. These high figures are expected to 

last until the Chinese New Year in 2022. 

According to Freightos’ data, there are 

regions that have experienced an up to 

a 500% rise year-on-year. The cost of a 

container, which was $11,000 at the end of 

July just a month ago, has recently increased 

to $20,804. 

Tahsin Öztiryaki, head of the Istanbul 

Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Metals Exporters’ 

Association, stated that Turkey sent goods 

to Frankfurt for 6,000 euros ($7,018) while 

Chinese companies paid $14,000. 

“Our sales to the EU are increasing. Another 

advantage of Turkey is road and rail 

transport options ... Investments to be made 

in railways will increase this advantage even 

more,” he said. 

Officials from shipping companies that are 

most active in Asia cargoes in Turkey said, 

“The effects of these increases on Turkey- 

Europe exports are positive. Because of 

these high freight rates, shipowners used 

to pile up their equipment in Asia empty. 

This was a problem for Turkey. Now there is 

equipment in Turkey as well,” he said. 

Turkish exporters managed to achieve their 

best July sales to date, while the nation’s 

12-month rolling foreign sales also exceeded 

a threshold of $200 billion (TL 1.68 trillion) 

for the first time. The supply shortage for 

empty containers began in the third quarter 

of last year when the end of the first wave 

of the pandemic produced a demand 

boom in the U.S. China, which dominates 

the world container trade, cut production, 

triggering a hike in container prices and 

leaving exporters scrambling to find empty 

containers to maintain maritime trade. 

Turkey’s Industry and Technology Ministry 

and Trade Ministry announced back in 

January that to solve the container problem 

they had commenced negotiations with local 

manufacturers to produce freight containers. 

Local firms Dorçe and Karmod, which have 

been producing containers for years and are 

leaders in the field, hope to produce these 

containers. The Trade Ministry also said at 

the time that they would support domestic 

container manufacturers. 


Turkey-A 

global player 

in autumotive 

industry 

During the 1990’s, as other international 

manufacturers like Toyota, Honda, 

Hyundai, Isuzu and Mercedes-Benz 

entered the market, Turkey rapidly 

became an automotive production base 

which not only caters to one-time 

developments of the industry but rather 

holds long-term development options. 

Turkey has a thriving automotive sector, 

demonstrating substantial growth in the 

past. All players involved, including local 

authorities and the government, are 

participating in providing conditions to 

increase output in the future. Some of 

the facts are: 

-High level of integration into the global 

automotive industry 

-14th major automotive producers in the 

World, with 78% average export rate 

-Vehicles of Turkish origin hold the 

leading position among the vehicles 

coming from outside of EU 

-Production, export, and engineering hub 

of global brands for international markets 

-Quality products with high export rates 

-Hundreds of Tier 1 companies working 

directly with OEMs 

-Center of excellence in automotive 

engineering and R&D, in which new 

technologies are developed 

Strong international presence 

-Giants of global automotive value chain 

benefit from Turkey’s location, cost, and 

competitive advantages 

-Because of their profitable business 

in the country, companies in Turkey 

continue to invest in the country’s future 

-9 R&D centers support not only the local 

operations, but also the operations in 

other plants of parent companies. 

-Ford Otosan’s R&D department is one of 

Ford’s 3 largest global R&D centers 

-R&D centerin Bursa is the only center of 

Fiat outside of Italy serving the European 

market. 

-For Courier, Ford’s new light commercial 

vehicle, the Yeniköy plant is the sole 

production center in the world. 

-Toyota’s C-HR Hybrid is produced in 

Turkey for World markets 

-Daimler R&D is the center of 

competence for some parts and carries 

global responsibility. 

-With more than 40 thousand 

employees, automotive OEMs are 

one of the major employers in the 

manufacturing industry. 


Germany looking at green 

hydrogen imports from Turkey 

Turkey is on the list of Germany’s green hydrogen supplier countries 

in line with the country’s new hydrogen strategy, according to 

Markus C. Slevogt, the head of the German-Turkish Chamber of 

Commerce and Industry (AHK Turkey). 

Turkey, along with Norway, Iceland, Australia and Chile, has been 

named as potential suppliers of hydrogen using renewable energy 

sources, Slevogt told Anadolu Agency (AA). 

The German government released a national hydrogen strategy 

in 2020 under the motto “We are making Germany a hydrogen 

country.” 

In mid-May, Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economics and the 

Federal Ministry of Transport announced that it would invest 8 

billion euros ($9.4 billion) for the development of 62 large-scale 

hydrogen projects. 

In line with this strategy, Germany anticipates an increase in 

hydrogen demand from about 90 to 110 terawatt-hours by 2030. 

