Automotive Exports August 2023

Electric car sales up as Türkiye’s EV drive gains pace
Sales of electric vehicles (EV) in Türkiye
skyrocketed in the year through May,
propelled by the launch of the country’s
first indigenous car and arrival of new
brands.
Some 7,526 battery-power cars exchanged
hands during the January-May period,
according to the Automotive Distributors
and Mobility Association (ODMD) data
that showed overall vehicle sales in Türkiye
achieved their best May and five-month
figures ever.
Sales of electric vehicles thus rose by
a whopping 326.64% from a year ago,
when some 1,764 EVs exchanged hands,
according to the data.
Sales in May alone jumped by 457.18% to
2,095 units, compared to 376 in the same
month of 2022.
Their gasoline-electric hybrid rival saw sales
jump nearly 60% year-over-year to 37,988
units, as per data.
Battery-powered and hybrid vehicles
boosted their market shares to 2.21% and
11.17%, up from 0.82% and 11.09% in the
first five months of last year, respectively.
Cars powered by gasoline held a 68% share
in the overall sales in the January-May
period, down from 69.8% a year ago, while
that of diesel vehicles rose to 17.3% from
16.1%.
Overall, some 111,356 units of passenger
cars and light commercial vehicles were
sold in May, marking a 70.9% year-overyear
increase. The figure also represents
a 69.1% increase according to 10-year
average May sales.
Sales in the first five months of the year
rose 60.5% year-over-year to 445,006 units,
according to the ODMD.
Demand remains notably high as
consumers continue to opt for cars they
see as a tool to safeguard themselves from
high inflation. Among others, easing supply
chain-related availability problems has also
led to increased sales since the beginning
of the year. Annual consumer price
inflation in Türkiye has moderated over the
last six months, easing lastly to 43.68% in
April, almost halving from 85.1% registered
in October last year – a 24-year peak.
As expected, the battery-powered cars
trend is gaining a fresh impetus as Türkiye’s
first domestically produced electric vehicle
Togg hit the roads.
The ODMD data suggested some 306 Togg
T10X were delivered in May, although the
carmaker had said it planned to deliver
1,000 units in May, out of 20,000 units
projected for this year.
The fully electric C-segment SUV ranked
just second to Mokka, manufactured
by German carmaker Opel, owned by
Stellantis, and held 4.07% in market share
in May.
Mass production of T10X was launched last
October and deliveries started in late April.
The vehicle is initially being sold with one
engine type and two battery options. It
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