Ford to introduce new models to local market

Taylan Özgür Dil - ISTANBUL

Ford is preparing to introduce its Bronco Sport, Edge and F-150 models to the Turkish market for the first time.

Those models are expected to be made available to Turkish consumers starting from the end of 2023 and at the start of 2024.

Due to the homologation issues, initially, 70 units per model will be offered in the local market.

“We have taken an initiative and decided to sell a limited number of Bronco Sport, which is produced in Mexico, F-150 manufactures in the U.S. and Edge produced in Canada,” said Ford Türkiye Business Area leader Özgür Yücetürk.

Depending on demand, they would start to work on the homologation issue, he added.

Orders for those cars may be collected online, said Talat İşçioğlu, marketing manager.

Car sales in the Turkish market were “abnormally high” until mid-July, commented Yücetürk, adding that the decline in demand could be interpreted as “a return to old normal.”

The combined sales of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles soared 118 percent year-on-year in July. The pace of annual growth in sales slowed to 85 percent in August and further down to 55.9 percent in September, according to the data from the Automotive Distributors’ and Mobility Association (ODMD).

“We increased our share in the market with Focus and Puma models. We reached a market share of 10 percent in the first nine months,” he said.

He also said that 2024 could be a difficult year for the industry. “We will see the impacts from the access to loans, the foreign currency rates and inflation. I do not expect a dramatic decline [in sales], but all those problems will exert pressure on the market.”