Green hydrogen is produced by splitting water into hydrogen and 

oxygen using an electrolyzer powered by electricity from renewable 

energy sources such as wind and solar. 

To accommodate such demand for these facilities, electrolyzers 

with a total capacity of up to 5 gigawatts are to be built in Germany 

by 2030, including offshore and onshore wind energy production 

required to provide electricity for electrolysis. 

With Turkey’s renewables record and hotspots for solar and wind 

both onshore and offshore, the country is said to be extremely 

well-positioned to react very quickly to developing renewable 

hydrogen. 

Officials recently said hydrogen production from renewables could 

pave the way for new opportunities for Turkey’s exports to Europe, 

its largest market. 

Although Turkey currently does not have a national hydrogen 

strategy, many believe in the potential of having green hydrogen 

exports over the next 10 years. For instance, European Bank for 

Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is already in talks with 

Turkey’s Energy and Natural Resources Ministry to support such an 

initiative. 

Referring to Turkey’s potential, Slevogt said the country could build 

on the energy partnership between Germany and Turkey that was 

established in 2012 into a long-term and stable supply relationship. 

“Turkey is currently in the process of drawing up a national 

hydrogen strategy. In addition to economically advantageous 

electricity generation costs, which are undoubtedly available in 

Turkey, safe transport naturally also plays an important role,” he 

said. 

He advocated for the consideration of AHK Turkey, the organization 

at the heart of this energy partnership, to help establish a German- 

Turkish company network to boost the hydrogen sector and 

facilitate joint investments. 

Although this sector, which is in a fledgling stage with significant 

improvements needed to improve the efficiency of electricity 

generated from hydrogen, is garnering interest from companies and 

investors in industrialized nations. 

International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts the scaled-up 

production to 528 million tons of hydrogen by 2050 for use as fuel 

in the shipping, air travel and heavy industry sectors. 

The agency anticipates that around 7% of final energy use will be 

supplied by renewable generated hydrogen, mainly in industrial 

process heat. 


Rimac and 

Bugatti Begin 

Operating Under 

New Company 

Rimac Automobili officially joins forces with 

Bugatti Automobiles under the recently 

announced company, Bugatti Rimac d.o.o. 

The new company sees two automotive 

powerhouses generate an exciting 

new movement in the automotive and 

technology industries, originally initiated 

and strongly supported by the sports car 

manufacturer Porsche AG. 

Rimac’s short but rich 10-year history from 

garage start-up, started by one man – Mate 

Rimac – now takes its next big leap forward 

to begin officially operating under Bugatti 

Rimac as of 1st November 2021. 

The Rimac Group will be the major 

shareholder in Bugatti Rimac with a 

55% stake. Mate Rimac will retain his 

shareholding in Rimac Group at 35%, with 

Porsche at 22%, Hyundai Motor Group 

doing the same at 11% and other investors 

at 32%. The development, production 

and supply of battery systems, drivetrains 

and other EV components that Rimac is 

known for and trusted by many automotive 

manufacturers will be separated into a new 

entity – Rimac Technology, which will be 

100% owned by the Rimac Group. 

Bugatti Rimac sees the unique combination 

of two automotive and technological 

trailblazers. Rimac’s distinctive agility, 

technical expertise and relentless 

innovation in the EV sphere, along with 

Bugatti’s 110-year heritage of design and 

engineering some of the world’s most 

iconic hypercars, are now combined in the 

leading hypercar company. Porsche will 

play a strong role in the joint company 

as a strategic partner. Besides two 

managers, the Stuttgart based sports car 

manufacturer will appoint two Supervisory 

Board members, Oliver Blume and Lutz 

Meschke. 

Mate Rimac’s leadership and strategic 

direction that has seen Rimac become 

an industry frontrunner means he is 

exceptionally placed to lead the new 

company as Chief Executive Officer. As 

CEO of Rimac Group, he will run both 

Bugatti Rimac and the new division, Rimac 

Technology. 

Bugatti Rimac’s global headquarters is 

situated at Rimac’s current base on the 

outskirts of Zagreb, Croatia, but in time 

will transition to the recently announced 

€200M, 200.000m2 Rimac Campus, also 

serving as the home of Rimac Technology. 

With construction having now begun, 

joint research and development of future 

Rimac Automobili and Bugatti hypercars 

will ultimately take place at the Rimac 

Campus – due to open in 2023. High-tech 

innovation forms the basis of the state-ofthe-art 

facility, with the capacity to host 

2,500 curiosity-driven people and a hive 

of groundbreaking developments. Bugatti 

Rimac starts operating with 435 employees 

as part of the new company, 300 of which 

will be headquartered in Zagreb, and 

135 in Molsheim, France. In addition,180 

people at Bugatti Engineering’s location in 

Wolfsburg will support the new company. 

