Demand booms as preorders start for Türkiye's electric vehicle Togg
An SUV model of Türkiye's first domestic car brand Togg on display at a shopping mall in Istanbul, Türkiye, March 14, 2023. (DHA Photo)


Turks flocked online Thursday seeking to become among the first owners of Türkiye’s first domestically manufactured car brand as the automaker launched the preorder process after quoting the vehicle’s price.

Over 7,730 preorders were made in the first four hours for Togg’s electric vehicle (EV) model named T10X, the carmaker noted.

"More than a thank you ... In the first four hours of the preorder process ... 7,734 of our users ordered Togg T10X. Thank you for your trust in us. This is our pride," it said on Twitter.

The first buyers to receive the car later in the year will be determined by a draw that is planned to distribute 12,000 T10Xs. The preorders will continue until March 27.

Every individual user who creates a Tru.ID via the Trumore application or the Togg website is entitled to participate in the draw by configuring the T10X they want to preorder and making the down payment of TL 60,000 to the Trumore e-Wallet via money transfer or credit card.

Following the preorder period, the digital drawing will be held in the presence of a notary on March 28.

Togg on Tuesday said the first model, a C-segment SUV, will have a price ranging from TL 953,000 (around $50,230) to around TL 1.22 million.

The vehicle, which went into production within five years from its design phase, is being manufactured by a consortium of five Turkish companies called the Automobile Initiative Group of Türkiye, or Togg, in cooperation with the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB).

Having begun mass production in late October, Togg said the fully electric T10X would be initially sold with one engine and two battery options.

The model will feature a range of 314 or 523 kilometers (195 or 325 miles), depending on the battery size. The twin-engine type will also be offered for sale in the coming period.

The first version of the T10X is able to accelerate from zero to 100 kph in 7.6 seconds, while the second, for which delivery will start on Oct. 29, can do zero-100 kph in 4.8 seconds.

The second version also sports an all-wheel drive, featuring 320 kW power (435 horsepower).

The batteries of the Togg T10X can be recharged to up to 80% from 20% in less than 28 minutes at fast-charging stations.

Drivers can choose from six different color options for the electric vehicle.

Calling itself a technology brand that blends digital and physical experiences, Togg has joined hands with multiple startups to create a new mobility ecosystem.

Besides the SUV, Togg will manufacture another four models – a sedan, C-hatchback, B-SUV and B-MPV – through the year 2030. The sedan will follow the mass production of the SUV.

The carmaker has said it aims to produce up to 20,000 cars this year.

Although it marks a low level compared to global standards, Togg achieving this output level will see it more than doubling Türkiye’s electric car fleet within a year.

The current production capacity stands at around 100,000 vehicles per year, a figure that is expected to reach 175,000 once Togg’s factory reaches full capacity.

The brand aims to produce 1 million vehicles across the five segments by 2030.

EV sales in Türkiye jumped 172% year-over-year in 2022 to 7,300 units, according to industry data. However, their share remained under 1% within the total vehicle market, which stood at around 783,000 units last year.

The total number of electric cars increased almost two-fold last year but stayed at around 15,000 units.

In what has been seen as a boost to the national car project, Türkiye last week announced it would impose an additional 40% customs duty on electric vehicles made in China.