Chinese carmaker Chery said on Wednesday it was seeking partnerships with a third party to expand its business in Türkiye, but has no plans to build a factory in the country.
The statement came after multiple reports cited the Turkish Presidency as saying Chery would invest $1 billion in a manufacturing facility in the northern Samsun province, with a capacity to produce 200,000 vehicles per year.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan presented a certificate of appreciation to Chery officials at a ceremony in Ankara on Wednesday.
Last year, another Chinese carmaker BYD announced it would build a plant in western Manisa province.
Chery has swiftly risen to become one of Türkiye’s top-selling car brands since reentering the market in 2023.
BYD agreed to build a $1 billion production facility with an annual capacity of 150,000 vehicles. Its electric and rechargeable hybrid car production facility, which is planned to start production at the end of 2026, is envisaged to employ up to 5,000 people directly.
Alongside Chery, Türkiye has also been in talks with state-owned SAIC Motor, which owns MG Motor.
Türkiye's automotive industry currently produces nearly 1.4 million vehicles annually. It exports nearly 1 million units, and overall automotive shipments stood at $37.2 billion last year.
Türkiye's own electric vehicle manufacturer, Togg, is the top EV seller in the country. It has formed a joint venture with China's Farasis for battery technologies.
Togg's assembly line is currently manufacturing T10X, a C-segment SUV. Besides the SUV, the company will manufacture four other models – a fastback, a C-hatchback, B-SUV and B-MPV – by 2030.
Unveiled earlier last year, the fastback sedan, the T10F, is scheduled to hit the road in the first half of this year.
The company has already started working on the B-SUV model, which it named T8X. It could unveil it as soon as this year.
Togg's production capacity is aimed to reach 100,000 vehicles per year before increasing to 175,000 once its plant in the northwestern Bursa province reaches full capacity.
The brand aims to manufacture 1 million vehicles across the five segments by 2030.