Rimac Technology will consist of over 900 

employees. The Rimac Group numbers 

over 1.300 employees across its various 

locations. 

Bugatti Rimac’s new Board of Management 

sees Christophe Piochon appointed as 


Chief Operating Officer. He formerly 

held the position of Director General at 

Bugatti Automobiles and guarantees the 

continuation of the manufactory with its 

worldwide outstanding quality. Larissa 

Fleischer becomes Chief Financial Officer. 

She was previously head of controlling at 

Porsche in the areas of digitalization and 

the development of new business models. 

Emilio Scervo is named Chief Technology 

Officer, having previously held the same 

position at Rimac Automobili. 

Rimac Automobili and Bugatti Automobiles 

will each continue to operate as separate 

brands and manufacturers, retaining their 

individual production facilities in Zagreb 

and Molsheim respectively as well as the 

distribution channels. 

Rimac Technology will continue to 

innovate, developing vehicle systems and 

technologies for many global OEMs. Such 

innovative technology can also be deployed 

in future Bugatti and Rimac models. 

Commenting on the first day of Bugatti 

Rimac operations, Mate Rimac, Bugatti 

Rimac CEO, says: “I am honored to be 

leading this new fusion of automotive 

minds and begin what will no doubt be a 

successful, revolutionary and exciting new 

chapter for everyone involved. I am also 

extremely curious to oversee the profound 

impact Bugatti Rimac will have on the 

industry, and I look forward to developing 

innovative new hypercars and technologies. 

“It’s difficult to find a better match than 

Rimac and Bugatti. What each party brings 

to the table in terms of technical expertise, 

know-how and automotive history makes 

for an electrifying recipe. Rimac’s fastpaced 

operations and electrification skills 

are the perfect complement to Bugatti’s 

exceptional heritage and craftmanship. Stay 

tuned for some truly extraordinary projects 

in the future.” 

“I am convinced that we have found the 

right mix of experience and know-how, 

innovative strength and team spirit for the 

management,” says Lutz Meschke, Deputy 

Chairman of the Executive Board and 

member of the board for Finance and IT at 

Porsche AG. “That’s why I’m very optimistic. 

And because the project is very close to 

my heart, I will continue to accompany it 

closely and passionately in the future.” 

Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Board 

of Management at Porsche, names this 

merger as “the perfect solution” for 

everyone involved: “Together, we are 

creating a high-performance automotive 

company. We have succeeded in 

positioning the traditional Bugatti brand 

with its charisma for the future in a way 

that creates value. Bugatti embodies 

fascination and passion, and Rimac 

has great innovative strength and tech 

expertise.” 


Turkey mulls 

action plan on 

EU green pact 

to transform 

economy 

Turkey’s presidential action plan on the 

European Green Deal, which has been 

on the country’s agenda for a while, was 

published in the Official Gazette. 

The circular on the “Green Reconciliation 

Action Plan” was prepared by the Trade 

Ministry and ensures the forming of the 

“Green Reconciliation Working Group” to 

monitor the implementation of the action 

plan and make the necessary coordination 

possible. 

In the presidential circular, President Recep 

Tayyip Erdoğan stated that the “2030 

Agenda for Sustainable Development,” 

which came into effect with the unanimous 

vote of 193 member states, including 

Turkey, under the umbrella of the 

United Nations, aims to end poverty and 

increase welfare, as well as to contribute 

economically and effectively to the global 

fight against climate change. 

The president stated that he envisages 

making it an integral part of a socially 

inclusive development model. 

The published circular emphasized that 

policies to combat climate change have 

gained momentum in this direction and 

that the goal of achieving sustainable 

economic growth has brought climate 

change to the center of international 

economic and trade policies. 

The EU on Dec. 11, 2019, announced that 

it will adopt a new growth strategy that will 

transform its economy with the “European 

Green Consensus,” while Erdoğan pointed 

out that other leading actors of the 

international economy should set targets 

for the green transformation of their 

economies in the following period. 

The changes envisaged in EU policies 

with the European Green Deal hold great 

importance in line with the transformation 

in international trade and the economy, 

the circular stressed. It also stated that 

Turkey’s 2023 development goals in 

terms of protecting and improving the 

country’s competitiveness in exports, 

which is the locomotive of the national 

economy, and its contribution to the global 

economy with the advanced economic 

integration established within the scope 

of the customs union with the EU will be 

improved. 

To overcome climate change and 

environmental degradation, the EU deal is 

set to transform the bloc into a modern, 

resource-efficient and competitive 

economy, ensuring net-zero emissions of 

greenhouse gases by 2050 and economic 

growth decoupled from resource use. 

