Automotive Exports November 2021

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.
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