Turkey’s planned domestic car will be electric-engine: Minister

ISTANBUL

Turkey will go for an electric-engine model in its bid to develop its first domestic car brand, Science, Industry and Technology Minister Faruk Özlü has stated. 

“The conversion in the global auto market shows us today that now is the best time to enter the market. Our priority in the local vehicle market is an electrical type,” Özlü said in an interview with private broadcaster CNN Türk on July 9. 

“First version of this vehicle will soon to appear on the market and will be an electrical one,” he said, adding that it could be produced by 2019. 

Özlü noted that the world’s automotive market today is in transformation, pointing to Tesla, the Silicon Valley-based electric engine car developer, competing with century-old brands.

Along with the domestic automobile, Özlü said domestic aircraft production would also be finalized soon. 
“We will carry out these works. At the moment on our production line are new generation manned fighter aircrafts, equipped with the latest technology,” he said.

Özlü also stated that in 2018, a Turkish base will be set up in Antarctica, enabling the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) and the Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ) Pole Research Center to conduct research in the region. 

At the moment, Antarctica is not ruled under any single country’s domination but it is managed under 53 different countries. Presently, Turkey has observer status in the region and to increase its rights a country is expected to make scientific research in the region.

Özlü also noted that his ministry was working on training astronauts for new missions.