Supply problems cause long waits for new passenger cars

Taylan Özgür Dil- ISTANBUL

Supply shortages are limiting the availability of vehicles in the local market, causing long waits, particularly for passenger cars.

Some auto dealers promise to deliver new cars in October at the earliest, saying that not enough vehicles are arriving because of supply problems.

Supply and availability issues mired the local market last year as well, with long waiting lists for potential car buyers, in some cases up to six months.

Dealers voiced optimism that the situation may improve after October, but noted it is almost impossible to find a new car in August.

“Last month we received only 10 cars. We sold those vehicles to customers who made down payments and were on the waiting list for three months,” said a sales representative at a company in Istanbul.

The best-selling Sedan and hatchback models could be delivered at the end of September or in early October, he said.

“We collect 30,000 Turkish Liras in down payment and the price of the car will be based on the exchange rate at the time of delivery.”

Supply problems for hybrid models still continue, said another dealer. “We cannot deliver a hybrid car in the next two to three months, but other models could be available in September or October.”

Another dealer was more pessimistic, saying that his company may not deliver any new cars until November or December.

Dealers agreed that people do not delay plans on buying a car with the expectation that the special consumption tax (SCT) on vehicles could be lowered. Demand is still there, they said.

But one dealer said if the SCT is lowered, it won’t change anything. “Demand will increase, but we cannot meet the demand. You won’t be able to find a car.”

In June, passenger car sales increased by 2.9 percent from a year ago to 64,134 units, while total vehicle sales grew 1 percent, according to the latest data from the Automotive Distributors’ Association (ODD).

From January to June, more than 278,000 passenger cars were sold, marking a 10.3 percent increase from the same period of 2021.