More than 90 companies from Turkey, Europe's number one bus manufacturer, are participating in the Busworld Europe exhibition in Brussels.
The exhibition, which opened on Oct. 18, is being attended by nearly 500 companies from 37 countries.
The Turkish companies, including bus and subsidiary industry manufacturers, are showcasing their products at the fair that ends tomorrow.
After Turkey, the highest participation was from Germany with 77 companies, followed by China with 44 companies.
Anadolu Isuzu is showcasing nine separate vehicles at the fair, where it brings together the public transportation vehicles of the future at its booth. It is displaying Visigo Hyper, Turquoise, Citiport 18, Citiport 12 Hyper, Novociti Volt (medium range), Novociti Volt (long range), Interliner 13 CNG, Citivolt 12 and Novo Cabrio models.
Otokar, noted for its alternative fuel buses, is introducing six new buses at the fair. It is showcasing a natural gas version of the Elektrikli Kent for the first time and exhibited the new low-base model of the Kent U and the school bus by Kent, known abroad as the Territo. The bus maker also introduced the Dork T and Sultan Mega, which are preferred in tourism and shuttle transportation.
Another Turkish bus manufacturer, Karsan, is at the fair with an electric model family. The Jest Electric and Atak Electric models that Karsan has designed and produced as a result of its strategic cooperation with BMW have seen some serious interest from visitors.
In the January-September period of this year, bus production increased by 9% to 6,762 units and exports reached 6,647 units with an increase of 24.1%. The automotive industry exported 7,028 buses in 2017 and 7,708 in 2018. The first nine-month figures for bus exports increased by 24.7% to $1.29 billion. Bus exports totaled around $1.31 billion in 2017 and $1.5 billion in 2018.
TEMSA is exhibiting five vehicles – the Maraton, HD, MD9, MD7 and Avenue Elektron – from its bus product line. It is also showcasing a battery pack product developed by Turkish engineers. The pack, capable of meeting the International Space Station’s energy needs for one day, weighs 55 kilograms.
Another Turkish company that is attending the Busworld is ASELSAN, one of the leading companies in the Turkish defense industry. Having worked on electric vehicle technologies in recent years, ASELSAN is exhibiting its electric bus developed in cooperation with TEMSA.