Auto sales leap 62 percent in March

ISTANBUL

The combined sales of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles increased by a strong 61.7 percent in March compared with the same month of 2022, the Automotive Distributors’ and Mobility Association (ODMD) has said.

Last month, more than 29,000 passenger cars were sold on the local market, pointing to a robust 57.9 percent year-on-year increase. The annual increase in passenger car sales in March was stronger than the 56.5 percent and 28.5 percent rises recorded in February and January, respectively.

The light commercial vehicle market expanded at 75.3 percent as sales amounted to nearly 25,000 units in this segment. The annual increase in sales eased slightly from February’s 85.2 percent.

In the first three months of 2023, auto sales grew 55.2 percent from January-March last year.

Passenger cars and light commercial vehicle sales increased by 50 percent and 71 percent to more than 175,000 and around 61,000 units, respectively.

Data from the ODMD also showed that electric vehicle (EV) sales soared 244 percent to 638 in March, still accounting for only 1.3 percent of all cars sold in the country.

In January-March, nearly 1,100 EVs were sold, up 335 percent from a year earlier.

This week Türkiye’s first indigenous electric car maker Togg delivered its first vehicle to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and first lady Emine Erdoğan.

Pre-orders for the TOGG T10X were taken online on March 16-27, and a total of 177,000 vehicles were sold online, Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank told reporters on April 3.

The company plans to deliver 20,000 units to the first buyers of Togg’s EV model T10X, who were selected through a digital draw.

“All sold online, more than 80 percent sold through the app, a world first,” Togg CEO Gürcan Karakaş told reporters.