Turkey's automotive production soars in Jan-July

ANKARA

Automotive production in Turkey increased by 10.7% this January-July compared to last year, a sectoral report revealed on Monday.

The Automotive Manufacturers Association (OSD) said automakers manufactured 705,079 vehicles -- including automobiles, light commercial vehicles, and tractors -- in the first seven months of 2021.

Automobile production rose by 2.1% year-on-year to 449,550 in the first seven months of 2021.

The overall auto sales market, including light trucks and other vehicles, grew by 31.4%, reaching 461,730 in the same period.

A report by the OSD revealed that automotive industry exports jumped 26.8% on a dollar basis to $16.7 billion between January and July.

Climbing 6.6%, the automobile sector's export value reached $5.4 billion, the report added.

Turkey exported 512,320 vehicles, of which 322,874 were passenger cars, during these months.

The capacity utilization rate in the sector was around 62% in January-July.

This July, automotive production fell by 44.6% year-on-year, reaching 65,418.