Turkish commercial automaker Karsan has been chosen as one of the six finalist companies which will produce prototypes for the New Generation Distribution Vehicle (NGDV) for the United States Postal Service.

Initially, 15 companies were declared fit to meet the requirements of the project. After a tight preliminary assessment, USPS awarded the bid to six contractors, including Karsan, to produce 50 prototypes.

The contract price was announced as $37.4 million and companies were allowed to form partnerships with other suppliers. Karsan, which will develop its prototypes with another German supplier, will compete against AM General, Mahindra, Oshkosh, Utilimaster and VT Hackney.

The time frame of developing the prototypes has been decided as one year. USPS is planning to test the vehicles in different climates, geographies, urban locations and delivery sites for six months after the prototypes are handed over.

Operating in factories in Turkey's northwestern Bursa province, Karsan mainly produces light commercial vehicles and buses, both using its own designs and as a licensee of South Korean manufacturer Hyundai. Karsan was also among the finalists of the new generation taxis to be produced for New York City.