DFSK Deputy General Manager Xianjun stated that they aim to position Turkiye as the center of Europe and said, “One of our plans is to establish a production base in the European region. When we look at it as a group, I can say that Turkiye stands out among the most important candidate countries.”
DFSK Motor, one of China’s major automotive manufacturers, started its sales in Turkiye under the distributorship of SHS Filo.
DFSK Deputy General Manager Du Xianjun said at the press conference held on the occasion of DFS’s entry into the Turkish automotive industry with the motto “Notice the Change, Stay Extraordinary” that the Turkish market is a strategic market of vital importance for DFSK.
From this perspective, Du Xianjun stated that they aim to position Turkiye as the center of Europe and said, “One of our plans is to establish a production base in the European region. When we look at it as a group, I can say that Turkiye stands out among the most important candidate countries.”
Stating that DFSK started mass exporting mini commercial vehicles as of 2005, Xianjun said, “DFSK became one of the first Chinese automotive brands to pass the EU certification and export bulk to the European market by obtaining EU certification in 2007. As DFSK, we attach great importance to close cooperation with our business partners. We also provide professional training and after-sales service to ensure our customers have the best car buying experience. We hope to deepen our strategic partnership with our local partners and bring a greater variety of products to the Turkish market, meeting customer needs and achieving mutual success.”
“We are starting with 7 authorized dealers and 21 service points”
DFSK Turkiye Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Hakan Sahsuvaroglu stated that they aim to bring a different breath to the competition in the segments related to durability, efficiency and accessible price advantage.
Sahsuvaroglu noted that, in addition to passenger models, they have made a strong entry into the Turkish market with 6 different product ranges from China, with commercial vehicles, all of which comply with “Euro 6” regulations, and said, “In parallel with this, our dealer structuring continues. We are receiving intense demand. We will take firm steps to restructure our dealer network in every region of our country. In the first stage, we are starting with 7 authorized dealers and 21 service points in Istanbul, Ankara, Konya, Gaziantep, Denizli and Diyarbakir. In 2024, we will increase the number of our dealers to 12 and our service points to 40.”
“We aim to offer 100% spare parts availability”
Stating that Dongfeng Motor Corporation, to which DFSK is affiliated, has total assets worth approximately €30 billion and 176 thousand employees, Sahsuvaroglu said:
“The annual business scale of Dongfeng Motor, which carries out horizontal operations in passenger cars, commercial vehicles, new energy vehicles, engines, automotive components and the automotive industry, exceeds 3 million 800 thousand vehicles. DFSK, one of the most important parts of the group, has reached more than 5 million sales globally to date. We aim to offer the highest level of customer satisfaction and 100% spare parts availability. Because of the work we have done in the past, we know very well what the customer expects and the sensitive points of this job. To put it briefly, we have made a 360-degree planning. In addition, we aim to train our own teams for 6 months by bringing in an expert team for our electric vehicles. All our services in Turkiye will receive this training. “In addition, we will be offering a 7-year/150 thousand kilometers (km) warranty on our passenger vehicles.”
“Chinese manufacturers view our country much more favorably than other countries.”
DFSK Turkiye General Manager Yunus Sahsuvaroglu reminded that DFSK Turkiye’s entry models in passenger vehicles are Fengon 500 and Fengon 5, located in the C SUV segment, and said that Fengon 500, like all other models, will stand out with its rich equipment, different design and workmanship quality.
Sahsuvaroglu stated that the second model of the passenger product range will be Fengon 5 and that they are very assertive in the commercial vehicle segment as well as passenger vehicles. He emphasized that they will make their claims about commercial vehicles come true and introduce two electric and two 1.5 liter gasoline commercial vehicles to the market, and that especially electric commercial vehicles have almost no competitors in the Turkish market.
Stating that they plan to expand their presence in this segment and also develop their service network, in line with their goal of achieving leadership in the sector, Sahsuvaroglu said, “In addition, we will take steps to create the necessary infrastructure for DFSK to establish a production facility in Turkiye. Turkiye offers unique cultural and structural opportunities for the Chinese. In addition, due to the investment opportunities provided by Turkiye, Chinese manufacturers view our country much more favorably than other countries.”
“2024 sales target is 5 thousand units”
Yunus Sahsuvaroglu stated the following regarding the sales targets in the Turkish market:
“It will be an important step towards increasing customer satisfaction by offering an environmentally friendly and economical solution with our gasoline and electric commercial vehicles that we offer to the Turkish market. With the launch in Turkiye, we will present the single-cabin fully electric EC31 pick-up model, which offers a range of around 290 kilometers, as the only electric pickup truck in Turkiye. In addition, our EC35 electric van model, which offers a range of around 300 kilometers as a new generation transportation vehicle, will also attract great attention. In addition to a 5-year, 120,000 km warranty on our electric models, we also provide a 5-year, 120,000 km battery warranty. However, our model offensive will continue in 2024. We will gradually expand our product range by introducing new models. In addition, the SUV Fengon 600 and our E5 SUV models with plug-in hybrid technology will be among the innovations we will offer. With this launch and the addition of new models to existing models, we have set our Turkiye-wide sales target as 5 thousand units, 75% of which are passenger cars and 25% of which are light commercial vehicles, by the end of 2024.”
On the other hand, according to the information given at the meeting, the sales of 6 models, consisting of 2 gasoline SUVs, 2 gasoline commercial vehicles and 2 electric commercial vehicles, will be sold through 7 authorized dealers in the first stage. DFSK Motor’s SUV models, with prices starting from ₺1 million 175 thousand, stand out with their high standard equipment, different designs, high-efficiency engines and comfortable driving. In addition, DFSK Motor offers Turkish users models that will meet all expectations with its wide commercial vehicle product range starting from ₺675 thousand.
Source: Trthaber / Prepared by Irem Yildiz