Electric car sales rocket as Türkiye’s EV drive gains pace

Sales of electric vehicles (EV) in Türkiye skyrocketed in the year through May, propelled by the launch of the country’s first indigenous car and arrival of new brands.

Some 7,526 battery-power cars exchanged hands during the January-May period, according to the Automotive Distributors and Mobility Association (ODMD) data that showed overall vehicle sales in Türkiye achieved their best May and five-month figures ever.

Sales of electric vehicles thus rose by a whopping 326.64% from a year ago, when some 1,764 EVs exchanged hands, according to the data.

Sales in May alone jumped by 457.18% to 2,095 units, compared to 376 in the same month of 2022.

Their gasoline-electric hybrid rival saw sales jump nearly 60% year-over-year to 37,988 units, as per data.

Battery-powered and hybrid vehicles boosted their market shares to 2.21% and 11.17%, up from 0.82% and 11.09% in the first five months of last year, respectively.

Cars powered by gasoline held a 68% share in the overall sales in the January-May period, down from 69.8% a year ago, while that of diesel vehicles rose to 17.3% from 16.1%.

Overall, some 111,356 units of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles were sold in May, marking a 70.9% year-over-year increase. The figure also represents a 69.1% increase according to 10-year average May sales.

Sales in the first five months of the year rose 60.5% year-over-year to 445,006 units, according to the ODMD.

Demand remains notably high as consumers continue to opt for cars they see as a tool to safeguard themselves from high inflation. Among others, easing supply chain-related availability problems has also led to increased sales since the beginning of the year.

Annual consumer price inflation in Türkiye has moderated over the last six months, easing lastly to 43.68% in April, almost halving from 85.1% registered in October last year – a 24-year peak.

As expected, the battery-powered cars trend is gaining a fresh impetus as Türkiye’s first domestically produced electric vehicle Togg hit the roads.

The ODMD data suggested some 306 Togg T10X were delivered in May, although the carmaker had said it planned to deliver 1,000 units in May, out of 20,000 units projected for this year.

The fully electric C-segment SUV ranked just second to Mokka, manufactured by German carmaker Opel, owned by Stellantis, and held 4.07% in market share in May.

Mass production of T10X was launched last October and deliveries started in late April.

The vehicle is initially being sold with one engine type and two battery options. It will feature battery packs with 52.4 and 88.5 kilowatt-hours capacities, boasting ranges of 314 and 523 kilometers (195 and 325 miles).

The batteries of the Togg T10X can be recharged to up to 80% from 20% in less than 28 minutes at fast-charging stations.

A consortium of five Turkish companies called the Automobile Initiative Group of Türkiye, or Togg, is manufacturing the vehicle in cooperation with the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB).

Besides the SUV, Togg will manufacture four other models – a sedan, C-hatchback, B-SUV and B-MPV – by 2030. The sedan will follow the mass production of the SUV.

The current production capacity of around 100,000 vehicles per year will reach 175,000 once Togg’s factory reaches total capacity.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said some 28,000 units would be produced this year. The brand aims to manufacture 1 million vehicles across the five segments by 2030.

Togg plans to begin exports as of 2025, while the initial production will be tailored for the domestic market.