8 Out of Every 10 Vehicles Produced in Kocaeli Sold on World Markets

8 Out of 10 Vehicles Produced in Kocaeli Travel Global Roads - Of the 396,967 vehicles that rolled off production lines at factories in the city during January-September, 321,097 were sold abroad. KOCAELİ (AA) - ŞAHİN OKTAY - In Kocaeli, which hosts Turkey's major automotive companies, 81 percent of the 396,967 vehicles produced during the January-September period of the year were exported. Based on data from the Automotive Manufacturers Association (OSD) compiled by an AA correspondent, during the three-quarter period of the year, 209,241 light commercial vehicles, 151,499 cars, 33,732 minibuses, 1,889 small trucks, 383 midibuses and 223 buses—totaling 396,967 vehicles—rolled off production lines in Kocaeli. Thus, in the city where 43 percent of Turkey's total vehicle production took place during the period in question, daily production reached 1,470 vehicles. Of the vehicles produced at automotive factories in the city, 321,097 units—equivalent to 81 percent—were exported. Kocaeli's automotive exports in unit terms showed a 24 percent increase compared to the corresponding period of the previous year. The share of vehicles produced in Kocaeli and sold abroad in Turkey's general exports reached 48 percent. Ford Otosan maintained its leadership among firms in the city in both production and exports, while Hyundai Assan ranked second in these two categories, Honda Türkiye third, and Anadolu Isuzu fourth.

- Ford Otosan Production Increased by 22 Percent

Ford Otosan rolled off 209,005 light commercial vehicles, 33,732 minibuses and 3,071 cars from its Gölcük and Yeniköy plants during the January-September period. Thus, the company's total production, which stood at 200,634 units in the same period of the previous year, increased by 22 percent to 245,808 units. During this period, Transit, Custom and Courier models produced at Kocaeli factories accounted for 208,943 of the vehicles the company sold abroad. Hyundai Assan, which produces i10, i20 and Bayon models at its plant based in İzmit, rolled off 126,695 vehicles from the production line during the three-quarter period of the year, exporting 109,237 units—equivalent to 86 percent of that figure—abroad. Honda Türkiye exported 2,280 of the 21,733 cars it produced during the nine-month period of the year, while Anadolu Isuzu sold 637 of the 2,731 vehicles it rolled off the line to markets abroad. The number of vehicles produced and exported by Ford Otosan, Hyundai Assan, Honda Türkiye and Anadolu Isuzu at their factories in Kocaeli during the January-September period are as follows: Company Production (Units) Exports (Units) January-September 2020 January-September 2021 Change (%) January-September 2020 January-September 2021 Change (%) Ford Otosan 200,634 245,808 22 155,897 208,943 34 Hyundai Assan 100,187 126,695 26 97,464 109,237 12 Honda Türkiye 18,044 21,733 20 5,704 2,280 -60 Anadolu Isuzu 1,853 2,731 47 377 637 69 Total 320,718 396,967 24 259,442 321,097 24