While the share of Chinese brands in the automobile market in Turkiye was 8.68% in February, it was seen that these companies strengthened their positions in terms of both quantity and market share.
According to the information compiled by the AA correspondent from the Automotive Distributors and Mobility Association (ODMD) data, Turkiye’s total sales of automobiles and light commercial vehicles increased by 40.6% in the first 2 months of the year compared to the same period of 2023, reaching 185 thousand 691 units.
In the said period, automobile sales increased by 52.11% to 146 thousand 318 units, and light commercial vehicle sales increased by 9.8% to 39 thousand 373 units.
10 brands originating from China were included in the ODMD list
With the inclusion of new Chinese companies in the ODMD list, the total number of brands in the market increased to 53.
When we look at these brands by country, we see that French and German brands predominate. In addition to domestically produced brands, South Korean and Japanese brands were also among the strong players in the market.
While there has been a significant increase in the interest of Chinese brands in Turkiye recently, this situation is also reflected in the number of companies entering the market. There are 10 brands of Chinese origin in the Turkish automotive market, including Skywell, MG, Chery, Leapmotor, Seres, Maxus, Hongqi, DFSK, BYD and NETA.
While DFSK and Chery offer cars with internal combustion engines for sale in the Turkish market, MG offers both electric and internal combustion engines, and other brands also offer electric models. Voyah, which sells luxury segment cars, is not listed on ODMD. It also sells light commercial vehicles under the DFSK and Maxus brands.
Top selling Chinese brands
Looking at the sales figures of Chinese automotive companies in Turkiye in the January-February period, Chery ranked first with 9 thousand 456 units. Reaching a sales figure of 2 thousand 716 units, MG came second and BYD came third with 375 units.
DFSK ranked fourth with 69 sales, including automobiles and light commercial vehicles, and Skywell ranked fifth with 58 sales.
The share of Chinese brands in the Turkish market
The total sales (automobile and light commercial) of Chinese automotive companies in Turkiye reached 12 thousand 781 in the first two months of the year, and their share in the automotive market reached 6.88%.
Among Chinese brands, DFSK and Maxus also sell commercial vehicles. Excluding the light commercial vehicles of these two brands, looking only at automobiles, the sales of Chinese brands were 12 thousand 709 and their automobile market share was 8.68%.
In February 2023, sales were below 1000 units
Considering February last year, when Chery and some Chinese brands had not yet started sales, the total sales of Chinese brands were below 1000 units. In the entire last year, Chinese brands reached a share of 6.10% with 59 thousand 97 sales in the Turkish automobile market of a total of 967 thousand 341 units.
Thus, it was seen that Chinese brands strengthened their positions in the Turkish market in terms of both quantity and market share.
On the other hand, it is a matter of curiosity whether Chinese brands, which see Turkiye as a gateway to Europe, will produce in Turkiye. At this point, some relevant company officials informed by the AA correspondent state that Turkiye is one of the biggest candidates in terms of production and battery investment for Chinese brands, but that they closely follow the regulations and developments regarding electric cars.
Source: AA / Prepared by Irem Yildiz