Construction of 1st national car plant to start this month

THE groundbreaking ceremony for the factory of Turkey’s first national car is set to be held this month in the Gemlik district of northwestern Turkey’s Bursa province with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) Chair Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu said yesterday.

Hisarcıklıoğlu said they aim to release the first vehicle with a locality rate of 51% at the end of 2022.

He was speaking at the Bursa Chamber of Commerce and Industry meeting held via videoconference.

“We want to benefit from Bursa’s experience in the sector,” he said, adding that the city is one of Turkey’s most important centers in the automotive subindustry. The factory is expected to cost around TL 22 billion ($3.7 billion) and will have the capacity to produce an average of 175,000 vehicles per year once work is completed.

In June 2018, five industrial giants – the Anadolu Group, BMC, Kök Group, Turkcell and Zorlu Holding – as well as the umbrella organization TOBB joined hands to create the Automobile Joint Venture Group (TOGG).

The country’s long journey to produce a fully homegrown car came to an end on Dec. 27 last year as it unveiled the prototypes in a grand ceremony in the northwestern town of Gebze.

Erdoğan unveiled prototypes of a sport utility vehicle (SUV) and a sedan, both fully electric and C-segment models. TOGG will make five different models – an SUV, sedan, C-hatchback, B-SUV and B-MPV – through 2030 and will own their intellectual and industrial property rights.