USD 17 billion
Total investment volume of global brands in the Turkish automotive industry since 2000.
1.3 million
Number of vehicles produced in Türkiye in 2021.
1st
Türkiye's rank in commercial vehicle production in Europe in 2021.
4th
Türkiye’s rank in Europe’s automotive production in 2021.
13th
Türkiye s rank in global automotive production in 2021.
73%
Average export rate of OEMs in Türkiye for 2021.
7%
CAGR of the vehicle market in Türkiye for 2002-2021.
30 of the top 50 global suppliers have production facilities in Türkiye.
490+
Number of tier-one suppliers in Türkiye.
156
Number of suppliers' R&D and design centers in Türkiye accredited by the Ministry of Industry and Technology.
The foundation of Türkiye’s automotive industry dates back to the early 1960s. During a period of rapid industrialization and progress, this key sector transformed itself from assembly-based partnerships to a full-fledged industry with design capability and massive production capacity. Since 2003, original equipment manufacturers (OEM) have invested over USD 17 billion in their operations in Türkiye. These investments significantly expanded their manufacturing capabilities, which in turn led Türkiye to become an important part of the global value chain of international OEMs. Meeting and exceeding international quality and safety standards, today’s Turkish automotive industry is highly efficient and competitive thanks to value-added production.
As part of its commitment to transforming its automotive industry, which has historically been a key economic driver in integrating the Turkish economy with the global value chain, and to its vision of making Türkiye an economic powerhouse, Türkiye has introduced its own locally-developed born-electric car built upon strength stemming from the country's long-standing know-how in the area.
Accordingly, Türkiye's Automobile Joint Venture Group, known as Togg, will produce five different models on a joint platform with fully-owned intellectual and industrial property rights by 2030. The first of these Turkish vehicles are expected to hit the market in 2023.
- Leveraging a competitive and highly-skilled workforce combined with a dynamic local market and favorable geographical location, the vehicle production of 8 global OEMs in Türkiye has increased by almost five times from 300,000s in 2002 to over 1.3 million units in 2021. This represents a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 6 percent during that period.
- Significant growth posted by Türkiye’s automotive sector led to the country’s becoming the 13th largest automotive manufacturer in the world and 4th largest in Europe by the end of 2021.
- Türkiye has already become a center of excellence, particularly with respect to the production of commercial vehicles. By the end of 2021, Türkiye was the number one producer of commercial vehicles (CVs) in Europe.
- Proven as a production hub of excellence, the Turkish automotive industry is now aiming at improving its R&D, design, and branding capabilities. As of 2022, 156 R&D and design centers belonging to automotive manufacturers and suppliers are operational in Türkiye.
- Notable examples of global brands with product development, design, and engineering activities in Türkiye include Ford, Fiat, Daimler, AVL, and FEV. Ford Otosan’s R&D center is one of Ford’s three largest global R&D centers, while Fiat’s R&D center in Bursa is the Italian company’s only center serving the European market outside its home country. Meanwhile, Daimler’s R&D center in Istanbul complements the German company’s truck and bus manufacturing operations in Türkiye. AVL Türkiye, which opened up its 2nd R&D center in Türkiye, develops autonomous and hybrid vehicle technologies.
- Türkiye offers a supportive environment on the supply chain side. There are around 1,100 component suppliers supporting the production of OEMs. With the parts going directly to the production lines of vehicle manufacturers, the localization rate of OEMs varies between 50 and 70 percent.
- Türkiye is home to many global suppliers. There are more than 250 global suppliers that use Türkiye as a production base, with 30 of them ranking among the 50 largest global suppliers.
- Auto manufacturers increasingly choose Türkiye as a production base for their export sales. This is evidenced by the fact that 73 percent of vehicle production in Türkiye was destined for international markets in 2021. Türkiye exported more than 950,000 vehicles to international markets in the same year. In addition, Türkiye has been the number one vehicle exporter to European markets for around a decade.
