President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday said Türkiye's domestic electric vehicle maker Togg could be introduced, potentially manufactured, or considered for joint investment opportunities in countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, and Pakistan.
Pakistan has already expressed interest in producing the Togg vehicles locally, Erdoğan told journalists on a return flight from a tour to the three nations.
The president gifted each of these countries' leaders T10X, Togg's battery-powered C-segment SUV, whose sales were launched in 2023. Its exports to Europe are expected to start soon.
Erdoğan highlighted that taking strategic steps in exporting and positioning Togg in these markets would be of great importance.
"Firstly, it's important to introduce Togg in these countries. Subsequently, production or joint investment opportunities can be explored. Pakistan has already brought up the topic of local production," he noted.
Besides the SUV, Togg will manufacture four other models – a fastback, a C-hatchback, a B-SUV, and a B-MPV – by 2030. Unveiled last year, the fastback sedan, the T10F, is scheduled to open for pre-orders in April and will have hit the road in the first half of 2025.
The company has already started developing the B-SUV model T8X and could unveil it as soon as this year.
Togg's production capacity is aimed to reach 100,000 vehicles per year before increasing to 175,000 once its plant in the northwestern Bursa province reaches full capacity. The brand aims to manufacture 1 million vehicles across the five segments by 2030.
Erdoğan also revealed ongoing efforts by a Chinese automotive brand to establish a factory in the Black Sea province of Samsun.
Officials have said Türkiye is nearing completion in negotiations with Chery for a manufacturing facility within the country, where it has swiftly risen to become one of the top-selling car brands since reentering the market in late 2023.
That would mark a second investment by a Chinese carmaker after BYD earlier last year announced it would build a plant in western Manisa province. The $1 billion manufacturing facility is planned to have an annual capacity of 150,000 vehicles.
BYD's electric and rechargeable hybrid car production plant is planned to start production at the end of 2026 and is envisaged to employ up to 5,000 people directly.
"We know how successful Asian countries, especially China, have been in the electric vehicle industry. In fact, we have signed an agreement with a Chinese company that is planning to establish a factory in Manisa ... Additionally, another Chinese brand is also making efforts to set up a factory in Samsun," Erdoğan told reporters.
He expressed a belief that Togg would become Türkiye's global brand and emphasized that the production of vehicles by two major Chinese companies would bring a new dynamic to the country's automotive sector.
Türkiye has also been in talks with state-owned SAIC Motor, which owns MG Motor.
