Istanbul Chamber of Industry (ISO) head Erdal Bahçıvan highlighted the strategic role of Turkey's Automobile Joint Venture Group (TOGG), which is producing the country’s first fully domestic electric car.

“TOGG is doing more than just manufacturing a domestic automobile. It will contribute to the technological know-how of the country,” Bahçıvan said in a statement.

Noting that, among the industry sectors, the most fundamental technological transformation is taking place in the automotive sector, Bahçıvan said that the innovations in the next 5-10 years will be much greater than the progress made in the past 50 years. He also mentioned the role of electric cars in this transformation process.

“Cars are transforming into interactive smart computers. As our cities, houses and factories get smarter, our automobile turns into a living space. We are approaching a period where everything is connected to each other,” he said.

In June 2018, five industrial giants – Anadolu Group, BMC, Kök Group, Turkcell and Zorlu Holding – joined hands with the umbrella organization, the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), to create TOGG to realize Turkey’s long-term aim of producing a fully Turkish-made automobile, unveiling prototypes on Dec. 27.

TOGG will produce five different models – an SUV, sedan, C-hatchback, B-SUV and B-MPV – by 2030 and own the intellectual and industrial property rights to each. Mass production of the SUV will begin in 2022, with the sedan to follow.