All 27 EU member states committed to 

turning the EU into the first climate-neutral 

continent by 2050 and, to achieve this 

goal, they pledged to reduce emissions by 

at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 

levels. 

The action plan will contribute to Turkey’s 

transition to a sustainable, resourceefficient 

and green economy, while 

providing a road map to adapt to the 

changes included in the EU pact, “in a 

way that will preserve and further the 

integration provided within the scope of 

the EU Customs Union with Turkey.” 

Meanwhile, to assist the Working Group, 

specialized working groups can also 

be formed in case of need that would 

include universities, nongovernmental 

organizations (NGO), professional 

associations and representatives of the 

private sector. 


Turkish firm’s 

helicopter 

engines’ local 

utilization 

exceeds 50% 

The rate of domestically produced parts 

in the ongoing production of engines that 

power the Turkish-built T-70 multi-role 

helicopters has surpassed 50%, the head of 

Turkish Aerospace Industries’ (TAI) engine 

manufacturing subsidiary said. 

Mahmut Faruk Akşit, general manager 

and CEO of TUSAŞ Engine Industries (TEI), 

told that the engines that will power the 

T-70 Black Hawk helicopters – based on 

the Sikorsky Aircraft S-70i Black Hawk – 

are currently being produced in company 

facilities in central Eskişehir province 

within the scope of the General-Purpose 

Helicopter Program (GMHP), one of 

Turkey’s most important aviation programs. 

Akşit said that within the framework of 

the project, the body of the helicopter 

was produced by TAI, its engines by TEI, its 

avionics by another Turkish defense giant, 

Aselsan, and the main gear that turns the 

propeller by Alp Aviation. 

The T700-TEI-701D engine production 

initially started a few years ago and, 

according to what Akşit said, they have 

been constantly increasing the local 

utilization rate. He said they have come 

to manufacture almost every part of the 

engine at the TEI facilities, including the 

combustion chamber, which is the most 

critical hot zone part. 

“We have completed almost all of the 

qualification tests. There is a final test, and 

when we pass it, we will be able to sell the 

combustion chamber to the world market 

with a certificate, and if we 

can make an agreement 

with General Electric (GE), 

we will be able to sell it to 

them,” he said. 

The company so far has 

produced 47 domestic 

helicopter engines of the 

T700-TEI-701D type and 

delivered 36 of them to 

TAI. 

The rest will also be 

delivered after completing the qualification 

tests. 

“As of now, we are in a position to produce 

an engine almost once a week,” the 

company head said. 

Akşit stated that producing engines and 

maintaining and repairing them require 

separate technologies. He emphasized that 

as TEI they have both capabilities. 

This capability has thrust them into an 

important place in terms of the global 

market, he said. 

“We have become one of the major 

maintenance centers for T700 engines 

in the world. We also maintain the T700 

engines that we do not manufacture. We 

have maintained some Sikorsky engines 

that care currently in the fleets of the 

gendarmerie and police.” 


Amid upward revisions, 

Turkey sees 2021 GDP 

growth at over 8% 

Turkey expects its economy to expand by over 8% 

this year, the nation’s trade minister said, amid strong 

performance and continued resilience in economic activity 

that triggered upward revisions by some international 

institutions. 

“Those who previously lowered Turkey’s growth rate 

forecast have now increased it again to 7.9%,” Mehmet 

Muş told a meeting in the northwestern province of 

Edirne. 

Muş did not elaborate further but his remarks came after 

Fitch revised up its forecast for Turkey’s 2021 growth. 

The global credit rating agency said it expects the 

country’s economy to expand by 7.9% this year, up from 

its previous estimate of 6.3% in June. It cited performance 

following the strong first quarter and base effect as well as 

the continued resilience in economic activity. 

“Our forecast is that our growth this year will actually rise 

even above 8%,” Muş said. 

The economy grew 7% in the first quarter of this year. 

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan recently said the full-year 

growth could exceed that, driven by an expected 20% leap 

in the second quarter, mainly due to the base effect. 

Data which showed the country’s industrial production 

surged 41.1% year-on-year in the April-June period, 

further reinforced views that the gross domestic product 

(GDP) growth could come in even above 20% for the 

second quarter. 

Turkey had imposed curfews, weekend lockdowns 

and restaurant closures, including a tougher but brief 

lockdown in April and May due to surging COVID-19 cases. 

Manufacturing and the broader economy were largely 

unaffected and the measures were lifted in June. 

The economy expanded 1.8% in 2020, one of only a 

few globally to avoid a contraction due to the pandemic 

thanks to a state-lender-led credit boom mid-year. 

