Türkiye's automotive sector achieved its best June exports ever, according to industry data on Sunday, fueled by a major increase in sales to Europe despite uncertainty over tariffs imposed by the United States.
Automotive shipments rose by 30% last month compared to a year ago to $3.4 billion (TL 135.99 billion), the Uludağ Automotive Industry Exporters' Association (OIB) said.
Türkiye's top export industry, automotive accounted for about 16.6% of the nation's total shipments in June, the data showed.
From January through June, total exports jumped by 13% from the previous year, reaching $19.99 billion, according to the OIB.
Within the sector, the largest product group – the supply industry – recorded exports worth $1.18 billion, a 13% rise compared to June 2024.
Other product categories also saw robust increases, with passenger car exports rising 16% to $1.1 billion, vehicles for transporting goods increasing by 59% to $626 million, and bus, minibus, and midibus sales jumping 66% to $293 million.
Tow trucks exports soared by a whopping 504% to $180 million, representing the strongest growth among all subcategories.
Germany remained the industry’s largest export market, with shipments up 74% to $556 million. France followed at $429 million (up 36%), and the United Kingdom ranked third with $330 million (up 2%).
Other notable increases included a 92% jump in sales to Belgium, a 55% rise in exports to Romania and a 57% growth in shipments to Slovenia, the data showed.
Exports to EU countries, which represented 74.2% of total automotive sales, climbed 42% to $2.53 billion.
The increase in Europe comes at a time of a sharp fall in the continent's own exports as import tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump hit automakers' sales in their most important foreign market.
In a bid to strengthen U.S. industry, Trump imposed 25% tariffs on car imports in April. Since May, it has also been applied to car parts. Trump has set a deadline of July 9 for a deal with the EU.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has urged the EU to settle a tariff dispute with the United States quickly to protect core industries, such as cars, steel and pharmaceuticals.
German car manufacturers are likely to have incurred costs of around half a billion euros in April due to the tariffs, Mueller estimated in June.
Türkiye's shipments to other European countries rose up 11% last month, while exports to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) region and other countries in the Americas increased by 42% and 94%, respectively.
On the other hand, exports to the markets in the Middle East plunged by 38% in June, according to the data.
"The export of $3.4 billion we reached in June is the export record in the sector’s history. During the first half of the year, with an export volume approaching $20 billion, we once again demonstrated the global strength of Turkish automotive," said OIB Chair Baran Çelik.
"June saw triple-digit growth, particularly in the export of tow trucks, while all major product groups recorded double-digit growth. A 74% increase in exports to Germany, 92% to Belgium, 55% to Romania, and 57% to Slovenia also reflects our growing strength in the European market," Çelik added.