The Turkish automotive market contracted slightly in the first quarter of 2026 as sales dropped close to 4% amid a broader decline in sales in March, the data from a leading sectoral association showed on Thursday.
Still, the momentum in sales of the electric and hybrid cars persisted, and both categories stood out while expanding their market share.
In the January-March period, sales of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles in Türkiye decreased 3.94% year-over-year to 265,398 units, the Automotive Distributors and Mobility Association (ODMD) said in its monthly update.
Car sales fell by 5.86% year-on-year in the January-March period to 210,688 units, while light commercial vehicle sales rose 4.23% to 54,710 units.
In March alone, cumulative sales of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles were meanwhile down 12.75% on an annual basis, standing at 101,997 units, according to the association.
Last month, passenger car sales were down 13.04% to 79,857 vehicles, while light commercial vehicle sales decreased 11.69% to 22,140, respectively.
The contraction in sales comes amid a period marked by robust sales, through most of 2025, before a slowdown in the first months of the year.
Vehicles in the A, B and C segments, where tax rates are lower, made up 85% of the market in the three months, the data revealed. C-segment cars accounted for 54.4% with 114,588 units sold, while B-segment cars held a 30.5% share with 64,155 units.
By body type, SUVs were the most preferred, with a 62.8% share and 132,380 units sold. They were followed by sedans with a 20.5% share and 43,209 sales, and hatchbacks (H/B) with a 16.4% share and 34,537 sales.
Looking at the breakdown considering the market type, the gasoline cars stood out, although the combined share of EVs and hybrids reached the level of over 51% between January and March.
Accordingly, gasoline cars held a 42.1% market share with 88,688 units, while hybrid cars had a 33% share with 69,504 units.
Electric cars reached a share of 18.2% with 38,420 units, diesel cars had a 6.3% share with 13,326 units, and LPG-powered cars accounted for 0.4% with 750 units.
According to the data shared by the ODMD, in January-March of 2025, hybrid sales stood at some 63,905 units, while electric sales were at 29,573 units.