Muş also cited the strong performance in the country’s 

exports as 12-month rolling foreign sales exceeded a 

threshold of $200 billion (TL 1.7 trillion) for the first time 

in June. The minister stressed the will to lift this figure 

even further by the end of the year, before accelerating 

the pace even further in 2022.

Ultrafabrics Partners with Jaguar Land Rover to 

Define the Future of Sustainable Luxury with the 

New Range Rover models 

Ultrafabrics is pleased to announce the 

most recent chapter of its partnership 

with Jaguar Land Rover in the form of the 

revolutionary Range Rover, JLR’s most 

ambitious luxury vehicle to date. 

The elegant new Range Rover defines 

modern luxury, providing more 

refinement, customer choice and scope 

for personalisation than ever before. For 

the first time, customers can specify a 

Range Rover with a sustainable, luxury 

animal-free (vegan) leather by choosing 

Ultrafabrics in both the standard and SV 

Intrepid models. 

Perry Hodge, Vice President of 

Transportation, says of the partnership, 

“We have been working closely with the 

Jaguar Land Rover design team’s research 

and innovation team for almost eight years. 

In the new models, especially the Range 

Rover SV, Ultrafabrics has a much larger 

presence throughout the interior which is 

the result of our years-long commitment 

to bringing luxury and innovation to our 

customers.” 

He adds, “We are proud to bring their 

concept of modernity and their distinct 

subtle luxury to life. Ultrafabrics’ materials 

offer the same tactile qualities as leather 

but are 30% lighter and thereby generate a 

quarter of the carbon dioxide emissions.” 

With a soft haptic and technical aesthetic 

that embodies the brands mantra of ‘touch 

the future’, the Ultrafabrics’ material, in 

Light Cloud with Cinder Grey, is applied 

in a future-forward duotone colourway 

of the SV Intrepid interior, redefining the 

sporting and dynamic nature of the vehicle. 

While the standard Range Rover includes 

Ultrafabrics in Ebony, offering the most 

progressive materiality choices to date. 

Range Rover is the original luxury SUV and 

has led by example for 50 years, combining 

serene comfort and composure with 

all-conquering capability. The New Range 

Rover is the most desirable yet, mixing 

breathtaking modernity and aesthetic 

grace with technological sophistication and 

seamless connectivity. Ultrafabrics is proud 

to be redefining the future alongside such 

an iconic automotive brand. 

ABOUT ULTRAFABRICS 

Ultrafabrics is a range of premium, 

animal-free materials that is reshaping 

the world of performance fabrics. Crafted 

in the company’s Japanese mill using a 

proprietary production process, its passion 

is the creation of unrivaled sensorial 

experiences.Ultrafabrics’ continuous 

investment in innovation, research and 

development has resulted in a range of 

polyurethanes suitable for both indoor and 

outdoor use. The brand’s growing client 

list of luxury brands spans many industries, 

from residential and contract furniture, to 

upholstery for cars, yachts, airlines, and 

private jets. 


McLaren P1 hypercar with only 

433 miles goes to auction 

A McLaren P1 in virtually as-new condition has gone live on 

online auction platform Collecting Cars. 

The exceptional single-owner hypercar is one of just 375 

examples and shows a staggeringly low 433 miles from new. 

Specified from the factory with Elite Fire Black paint, the car 

remains completely original with no blemishes or repairs. 

The car was recently detailed to showcase the exceptional 

condition of the bodywork and optional satin finish Stealth 

alloy wheels. 

The interior cabin is also pristine with no wear or damage 

to the Carbon Fibre Racing Seats, trimmed in Carbon Black 

leather and Alcantara, and accented by Harissa Red stitching. 

Weighing just 1395kg, the P1 boasts meticulous construction 

techniques, centred on a lightweight carbon fibre monoco 

que chassis weighing only 90kg and clothed in carbon body 

panels. The twin-turbocharged 3.8L V8 produces 727hp and 

is further assisted by a 177hp electric motor, giving the P1 


the capability to accelerate from zero to 62mph in just 2.8 seconds, zero to 

124mph in 6.8 seconds, and going on to a top speed of 217mph. 

Also featured are F1-derived active aerodynamics, as well as an Instant 

Power Assist System (IPAS), Drag Reduction System (DRS), and a kinetic 

energy recovery system (KERS). 

Accompanying the car are the third- and fourth-year annual servicing 

documents, including the most recent scheduled maintenance at 337 miles 

at a cost of $7,062.42. This included a detailed inspection, with high-voltage 

safety check, front and rear suspension tightness checks, a lithium-ion 

battery condition check, along with the usual consumables. 

Edward Lovett, founder of Collecting Cars, said: 

“The McLaren P1 is an incredible contemporary supercar, and this sale 

represents a great opportunity to acquire an exceptionally low-mileage, 

one-owner car. The P1 ushered in a new era of petrol-electric performance 

and remains highly collectible as one of the hypercar ‘holy trinity’ of its era.” 

