Turkey has overtaken Canada in the highest rate of exports in total automotive production, ranking first by exporting 83.3 percent of its total production.
According to figures from the automotive industry research firm Jato Dynamics, Canada led the way with the highest rate of exports in total production in 2017 with 82 percent, followed by Turkey with 80 percent, Mexico and Europe with 79 percent and South Korea with 59 percent. However, this table changed in 2018. Having increased its export rate to 83.3 percent, Turkey exported 83 of every 100 vehicles manufactured.
The export journey of the Turkish automotive industry began in the first half of the 1990s. Exports, which stood at thousands of units in those days, have risen to millions of units today. With investments in the last five years, Turkey has become one of the few automobile exporting countries in the world.
Based on data released by the Automotive Manufacturers' Association, six manufacturing companies, the drivers of exports, exported a total of 12.4 million passenger cars and light commercial vehicles between 1994 and 2017. Including 2018 January-September exports, this figure exceeds 13.3 million units. Oyak-Renault has so far exported a total of 3.7 million units, followed by Ford Otosan with 3.2 million, Tofaş with 3 million, Toyota with 1.9 million, Hyundai Assan with 1.5 million, and Honda Turkey with 126,000 units.
Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, Tofaş exported its three millionth vehicle in October. About half of Tofaş's exports of 3 million units consisted of Doblo model with 1.5 million units, followed by Fiorito with 830,000 units. Tofaş CEO Cengiz Eroldu recalled that 75 units of Murat 124, sent to Egypt in 1974, went down in history as the first export of Tofaş, adding in 1996, they later achieved the first large-scale automobile exports of the Turkish automotive industry with their Tempra model.
Turkey maintains its title as the country that exports the largest number of motor vehicles to Europe in 2018. According to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA), Turkey led the way in vehicle exports to Europe in 2017 with 1 million units. Followed by Japan and South Korea, Turkey also ranks first in passenger car exports.
