Auto industry’s production down, capacity usage falls
ISTANBUL
The auto industry’s production declined by 2.8 percent annually, while carmaker’s capacity utilization was below 60 percent in January, shows the data from the Automotive Manufacturers’ Association (OSD).
Carmakers produced a total of 105,397 vehicles last month with passenger car output rising 1.1 percent year-on-year to around 68,000 units.
The industry’s overall production was 108,500 units in December, while passenger car production was 67,100.
Worryingly, the capacity utilization rate across the industry fell from 70 percent last year to 58 percent in the first month of 2025. The capacity usage rate for passenger cars and light commercial vehicle manufacturers was 60 percent.
Ford Otosan was the largest producer at 35,023, followed by Oyak Renault at 23,848. Hyundai Assan produced 21,652 cars, while Toyota’s production amounted to 17,232 units.
The auto industry manufactured 1.37 million vehicles last year, pointing to a 7 percent decline from 2023. Passenger car output was down 5 percent annually to 904,513 units. The year-on-year decline in light commercial vehicle production was 3 percent.
The local auto market contracted 14.7 percent year-on-year in January when 70,412 vehicles were sold, according to data from OSD.
Domestic sales of passenger cars fell 12.6 percent from a year ago to 55,944 units.
The country imported 37,148 passenger cars last month, marking a more than 11 percent decline from a year ago, while total vehicle import was down 10 percent to 48,000.
Despite the problems in the local market, the automotive industry’s export performance was better.
In January, carmakers shipped 78,191 vehicles to foreign markets, generating $2.93 billion in export revenues. Passenger car exports surged 15.4 percent year-on-year to reach $866.5 million.
Separate data from the Uludağ Automotive Industry Exporters’ Association (OİB) showed that the automotive industry’s shipments to Germany, the largest export market, increased by 11 percent to $416 million.
Exports to the United Kingdom amounted to $330 million, down 1 percent from January last year, while exports to France surged 20 percent to $325 million.
