ANKARA
Turkey’s motor vehicle production increased 4 percent in 2014 compared to the previous year due to a rise in automotive exports.
Turkey manufactured one out of every 77 motor vehicles in the world in 2014, according to figures released this week by the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA).
Turkey manufactured 1,170,445 cars, an increase of 45,000 cars from 2013, to maintain its rank as the 17th largest motor vehicle producer in the world, according to OICA's 2014 provisional production statistics.
China topped the list of the top 20 biggest producer countries with 23,723,000 motor vehicles. The world’s second largest economy manufactured one out of every four motor vehicles worldwide, an increase of 7.3 percent compared with 2013.
It was followed by the U.S. with 11,661,000 and the Japan with 9,775,000 vehicles.
Conflict-riddled Ukraine faced the biggest shrinkage of its automotive sector, the data showed. In effect, Ukraine’s motor vehicle production decreased by 43 percent.
Furthermore, Turkey’s neighbor Iran increased its motor vehicle production by 48 percent to 1,090,846. The country increased its ranking to 18th place from 20th in world motor vehicle production.
Turkey’s automotive industry exports, which were the single largest contributor to overseas sales for the ninth consecutive year, increased by 4.5 percent, to $22.3 billion, according the Turkish Exporters’ Assembly.
In terms of commercial vehicle production, Turkey is the ninth biggest producer in the world and the second-largest manufacturer in Europe, while it is the number one bus producer in Europe, according to association statistics.
There are 256 companies working in the sector in Turkey, all financed by foreign capital, according to the Economy Ministry.