Compared to traditional car auctions, Collecting Cars offers significantly 

better value for sellers and buyers alike. For sellers, the detailed 

photographic presentation and professional descriptions mean their car is 

showcased in the best possible way, and it is marketed to a huge captive 

audience of passionate enthusiasts. Furthermore, there is no listing fee, and 

they receive 100% of the hammer price. 


Turkey is the 8th 

best prepared 

country in 

Europe for 

electric vehicles, 

research reveals 

With the looming threat of climate 

change, many people, companies and 

nations are looking to reduce their use of 

fossil fuels and produce a lower carbon 

footprint. One way they are attempting to 

implement this is by making road travel 

better for the environment, by way of 

switching to electric vehicles (EVs) rather 

than traditional cars powered by petrol 

or diesel-powered internal combustion 

engines. Turkey was revealed to be the 8th 

best country in Europe to go fully electric, 

scoring 3.28 according to the Zutobi report. 

Many countries have set lofty electric 

vehicle targets, for example in the United 

Kingdom the government is committed 

to only selling new electric vehicles 

from 2030. Meanwhile, Joe Biden has 

announced that he would like half of new 

American cars to be electrically powered by 

the same date. 

But which countries are best prepared for 

electric vehicle adoption? By considering 

the data for numerous different factors 

Zutobi established the best countries in 

Europe for EV use. 


Turkey held 100 

virtual trade 

delegation 

meetings during 

COVID-19 

In order not to halt trade diplomacy during the pandemic period, Turkey’s Trade Ministry organized a total of 100 virtual meetings with 

trade delegations beginning from May of last year. 

Some 1,801 producer and exporter companies met with 4,279 foreign buyers through 14,943 business-to-business (B2B) virtual meetings. 

Virtual delegations promote Turkish companies and products in foreign markets when physical events are not possible due to the 

pandemic measures, such as lockdowns and travel bans. 

The country has hosted 21 general and 79 sectoral virtual trade delegation meetings with Ghana, Qatar, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, 

Tanzania, India, Romania, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, Hong Kong, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and 

Vietnam since May. 

Turkey’s foreign trade gap nearly halves in September 

Turkey’s foreign trade deficit fell 47.5% 

year-on-year in September to $2.547 billion 

(TL 24.17 billion) according to the general 

trade system, official data showed. 

After trade a year earlier was hit by the 

coronavirus pandemic, Turkey’s September 

exports jumped 30% and imports rose 

11.9% from the previous year to $20.78 

billion and $23.3 billion, respectively, the 

Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) said. 

Excluding the energy and gold trade, 

exports and imports were $19.96 billion 

and $19.6 billion, respectively. The foreign 

trade surplus, excluding energy products 

and non-monetary gold, was $1.38 billion 

in September, the institute said. 

The ratio of manufacturing industry 

products in overall exports was 94.6% 

in the month, followed by agricultureforestry-fishing 

with 2.9% and miningquarrying 

with 1.9%. 

The share of high-tech products in the 

manufacturing industry products was 2.8%. 

“The ratios of intermediate goods, 

capital goods, and consumer goods in 

total imports were 78%, 12.9%, 9%, 

respectively,” the institute noted. 

Turkey’s energy import bill increased by 

65.7% year-on-year to $4.44 billion last 

month. The surge has been prompted by an 

increase in the global energy prices ahead 

of the winter season. 

The data showed that energy accounted 

for 19.06% of the overall import figure in 

September. The country’s crude oil imports 

showed a 16.6% decrease from a year ago. 

Turkey imported 2.84 million tons of crude 

oil last month, down from 3.41 million tons 

in the same month last year. 

In September, Germany was the main 

export destination for Turkey with $1.7 

billion and China was the main import 

partner with $2.9 billion. 

From January through September, the 

trade deficit narrowed 14.6% to $32.351 

billion. Exports grew 35.9% on a yearly 

basis to hit $160.95 billion, while imports 

were up 23.7% to $193.3 billion. 


Turkey earmarks 

new generation 

free trade 

deals to rev up 

exports 

Turkey is building a new generation of 

comprehensive free trade agreements 

(FTAs) to lift exports, strengthen the 

competitiveness of the industry and attract 

foreign capital, according to the nation’s 

trade minister. 

“Comprehensive FTA negotiations are 

currently ongoing with Japan, Thailand 

and Indonesia in the Asia-Pacific region,” 

Mehmet Muş told a closing session of 

the 34th Foreign Economic Relations 

Board (DEIK) Ordinary Financial General 

Assembly. 

