Production in Turkey’s automotive sector climbed 5.4% year-on-year in November, the Automotive Manufacturers Association (OSD) said Monday.

The output surged to 143,264 vehicles in the month, including 91,067 passenger cars, according to the association.

In the January-November period, which was affected by lockdown measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus, production dropped 13% to nearly 1.15 million vehicles, including passenger and commercial vehicles.

The association said around 72% of manufactured vehicles were exported, marking a 28% annual decline to 821,900 units from January through November, the OSD said.

The country’s passenger car production also fell 14% to 761,743 during the same period.

Commercial vehicle production dropped by 12% year-on-year, while heavy commercial vehicle output increased by 3%, the data showed.

The OSD also said the automotive industry’s capacity utilization rate stood at 63% in the first 11 months of the year.

Taking the lion’s share in the country's total exports in January-November with 15%, automotive exports stood at $23.1 billion (TL 180 billion), decreasing 19% on a dollar basis compared with last year.

The association also said Turkey's overall auto sales market, including light trucks and other vehicles, grew 73% annually, reaching 688,180 in the first 11 months of this year.

The passenger car market was up 67% year-on-year to 529,288, the data showed.

In terms of the 10-year average, the overall market was down by 3% from January through November, light commercial vehicles by 18% and heavy commercial vehicles by 36%.

The demand effect pushed the passenger car market up 5% compared with the 10-year average.

Top international automakers – including Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes, Renault and Toyota – have factories in Turkey.