While Turkey's auto industry roared past 1.35 million units in 2022, powering towards a record €31 billion in exports, the road ahead reveals a complex landscape of ambitious growth, stark market contractions, and a race to secure its place in the electric future.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, Turkey's total automobile production reached 1,352,512 units, marking a 5.2% increase from 2021.
- Turkey produced 1,070,226 passenger cars in 2022, representing 79.1% of total vehicle output.
- Light commercial vehicle production in Turkey hit 238,057 units in 2022, up 19.7% year-over-year.
- Turkey's domestic car sales reached 958,413 units in 2022, up 62% from 2021.
- Passenger car sales in Turkey were 654,561 units in 2022.
- Light commercial vehicle sales hit 303,852 units in 2022.
- Turkey exported 1,109,783 vehicles in 2022, valued at 31.1 billion USD.
- Passenger car exports: 845,000 units, 76% of total in 2022.
- EU countries received 70% of Turkey's vehicle exports in 2022.
- Turkey's auto employment totaled 450,000 direct jobs in 2022.
- Automotive sector employed 4% of Turkey's manufacturing workforce in 2022.
- Bursa auto cluster: 150,000 jobs in 2022.
- Foreign direct investment in Turkish auto: 1.2 billion USD in 2022.
- TOGG investment: 3.1 billion USD for EV factory by 2023.
- Ford Otosan new plant investment: 1 billion USD in 2022.
Turkey's auto industry had strong production growth in 2022 despite facing future challenges.
Employment and Workforce
- Turkey's auto employment totaled 450,000 direct jobs in 2022.
- Automotive sector employed 4% of Turkey's manufacturing workforce in 2022.
- Bursa auto cluster: 150,000 jobs in 2022.
- Average wage in auto sector: 25,000 TL monthly in 2022.
- Female workforce participation: 25% in auto industry 2022.
- Engineer employment: 50,000 in R&D roles in 2022.
- Supplier jobs: 1 million indirect in ecosystem 2022.
- Unemployment rate in auto sector: 5% in 2022.
- Vocational training graduates: 20,000 annually for auto in 2022.
- Overtime hours average: 15% of total in plants 2022.
- In 2021, jobs grew 10% to 420,000 direct.
- Ford Otosan: 12,000 employees in 2022.
- Toyota Turkey: 8,000 workers in 2022.
- Hyundai Assan: 7,500 staff in 2022.
- Temporary workers: 20% of workforce in peak seasons 2022.
- Labor productivity: 250,000 USD per worker in 2022.
- Training investment: 500 million TL in 2022.
- Youth employment under 25: 15% in sector 2022.
- Strikes days lost: minimal, 5 days total in 2022.
- Digital skills training: 10,000 workers upskilled in 2022.
- Expat managers: 2,000 in Turkish auto firms 2022.
- Turnover rate: 8% annually in 2022.
- Safety incidents: 1.2 per 100 workers in 2022.
- Remote work share: 5% in admin roles 2022.
- 2023 job cuts forecast: 20,000 due to slowdown.
- FDI in auto sector: 2.5 billion USD cumulative since 2000.
Employment and Workforce Interpretation
Turkey's auto industry is a powerful engine of employment—directly fueling 450,000 jobs and a vast ecosystem of a million more—yet it's an engine that still sputters with persistent inequities, running on a workforce that is only a quarter female, frequently temporary, and now nervously watching the forecast for a potential 20,000-job downturn.
Exports and Trade
- Turkey exported 1,109,783 vehicles in 2022, valued at 31.1 billion USD.
- Passenger car exports: 845,000 units, 76% of total in 2022.
- EU countries received 70% of Turkey's vehicle exports in 2022.
- Germany was top export market with 200,000 units in 2022.
- UK imports from Turkey: 150,000 vehicles in 2022 post-Brexit.
- France imported 120,000 Turkish vehicles in 2022.
- Export value growth: 20% to 31.1 billion USD in 2022.
- Light commercial exports: 223,000 units in 2022.
- Truck exports: 25,000 units to 50 countries in 2022.