These agreements will include services, 

investments and public procurement, Muş 

said. 

“While negotiations with Georgia and 

Moldova continue to expand the scope 

of FTAs, we continue negotiations with 

Ukraine, making efforts to reach a result,” 

the minister added. On the other hand, he 

added, in Latin America, opportunities for 

pacts with Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and 

Mexico have been continuing. 

The government has also ramped up efforts 

to further develop cooperation with the 

U.S. and China. 

Turkey’s 12-month rolling exports exceeded 

the long-awaited threshold of $200 billion 

for the first time in July, exceeding both 

the 2021-end target of $184 billion and the 

$198 billion target set for 2022. 

The January-July sales came in at $121.4 

billion, marking a 35% rise from a year ago 

and a 16.4% increase from the sevenmonth 

figure of 2019 before the pandemic 

hit. The outbreak led to a 6.26% drop in 

2020 exports as Turkey closed the year with 

$169.5 billion in foreign sales. 

Imports were up 4.3% to reach $219.4 

billion. The foreign trade gap widened 

by 69.12% to $49.9 billion. Muş said the 

government has been preparing a strategy 

to increase exports to faraway countries, 

“in order to bring the geographies we 

call distant closer and to evaluate the 

commercial and economic potential of 

these geographies.” 

He said two-thirds of Turkey’s exports are 

to countries with an average distance of up 

to 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles), adding 

Turkey can only get a 0.26% share from 

the $8.2 trillion worth of imports from 17 

countries far from its soil. 

“We will consult with our businesspeople 

when it reaches a certain point, aiming to 

quadruple our exports to 17 countries with 

an average distance of 8,650 kilometers 

(5,375 miles).” 


Clean surfaces and safe in-cabin air –Asahi 

Kasei’s recent survey shows growing global needs 

towards a hygienic automotive interior space 

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed mobility. It has also changed the car user’s perception of safety and 

comfort inside the automotive. As a result, the global car user’s willingness to invest into solutions against 

pathogens on interior surfaces and the in-cabin air is growing. This development is one of the key findings 

of the second Asahi Kasei Automotive Interior Survey conducted in December 2020. 

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is 

having a severe impact on mobility. 

Recent surveys show that the use of 

public transport and ride sharing services 

has declined severely. In contrast, 

the popularity of the private car as a 

safe space with a low infection risk is 

increasing. The surveys suggest that the 

pandemic will have a lasting effect on 

existing and future mobility concepts – 

and on the materials and technologies 

used inside the automotive. As the main 

interface between the user and the 

car, surface materials are defining how 

the driver and the passengers perceive 

the automotive interior and, more 

importantly, the driving experience itself. 

In the past, automotive interiors needed 

to be comfortable, attractive, and smooth 

to the touch. The COVID-19 pandemic 

is adding a new dimension to this topic, 

clearly raising the needs towards the 

overall cleanliness and safety against 

invisible threats inside the car. 

This development was also confirmed by 

the second representative “Asahi Kasei 

Automotive Interior Survey” conducted 

in December 2020 by Asahi Kasei and the 

Cologne-based market research institute 

SKOPOS. 500 vehicle users in each of the 


global automotive core markets Germany, 

USA, China, and Japan were asked about 

their preferences in regard to the future 

automotive interior. 

Global car users see benefit in easyto-maintain 

surfaces and air filtration 

systems 

One key finding of the survey was the 

importance of cleanliness inside the car. In 

Germany, 64% of the car users are putting 

a great emphasis on this topic, valuing it 

even higher than connectivity, the intuitive 

operation, or the personalization of the 

car. The same results can be observed in 

the other markets: For four out of five car 

users in China cleanliness inside the car is 

important (see fig. 1). While the perception 

of cleanliness is subjective, it becomes 

clear that this topic is moving the car users 

around the world. While premium and 

lasting interior looks climb in importance, 

more people are increasingly aware about 

the surfaces they touch and the air they 

breathe – especially in a confined space 

like a car. Asked about features they would 

consider beneficial in their next car, 75% 

of the car users in Germany pointed out 

“surface and seating materials that are 

easy to wash”, followed by an “advanced 

air filtration system filtering the OUTSIDE 

AIR entering the vehicle” (69%) and “water 

and dirt repellent surfaces” (66%) (see 

fig. 2). The same features are also clearly 

moving the car users in the USA and 

China. In addition, 87% of the car users 

in China see a benefit in an “advanced air 

filtration system filtering the AIR WITHIN 

the vehicle”, 83% in “sur-faces that can 

eliminate viruses in places you touch the 

most”. 

