Turkey’s auto sales decrease 3.2 percent in October: Data

ISTANBUL

Turkish automotive sales in in the first 10 months of the year increased 9.1 percent to 644,359 units, compared to the same period last year. However, the sales fell 3.2 percent year-on-year in October to 58,014 units. REUTERS photo

Turkish automotive sales fell 3.2 percent year-on-year in October to 58,014 units, the Automotive Distributors’ Association (ODD) said yesterday.

The passenger car and light commercial vehicle market reflected a decrease of 2 percent in October, ODD said in a written statement. While the passenger car market increased 7 percent, light commercial vehicle market decreased 33 percent. The passenger car and light commercial vehicle market reached 67,963 units from 69,629 in the same period.

Ten-month sales up

The sales in the first ten months of the year increased 9.1 percent to 644,359 units, compared to the same period last year. Passenger car sales went up 18 percent in the same period, with a total of 499,339 units. In 2012, 423,057 purchases were made. In the first ten months of this year, light commercial vehicle market decreased 13.4 percent in comparison to the same time last year, to 145,020. Last year, sales reached 167,594.

Automotive sales in Turkey are expected to rise to 830,000-870,000 units this year, from 777,761 in 2012 when the sector was hit by a shrinking export market in Europe and a weakening in domestic demand.