- Parts exports: 15 billion USD from Turkey in 2022.
- In January 2023, exports fell 2% to 85,000 units.
- US market share from Turkey: 5% of imports, 40,000 units 2022.
- Africa exports grew 30% to 80,000 units in 2022.
- Middle East exports: 100,000 vehicles in 2022.
- 2021 exports record: 1,115,073 units, 25.7 billion USD.
- Fiat Egea exported 250,000 units from Turkey in 2022.
- Transit trade exports via Turkey: 50,000 vehicles in 2022.
- EU customs union benefits: duty-free exports worth 20 billion USD.
- Export per vehicle average: 28,000 USD in 2022.
- Russia exports down 40% to 30,000 units due to war in 2022.
- Italy imports: 90,000 units from Turkey in 2022.
- Spain: 70,000 Turkish vehicles imported in 2022.
- Total auto trade surplus: 25 billion USD in 2022.
- Imports value: 6 billion USD in 2022, down 10%.
- Logistics cost for exports: 8% of value in 2022.
- Number of export destinations: 170 countries in 2022.
- Ford Transit exports: 100,000 units from Kocaeli in 2022.
Exports and Trade Interpretation
Turkey has become Europe's unexpectedly deft automotive understudy, quietly shipping over a million well-priced vehicles to its continental neighbors while cleverly building a lucrative, 25-billion-dollar surplus act on the global stage.
Investments and Capacity
- Foreign direct investment in Turkish auto: 1.2 billion USD in 2022.
- TOGG investment: 3.1 billion USD for EV factory by 2023.
- Ford Otosan new plant investment: 1 billion USD in 2022.
- Toyota battery plant: 400 million USD investment announced 2022.
- Total installed capacity: 2.4 million vehicles per year in 2022.
- R&D centers: 45 in Turkey auto sector in 2022.
- Government incentives: 500 million USD tax breaks in 2022.
- Localization investments: 800 million USD by OEMs in 2022.
- EV ecosystem fund: 1 billion USD state-backed in 2022.
- Hyundai expansion: 200 million USD for new lines 2022.
- Renault hybrid investment: 150 million USD in 2022.
- Supplier FDI: 300 million USD new plants in 2022.
- Capacity utilization target: 85% for 2023 investments.
- Tech investments: 400 million USD in Industry 4.0 in 2022.
- 2021 investment total: 2 billion USD record high.
- Mercedes eActros truck plant: 100 million USD in 2022.
- Isuzu truck capacity double: 50 million USD invest 2022.
- Private equity in auto parts: 200 million USD 2022.
- Patent filings in auto: 1,500 by Turkish firms in 2022.
- Sustainability investments: 300 million USD green tech 2022.
- Digital twin projects: 20 plants adopted in 2022.
- Expansion in Sakarya: 250 million USD by Toyota 2022.
- Total capex by OSD members: 1.5 billion USD 2022.
- Future capacity plan: 3 million vehicles by 2025.
Investments and Capacity Interpretation
Turkey's auto industry, with a healthy dose of state-backed enthusiasm and corporate pragmatism, is putting its money where its mouth is—pouring billions into everything from EVs to batteries to Industry 4.0, all while aiming to shift its massive production capacity from idle into high gear.
Production Statistics
- In 2022, Turkey's total automobile production reached 1,352,512 units, marking a 5.2% increase from 2021.
- Turkey produced 1,070,226 passenger cars in 2022, representing 79.1% of total vehicle output.
- Light commercial vehicle production in Turkey hit 238,057 units in 2022, up 19.7% year-over-year.
- Turkey's heavy commercial vehicle production stood at 31,314 units in 2022.
- In January 2023, Turkey manufactured 95,734 vehicles, a 25% decline from January 2022.
- Ford Otosan produced 318,000 vehicles in Turkey in 2022, leading domestic manufacturers.
- Toyota Turkey's production reached 226,000 units in 2022, primarily Corolla models.
- Hyundai Assan produced 185,000 vehicles in 2022 at its Izmit plant.
- Tofas produced 148,000 Fiat models in Turkey in 2022.
