The foundations of the Turkish automotive industry were laid in the 1950s. The development of the automotive industry in Turkey has been with the assembly factories established in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In the same period, these factories reached a specific capacity and locality rate. For the first time in Turkey, the production of automotive industry products started in 1954 when Turkish Willys Overland produced jeeps and pickup trucks for the army. The said investment followed by the truck factory of the Turkish Automotive Industry Company in 1955. Then the second and third truck factories of Otosan and Farmers Company followed. Bus production was started in 1963 by Istanbul Bus Karöseri Sanayi with the assembly of Magirüs buses.
The first Turkish car produced in 1961 at the Eskişehir State Railways Factory. However, the automobile above, called “Devrim” limited to 4 prototype production. The first serious production in the car started in 1966 with the production of the Anadol automobile. The output of Anadol brand automobiles, with an annual production of 7,200 at most. It continued until 1982, and a total of 87,000 produced.
Assembly Industry Instruction
Assembly Industry Instruction has been prepared under the principle of “utilizing the driving force of the automotive industry in industrialization”. It has made a significant contribution to the development of the automotive industry in Turkey. The said Instruction based on the principle of reducing dependence on imports in production. TOFAŞ and OYAK-RENAULT companies, which established in Bursa Organized Industrial Zone in 1968 and 1969 and started production in 1971, were influential in developing and strengthening the automotive industry in Turkey. These two companies essentially made automotive primary industry production and automobile production. Therefore, we can say that these companies are the main determinants in the development process of the Turkish automotive industry.
Automotive Industry Development Policies in Turkey After 1980
Until the 1980s, the automotive industry was operating within a structure consisting of many companies oriented to the domestic market. Parallel to the primary industry production, there were fluctuations in the sub-industry production. Within the liberal economic policies adopted in the 1980s, the sector became open to the outside. It aimed to reach a position that uses modern technology and can produce at economic scales. A steady increase in production achieved in the said years. However, it has caused the sector to produce a small number of products for the domestic market. Protection rates significantly reduced since the late 1980s.
Today, 15 prominent companies operate in the sector with around 25,000 employment opportunities and contribute significantly to the country’s development. Companies in the industry produce under license. They established foreign capital partnerships with mighty companies in the world automotive industry. More than 1000 companies operate in the automotive sub-industry. Thus, almost all of the parts needed by the prominent industry can produce. However, the number of companies acting as first-stage sub-industrialists in the main industry is around 250 – 300. It has cooperation with more than 130 foreign capital companies in its sub-industry, which employs about 100,000.
Domestic Electric Car TOGG
Today, our country is working on the production of a new generation electric car. Turkey laid the foundations of this project in 2017. With the determination of the partners, TOGG (Turkey Automotive Enterprise Group) established in 2018. These partners include Anadolu Group (19%), BMC (19%), Root Group (19%), Turkcell (19%), Zorlu Holding (19%) and TOBB (5%).
The domestic car, which introduced at the end of 2019, planned to be on the roads in 2022. In summary, the automotive sector is an important sector for our country with its many departments such as export, import, maintenance, spare parts and service. Although it is late in production, it aimed to close this gap with the latest domestic automobile studies. In addition, the mass production of domestic cars will contribute to the development of the automotive industry in Turkey.
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