Turkey’s Togg is preparing to become Tesla’s rival in Germany
Turkey’s first national car brand, Togg, plans to launch pre-orders for its second model, TF10, in Germany in 2024. Ongoing talks with Chinese companies also reveal Togg’s ambition to secure strong suppliers in a highly competitive market, where Tesla is competing with Volkswagen(VW) for the top spot.
Turkey houses factories for many automakers, including European giants such as Mercedes-Benz, Fiat, and Renault. Each year, over around 1,5 million cars and commercial vehicles are produced in Turkey, and many are shipped to Europe. Togg, which reached around 40,000 sales since its launch in 2023 in Turkey, will become the first Turkish-made car brand in Europe.
The first model, TX10, was released in 2023 in Turkey without receiving the Euro NCAP safety certificate. The second model, the TF10, was revealed at CES 2024 and now prepares to be the first domestic car to be shipped overseas. According to the Turkish media, TF10 is designed to receive a five-star rating from NCAP and the certificate, but no date has been announced so far, signalling the approval.
According to the Automotive Distributors and Mobility Association (ODMD), Togg sales reached 13,021 between January and June, becoming the seventh most-sold model in Turkey and grabbing a 2,81% market share in the passenger car segment. In 2023, total Togg sales were 19,583.
TF10’s first target: Germany
Not surprisingly, Togg chose Germany as the first step in European expansion, where millions of Turks live. Entering the highly dynamic and competitive German EV market will also test Togg’s abilities to tempt electric car seekers.
The German electric car market has lost stamina since last year, with sales dropping 30.6% in May and 18.1% in June, compared to the same months of last year. If the trend continues, not even 400,000 electric cars could be sold by the end of 2023, compared to 524,000 in 2023, says the Federal Motor Transport Authority. TF10 can be a booster, but grabbing shares from the main players will be challenging. As of June 2024, around 237,000 VW cars registered, compared to Tesla’s 164,000, according to Statista. Renault is in the third spot with around 119,000 registrations.
1 million units for Europe
TOGG began recruiting in Stuttgart for sales and after-services in April, Turkish media reports. Pre-orders are expected to start before the end of 2024. The first two cities TF10 will be sold are Iserlohn and Augsburg, according to Autoflotte.
T10F will be officially released in Turkey in March or April 2025. The date for the German release is unknown, but it will likely follow the release in Turkey.
TF10 is an all-electric C-segment fastback, coming in two versions. The all-wheel-drive (AWD) long-range version equips an 88,5 kWh battery and offers a 600 km range. The rear-wheel-drive (RWD) short-range version has a 52,4 kWh battery, offering a 350 km range. Batteries can be charged from 20% to 80% in 28 minutes with DC charging.
The TX10 has a starting price of €45,000 in Turkey, going up to €57,000 in the long-range model. TF10’s price has not been released. Tesla’s best-selling model in Germany is around €45,000, while Model Y’s main rival, the Volkswagen ID.3, has a price tag of around €40,000.
Togg is highly ambitious about Europe, planning to export 1 million battery electric vehicles (BEVs) by 2030. Considering millions of potential Turkish buyers, Germany can very well become the leaping board for Togg. To this end, the first target is to reach 200,000 annual production capacity.
Growing ties with China
Togg partnered with lithium-ion battery manufacturer Farasis Energy in September 2021, followed by the joint venture Siro Energy, based in Gebze, Kocaeli. Siro Energy plans to manufacture the first battery cells by 2026 and reach a 20 GWh production capacity.
Togg and Farasis Energy laid the foundation of a joint battery cell factory in 2023, while the government held meetings with several Chinese companies, including GAC Aion. According to Reuters, GAC Group CEO Feng Xingya will come to Turkey this month to discuss the potential joint production. According to Turkish media, GAC Group is seeking an extended partnership with Turkey, which could become a manufacturing base for Europe and the Middle East.
The main photo shows Togg TF10. Source: Togg/X
