Turkey's first indigenous car project has already started to attract the interest of car rental companies. Zeplin Car, one of the major players in this field with a fleet of 18,200 vehicles, has announced that it is ready to place an order for 2,000 vehicles.

Works on the domestic car, which will hit the roads in 2021, continue at full speed. The Industry and Technology Ministry is said to have been enjoying an influx of orders placed by individuals and companies. In November 2017, the Turkish public saw the launch of a groundbreaking initiative to manufacture Turkey's first domestic automobile. The project has brought together the country's largest manufacturers and companies in a consortium that includes Kıraça, Anadolu Group, Turkcell, Zorlu and BMC.

During the announcement, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he will buy the first car. According to reports, over 30,000 orders have so far been placed by various individuals and companies.

Zeplin Car Chairman Hakan Sevim said the daily car rental industry has brought an innovative solution for companies and individuals. "With the spread of electric cars in particular, the industry will grow even further. We want to fill this opportunity with domestic electric vehicles. For this reason, we have placed an order for 2,000 vehicles. However, it is also important that the vehicle has a range of at least 400 kilometers."

Pointing out that they deliver some 3,000 vehicles to consumers on a daily basis, Sevim said the economy of "sharing" is on the rise and that this market will grow even further with the increase of electric cars.

"Now, without the need to buy, everyone can get the vehicle they want at any time. Turkey's domestic automobile project is therefore of great importance. An electric car with a range of 400 kilometers will ensure significant savings for both companies and individuals. We will buy 2,000 vehicles once the domestic automobile is ready," he added.

He added that they have started making future plans for daily car rentals in line with the electric car infrastructure. "In the future, people will go to electric car parks located within walking distance and instead of buying cars they will take the charged cars and go wherever they want. Therefore, we attach great importance to the domestic electric car project," he said.

Sevim said some 9,000 companies are registered with Zeplin Car. "We have developed the corporate membership system in Turkey for the first time. Under this project, we open current accounts for companies and provide cars to their staff in 81 provinces of Turkey. The employees or the managers of the company with corporate membership can take the car as soon as they get off the plane in any cities they want, in line with the corporate agreement."