Carmakers hope to keep strong export momentum this year
ISTANBUL
The Turkish automotive industry aims to maintain last year’s strong momentum in passenger car exports in 2025 as well, says Baran Çelik, board chair of the Uludağ Automotive Industry Exporters’ Association.
Çelik noted that the automotive industry’s overall exports reached an all-time high of $37.2 billion in 2024.
Stating that passenger cars, one of the most important export items of the industry, saw double-digit growth in foreign sales, Çelik said that passenger cars constitute 33.2 percent of the total exports of the automotive sector.
Passenger car exports, which were $11.06 billion in 2023, increased by around 12 percent to $12.36 billion in 2024, according to Çelik.
Until 2024, the export of passenger cars primarily consisted of internal combustion engine vehicles, he noted.
“As a result of the investments made by Turkish manufacturers, the export of hybris vehicles also started to increase significantly as of 2024. They contributed to the increase in export unit value,” Çelik said.
Pointing out that Türkiye is one of the largest commercial vehicle manufacturers in Europe in the automotive sector, Çelik said: “The double-digit growth in passenger cars has become one of the driving forces of the automotive industry."
This year, passenger car exports are expected to maintain their strong momentum, according to Çelik.
The most important factor is when Türkiye’s EV maker Togg begins to sell its cars in foreign markets, he added.
“If Togg’s exports start this year, it will become a significant driving force for exports as well,” Çelik said.
Togg may also start exporting to Europe toward the end of the year, Fuat Tosyali, chairman of the board at Togg, said in January.