Heiko Rother, General Manager Business 

Development Automotive at Asahi Kasei 

Europe, on this development: “This 

new survey is confirming the results 

of our first survey from October 2019, 

where cleanliness already was a big 

topic for the car users in Europe. The 

automotive manufacturers are facing the 

new challenge of taking away the user’s 

concerns about invisible threats, making 

him or her feel safe and comfortable again 

inside their vehicle. This goes specifically 

for private cars, but also for all current and 

future mobility concepts.” 

Willingness to pay for hygienic features 

The car user’s accelerating needs towards 

hygienic features is also reflected in the 

readiness to pay for solutions for safe 

surfaces and air inside the car. For a 

hypothetical, optional “Surface Protect” 

Package*, 35% of the German car users 

planning to purchase a new car would be 

willing to pay an additional 1,000 Euro. In 

the USA, every second car user agrees to 

pay 1,000 USD, every fourth even 1,500 

USD. While 70% of the car users in China 

would pay 5,000 CNY, every third would 

be inclined to pay 7,000 CNY, showing a 

strong acceptance on the Chinese market 

for additional features that contribute to 

hygienic surfaces. A similar trend can be 

seen in regard to features that contribute 

to air safety. When purchasing a new 

car, every third car user in Germany 

would be inclined to pay 1,000 Euro for 

a hypothetical, optional “Cabin Protect” 

Package*, ensuring safe air inside the 

passenger compartment. The same 

development can be observed in the USA, 

where around every second car user agrees 

with paying 1,000 USD, and every fifth 

even willing to pay 2,000 USD. In China, 

the demand is clearly higher, with 71% of 

the car users willing to pay 5,000 CNY, 40% 

even 7,000 CNY. 

Heiko Rother concludes: “In order to make 

the private car, but also other existing and 

future mobility concepts safer in regard 

to invisible threats on surfaces and in the 

air, new material and technology solutions 

will quickly need to find their way into the 

development process. With its “Healthy 

Car” portfolio including antimicrobial seat 

fabrics and plastics, as well as UVC-LED 

solutions for in-car air filtration, Asahi Kasei 

is already at the forefront, looking forward 

to team up with the automotive industry 

and to contribute to a safer mobility”. 

*Surface Protect Package: A hypothetical, 

optional package with interior materials 

that provide anti-viral/ anti-microbial 

properties, stain and odor resistance 

and improved weathering and scratch 

resistance. 

*Cabin Protect Package: A hypothetical, 

optional package including an automated 

ventilation system that eliminates microbes 

and pathogens in cabin air, monitors CO2 

levels to reduce drowsiness and provides 

active occupant sensing for child/pet left 

behind. 


Turkish auto 

industry’s 

output surges 

despite chip 

shortage 

Production in Turkey’s automotive industry 

increased from January through July this 

year, a sectoral report revealed, amid the 

global semiconductor shortage that has 

been hindering output. 

The Automotive Manufacturers Association 

(OSD) said automakers manufactured 

705,079 vehicles – including automobiles, 

light commercial vehicles, and tractors – in 

the first seven months, marking a nearly 

11% rise year-on-year. 

Automobile production rose by 2.1% yearon-year 

to 449,550 in the seven-month 

period, the data showed. 

The overall auto sales market, including 

light trucks and other vehicles, grew by 

31.4%, reaching 461,730 in the same 

period. 

Coronavirus pandemic lockdowns caused 

a shift in consumer spending toward 

electronics and a spike in demand for the 

semiconductor chips that run them. 

Modern automobiles can use dozens of 

chips in their various electronics systems, 

and carmakers have had to slow production 

or leave factories idle when they run out of 

supplies. 

Many of the automakers were planning 

to rev up production this year to meet an 

expected surge in demand as the pandemic 

wanes and to recover from last year’s 

losses. But without enough chips, those 

hopes are fading. 

Many of the Turkish top carmakers such as 

Ford Otosan, Tofaş and Oyak Renault had 

to temporarily pause their outputs in their 

factories in the past months. 

Automakers have reduced the stocks of 

parts they keep on hand in recent years 

as part of cost-cutting measures, so 

delivery delays can quickly force an entire 

shutdown. 

A report by the OSD also revealed that 

automotive industry exports jumped 26.8% 

on a dollar basis to $16.7 billion between 

January and July. 

Climbing 6.6%, the sector’s export value 

reached $5.4 billion, the report added. 

Turkey exported 512,320 vehicles, of which 

322,874 were passenger cars, during these 

months. The capacity utilization rate in the 

sector was around 62% in January-July. 

Yet this July, automotive production fell by 

44.6% year-on-year, reaching 65,418, the 

data showed. Vehicle production was down 

nearly 57% to 33,529 units. 

All this prompted a decline of 35.1% to 

50,781 units, the report noted.

Automotive Exports November 2021

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