Türkiye is a reliable, competitive and long-term partner Germany needs in the automotive sector, with its predictable investment environment, strong industrial infrastructure and qualified human resources, a top official said on Thursday.
"We invite German companies to join us in exploring Türkiye's strong investment landscape and become a centerpiece of emerging mobility opportunities," Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır said during the German-Turkish Automobile Summit in Berlin.
Kacır stated that while the world's multilateral cooperation is facing significant challenges, the value of dependable, deep-rooted, and strategic bilateral partnerships is becoming increasingly apparent.
"The strong and historic partnership between Türkiye and Germany offers us an encouraging foundation and a unique opportunity to transform this global transformation into shared success," he noted.
Kacır emphasized that investment and trade constitute a pillar of the deep-rooted and multifaceted relationship between the two countries.
He noted that more than 8,000 German-owned companies operate in Türkiye, adding: "They have brought profit to Türkiye through their production, employment and exports, and they have also gained in Türkiye."
He explained that Turkish companies have similarly contributed to both the German economy and the spirit of partnership between the two countries by making significant investments in Germany.
Kacır stated that they are particularly pleased that the more than 80,000 Turkish-founded companies in Germany, with an annual turnover of more than $50 billion, have contributed significantly to the German economy's dynamism, innovative power, and competitiveness.
Kacır emphasized that Türkiye, thanks to both its advanced research and development (R&D) and innovation ecosystem and its strong and well-established production infrastructure, is poised to play a leading role in transforming the automotive sector into a new mobility-focused ecosystem.
"Indeed, our electric and smart car, Togg, which we launched with the determination, will, and leadership of our president, is a critical step in seizing the opportunities in new mobility technologies," he said.
Emphasizing that they "never" see Togg as a brand that will solely meet domestic demand, he said they are positioning it as a "mobility brand" that will be preferred even in Europe's most developed markets and will make a name for itself with its technology and quality.
Kacır explained that falling battery costs, the European Green Deal, and countries taking steps toward national carbon neutrality targets are contributing to the widespread adoption of electric vehicles.
Noting that while internal combustion vehicles typically have up to 30,000 parts, the total number of parts in electric vehicles has fallen to between 10,000 and 15,000, Kacır said: "The automotive market is transforming from a traditional vehicle sales market into a completely different competitive arena, where energy, software, data and mobility services are intertwined.
"The European automotive market is undoubtedly one of the markets where the effects of this major transformation are most clearly felt.”
