Turkey unveils its national electric car

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday unveiled prototypes of a domestically produced electric car, putting him closer to fulfilling a long-held dream of building Turkey's first 'national' automobile.

Turkey's government will support a new electric car project investment, with an annual production capacity at 175,000 cars.Turkey's Official Gazette said in a statement on Friday that the fixed investment in the country's electric car project over the next 13 years will be 22 billion lira ($3.7 billion). The statement noted that five models of the electric vehicle will be manufactured at a plant in Bursa with production expected to stand at 175,000 cars every year.

The project will also create 4,323 jobs, including 300 qualified personnel and will receive support from the government, including tax breaks. The project was first announced in 2017 when the country's five largest carmakers formed Turkey's Automobile Joint Venture Group (TOGG) with the goal to make its first entirely domestic-made car by 2021.

Erdogan showcased the SUV and sedan models of the car, known for now as TOGG after a consortium of Turkish companies that will produce them, at a ceremony in Gebze, in Turkey's northwestern industrial heartland.

The president test drove a car across a suspension bridge over the Gulf of Izmit. Two models were unveilled on Thursday, but five are planned with an autonomy of 300 miles on a full charge.

Some 175,000 vehicles are expected to roll off the production line per year at a factory to be built south of Istanbul in the city of Bursa. The project is expected to contribute £38.2 billion to the Turkish economy in the 15 years following 2022. Erdogan offered to put his name down on a possible list for advance orders.

Hibya News Agency

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