Europe absorbs largest chunk of Turkish auto sector’s exports

ISTANBUL

Despite its economic woes, Europe remains the Turkish auto industry’s largest market, absorbing nearly 85 percent of its exports.

That means four out of five vehicles exported by local companies shipped to European countries in the first 11 months of 2024.

The local automotive sector maintained its position as the highest-exporting industry in January-November, accounting for 16.4 percent ($33.7 billion) of Türkiye’s export revenue in this period. Export income of the industry rose by 6 percent year-on-year in the first 11 months of the year.

In November alone, the industry’s export revenue amounted to $3.24 billion, exhibiting an annual increase of 2.3 percent.

Despite the troubles in many European countries, local carmakers managed to boost their sales in the continent, the latest trade data showed.

Shipments to the European market surged 7.4 percent in January-November from the same period of last year, amounting to $28.5 billion, which translated into an 84.5 percent share in the industry’s overall export revenues.

Germany was the largest buyer of the Turkish automotive industry, followed by the U.K., France, Italy and Spain, according to the latest data from the Türkiye Exporters’ Assembly (TİM).

Exports to Germany, Europe’s powerhouse, were $4.4 billion, declining by 1 percent from January-November last year. Shipments to the U.K. generated $3.83 billion in revenue, marking a 29 percent increase.

Exports to France declined by 1.9 percent in the first 11 months of 2025 from a year ago to $3.8 billion, while shipments to Italy rose by 10.4 percent to $3.1 billion.

The local industry’s exports to Spain were up 3.8 percent to $2.28 billion.

In terms of the highest percentage increase recorded in exports, Serbia topped the list, followed by Romania, Iceland, Belarus and Kosovo.

TİM data showed that the Turkish automotive sector’s exports to Serbia leaped 92 percent annually in the first 11 months of 2024.

Exports to Romania and Iceland rose by 34.8 percent and 34.3 percent, respectively. The annual increases for Belarus and Kosovo were 31.4 percent and 30.4 percent, respectively.

The U.S. was the largest non-European market, with exports to the world’s largest economy amounting to $1.1 billion.

The local industry’s exports to Morocco stood at $499 million and exports to Iraq generated $248 million in export revenues in the January-November period.