ISTANBUL 

Türkiye’s car and light commercial vehicle sales increased 6.5% year-on-year in January-July, totaling 715,695 units, according to the Turkish Automotive Distributors Association (ODMD).

The number of cars sold in the first six months of the year rose 6.68% on an annual basis to 572,198 units, while the number of light commercial vehicles climbed 5.77% to 143,497 over the same period.

The low-taxed vehicle segments of A, B, and C accounted for 81.5% of the market in the first half of the year, with C segment cars accounting for 55.6% of sales (318,343 units) in January-July, and B segment cars accounting for 25.4% of total sales (145,595 units).

The SUV body type of car was the most preferred in the Turkish auto market during the first half of the year, accounting for 62.6% of the vehicles sold, comprising 357,984 units. Sedans had a 22.2% share, with 126,928 units, and hatchbacks had a 14.4% share, with 82,144 units.

Gasoline cars made up 46.5% of the Turkish auto market in January-July, accounting for 266,095 units, followed by hybrid cars with 26.8% and 155,363 units, electric vehicles (EVs) with 18.1% and 103,310 units, diesel cars with 8% and 45,678 units, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cars with 0.7% and 3,752 units.

Sales of EVs with under 160 kilowatt engines soared 108.6% to have a 14% share, while EVs with over 160 kilowatt engines rose 233.2% to have a 4.1% share of the total cars sold in the Turkish auto sector in January-July.

Meanwhile, cars with engines below 1,600 cubic centimeters (cc) fell 23.6% to have a 54.3% share, while cars with 1,600 to 2,000 cc engines climbed 4.9% to grab a 0.6% share, and the sales of cars with over 2,000 cc engines rose 18.8% to reach a 0.2% share.

Cars with automatic transmissions made up 94.6% of the market, accounting for 541,388 units, while manual transmission cars accounted for 5.4% with 30,810 units.

As for light commercial vehicles, vans made up 72.7% with 104,271, and pickup trucks 14,178, accounting for 9.9%.

In July, Türkiye’s car and light commercial vehicle market increased 14.55% year-on-year, reaching 107,718 units. Car sales rose 14.71% in the same period, totaling 84,195, while the number of light commercial vehicles sold increased 13.96% to 23,523 units.