Goodyear finds costs in car sector too high

Merve Erdil ISTANBUL- Hürriyet

Turkey’s automotive sector incentives are a good thing, says a Goodyear official.

The cost of tire production and auto sector employees are still too high despite the currency devaluation, creating an impediment to new tire investments, according to a top official from tire maker Goodyear.

“We want to invest in a lot of spots around the world, but if Turkey wants to attract more investment, its production costs have to be more feasible. This could mean giving auto producers more incentives or pulling production costs down,” said Goodyear’s Commercial Tires Department Head for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region Michel Rzonzef, in an interview with daily Hürriyet in Brussels, Belgium.

Rzonzef said he supported the government’s initiatives to create a “made in Turkey” automobile and in particular the government’s backing of the auto sector through an incentive scheme.

“Despite these obstacles, Turkey is in a good place in terms of auto production. We provide tires for automobiles and trucks in Turkey and therefore a government program to foster new labels and automobiles would be a gain,” he added.

Goodyear is celebrating its 50th anniversary in Turkey. The company has two tire production facilities in İzmit and Adapazarı in northwestern Turkey, which employ approximately 1,300 employees.