By Cem San
BURSA, Türkiye (AA) — Investments in the Turkish auto market continue in the new year thanks to the strength of its supply sector over the past five years, the chair of the Uludag Automotive Industry Exporters’ Association (OIB) told Anadolu.
Baran Celik said the market reached a record 1.414 million units sold last year, including passenger cars and light and heavy commercial vehicles, reinforcing its attractiveness for investors.
He noted that the main automotive industry is considering new investments, particularly from the Asia-Pacific region, and that recent reports on incoming capital mainly concern producers of after-sales supply parts.
Celik said Türkiye’s auto sector also set a record with 1.383 million passenger cars and light commercial vehicles sold last year, calling it “a now very attractive market both in passenger cars and in commercial vehicles.”
“We can safely say the Turkish auto sector will continue to receive investments in the coming period, which will help it maintain its export strength and its place in the market, as the sector reached a size that can satisfy the rising demand,” he said.
Celik said the market expanded strongly over the past two years, posting record sales, but cautioned that 2026 requires careful monitoring.
“The Turkish auto market will likely not fall below 1 million units sold after this point on — we can say maybe a figure between 1.3 million and 1.5 million may be on the horizon, since we reached a point last year that was once believed to be impossible,” he said.
He added that Türkiye’s automotive production capacity stands between 2.2 million and 2.25 million units annually, while current production is around 1.5 million units.
“We still have spare capacity, which shows that we have some shortcomings in product diversification and segmentation — the auto sector is undergoing a very dynamic and massive transformation, with both pros and cons, so we hope 2026 will be a year that carries the hope of last year for the auto sector,” he added.
Celik said 75% of Türkiye’s automotive production is exported, while more than 70% of vehicles sold domestically are imported due to gaps in segment coverage.
“There are five to six segments of vehicles in the passenger car industry, and it’s quite difficult to produce cars from every segment, but with diversification, we may be able to reduce the share of imports,” he said. “If a consumer wants to buy a D-segment passenger car, they will not be able to find a domestic one.”
“Our greatest goal for Türkiye is for it to become an automotive country, encompassing all fuel models and segments, and we know that any investments that can bring us closer to achieving this will contribute to the Turkish auto sector at large,” he added.
*Writing by Emir Yildirim in Istanbul