Turkey best production ground for Asian car firms

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Out of 200 Asian automotive managers, 81 percent say their favorite production center is Turkey, according to the recent “2012 Global Automotive Managers Study” released by global consulting firm KPMG.

The study found the majority of global automotive managers, especially Asian manufacturers, preferred Turkey as a production base to enter emerging markets, especially because of their ambitions to grow their European markets and produce automobiles close to Europe.

After Turkey, Egypt came in second as the most preferred production center at 11 percent, followed by Iran at 4 percent, and Morocco in fourth place at 2 percent, according to the study.

Leading exports hub

After Japan, Turkey also came in second in automobile exports to Europe. Of the 1.1 million vehicles produced in Turkey annually, 80 percent are exported, said the study.

Turkey’s custom union with Europe and its logistical location have made the country an attractive production site for Indian and Chinese producers.

Meanwhile, the study also predicts that of the top ten fastest growing auto producers, seven will be Asia-based and four of these will be based in China

KPMG consultants also asked automotive managers what they thought would be the leading trends and products over the next five years. Managers said “fuel efficiency” would be the most important trend. While 45 percent of managers said economic and comfortable products would be the most important, 40 percent said “environmentally friendly vehicles” would take the lead. Of the Turkish managers interviewed, 33 percent said economic and comfortable cars would be the most popular, while 17 percent said “fuel efficiency” would be the most important and another 17 percent gave their vote to “environmentally friendly” vehicles.