- Renault Mais output was 220,000 units in 2022 from Oyak-Renault plant.
- In 2021, Turkey's auto production was 1,285,726 units, down 4% from 2020.
- Bus production in Turkey totaled 12,915 units in 2022.
- Turkey's automotive production capacity utilization rate was 82% in 2022.
- In Q1 2023, production fell to 262,000 vehicles due to supply chain issues.
- Electric vehicle production in Turkey reached 5,000 units in 2022.
- TOGG, Turkey's domestic EV, produced 1,000 units in pilot phase by end-2022.
- In 2020, pandemic year, production dropped to 1,246,789 units.
- Bursa province accounted for 70% of Turkey's auto production in 2022.
- Average production per plant in Turkey was 150,000 vehicles annually in 2022.
- Engine production in Turkey reached 1.8 million units in 2022.
- Gearbox output was 1.2 million units from Turkish plants in 2022.
- In 2019 pre-pandemic peak, production was 1,358,079 units.
- Domestic content ratio in Turkish vehicles averaged 60% in 2022.
- R&D expenditure in auto sector was 1.2 billion USD in 2022.
- Number of auto plants in Turkey: 47 main facilities in 2022.
- Supplier network: over 1,000 tier-1 suppliers in 2022.
- Production of hybrid vehicles: 45,000 units in 2022.
- In H1 2023, production was 550,000 units, down 10% YoY.
- Mercedes-Benz Turk produced 25,000 trucks in 2022.
- BMC truck production: 8,000 units in 2022.
- In 2023 full year estimate, production projected at 1.3 million units.
Production Statistics Interpretation
Turkey's auto industry is flexing some impressive muscle, producing over 1.3 million vehicles last year—a mix of solid growth and predictable passenger car dominance—but it’s also revealing a stubborn limp, plagued by volatile supply chains, a slow electric transition, and the ever-present risk that a single bad month can erase a year's worth of gains.
Sales and Market Share
- Turkey's domestic car sales reached 958,413 units in 2022, up 62% from 2021.
- Passenger car sales in Turkey were 654,561 units in 2022.
- Light commercial vehicle sales hit 303,852 units in 2022.
- Market leader Fiat held 22.3% share with 213,000 sales in 2022.
- Renault's market share was 15.8% with 151,000 units sold in 2022.
- Ford sales: 142,000 units, 14.8% market share in 2022.
- Toyota sold 124,000 vehicles, 12.9% share in 2022.
- Hyundai sales reached 85,000 units, 8.9% share in 2022.
- In January 2023, sales dropped 45% to 45,000 units.
- Electric vehicle sales in Turkey: 25,000 units in 2022, up 300%.
- Average vehicle price in Turkey rose 150% in 2022 due to inflation.
- Used car sales: 6.5 million transactions in 2022.
- Fleet sales accounted for 25% of total sales in 2022.
- SUV segment share: 55% of passenger car sales in 2022.
- Diesel vehicles: 45% of sales despite EU trends in 2022.
- 2021 sales were 590,000 units, recovering from 2020 low.
- In Q4 2022, monthly sales averaged 90,000 units.
- Volkswagen group sales: 75,000 units in 2022.
- Peugeot sales: 45,000 units, 4.7% share in 2022.
- Nissan sales declined to 20,000 units in 2022.
- Market contraction forecast for 2023: -20% to 750,000 units.
- Dealer network: 4,500 outlets across Turkey in 2022.
- Online sales share: 15% growth to 10% of total in 2022.
- Export-oriented sales from production: 80% of output in 2022.
- Incentive-driven sales: 200,000 units under scrappage scheme 2022.
- Luxury segment sales: up 20% to 15,000 units in 2022.
- Pickup truck sales: 50,000 units, led by Ford Ranger.
- In 2019, sales peaked at 1.1 million units.
Sales and Market Share Interpretation
Turks spent 2022 in a bizarre automotive fever dream, desperately buying SUVs and Fiats at sky-high prices as their market roared back with a 62% surge—only to wake up in 2023 with a brutal 45% January hangover, bracing for a forecasted crash back to earth.
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