Producers roll out new cars in Istanbul

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

The Turkish automotive sector’s biggest event, the “Istanbul Autoshow” began yesterday with the global launch of four French cars.

The 2013 models of Citroen C-Elysee, Peugeot 301, Renault Symbol and Renault Fluence were presented to the world on the first day of the event, with more than 600,000 people expected to attend.

Nearly 500 models of 45 auto brands will also be on display at the auto show until Nov. 11.

However, producers are getting ready to face some difficulties in the sector in the following term. The Autoshow 2012’s organizer Automotive Distributors’ Association (ODD) head Mustafa Bayraktar said the automotive market is expected to decrease its production in 2012.

Nearly 815, 000 automobiles will be manufactured, he said. The number stood at 911,000 items in 2011.

In the first nine months of the year, Turkey’s car production decreased more than 12 percent.
Bayraktar also said this was because of the rising special consumption tax (SCT) and the fiscal measures taken to secure stable growth in the Turkish economy.

Turkish Economy Minister Zafer Çağlayan and Minister of Science, Industry and Technology Nihat Ergün were also present at the first day of the show, where Çağlayan said he recognizes the difficulties the producers face with the taxes.

Criticism from sector representatives on tax problems was justified and he was planning to share these complaints with his ministry officials to develop a solution, Çağlayan said.

Honda’s Turkey CEO Hideto Yamasaki told the Daily News on the sidelines of the event that Turkey was one of greatest countries in the European and global automotive sectors.

“Of course we see a very hard situation in Europe, particularly in some southern countries like Greece, Portugal and Spain, but Turkey is still one of the best places in the world for this sector and we are hopeful for the following term,” Yamasaki said.

The International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers’ (OICA) head Patrick Blain also praised Turkey’s growing automotive sector.

“Turkey is one of the most important players in the sector with its geographical position and competitive trade capacity. In the following 10 years some significant changes are expected in the sector and it is expected to renew the sector,” Blain said.

Blain also drew attention to emerging economies’ affects on the sector. China has the quarter of all sector, he said adding that Europe reached to point of saturation.