TOGG: The first EV of Turkey to kick off a revolution?
After six years of development, is TOGG the spark for the Turkish EV market, where millions of customers are eyeing well-priced electric vehicles? Turkey's Automobile Initiative Group (TOGG) has launched as Turkey's first domestically produced passenger car, the first EV of Turkey to kick off a revolution in the electric vehicle market. The brand stirred up the small but fierce competition in the Turkish EV market in March, strengthened with the introduction of Tesla in April and further enhanced with the entrance of BYD in September. According to a European Commission report, the number of registered all-electric passenger cars in Europe in 2010 was only two, which jumped to 134,871 units in 2017. TOGG plans to produce one million cars across five models using a single platform by 2030, and is manufactured in its facility in Bursa, Turkey. The designs of all TOGG models belong to the Italian Pininfarina company, and the prototypes of TOGG were also produced in Italy. The Euro NCAP safety tests are still unavailable for TOGG.
Published : 2 years ago by in Auto
Turkey's Automobile Initiative Group (TOGG) launched as Turkey's first domestically produced passenger car. After six years of development, is TOGG the spark for the Turkish EV market, where millions of customers are eyeing well-priced electric vehicles?
TOGG's role is not solely Turkey's first domestically produced car but a testament to the importance of electric vehicles (EVs) and the hardship a country must endure to adopt new energy vehicles. The brand stirred up the small but fierce competition in the Turkish EV market in March, strengthened with the introduction of Tesla in April and further enhanced with the entrance of BYD in September. Let’s have a snapshot of TOGG and the growing Turkish EV market, eager to close the gap between Europe.
TOGG emerged as an idea in 2017, as European electrification was already a hot trend. According to a European Commission report, the number of registered all-electric passenger cars in Europe in 2010 was only two, which jumped to 134,871 units in 2017. The recorded number of plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) in 2010 was 1,410, surging to 134,871 units in 2017. In the last quarter of 2022, alternative propulsion vehicles (APVs), led by battery electric vehicles (BEVs), PHEVs and hybrid vehicles (HEVs), claimed more than half of the auto market in Europe:
Diesel and petrol continued to lose ground, claiming 36.4% and 16.4% of the market, respectively.
The timing couldn't be better for switching to EVs, as European fuel prices are above €20 per litre, while it takes around €1.80 for an EV to travel 100 km. Public charging points in Europe by the end of 2022 also increased by 48%, reaching 475,000.
Several prominent organisations in Turkey, including commercial and military vehicle manufacturer BMC, national telecommunications company Turkcell, Anadolu Grubu, Zorlu Holding, and TOBB (The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges), gathered for the TOGG project. TOGG officially launched in June 2018 under TOGG Industry and Trade Inc., headquartered in Bilişim Vadisi, Technology Development Zone in Gebze, Kocaeli. Some of the essential facts about TOGG's establishment and development process are as follows:
• The designs of all TOGG models belong to the Italian Pininfarina company.
• The prototypes of TOGG, revealed in 2019, were also produced in Italy.
• TOBB holds a 5% share, and the other organisations mentioned above have a 19% share in TOGG.
• TOGG became commercially available in March 2023, one month before the introduction of Tesla in Turkey.
• All TOGG models are 100% electric, in the BEV category.
• The first model released in March 2023 is the TOGG T10X, C-Segment SUV.
• The following models will include a C-Sedan, a C-Hatchback, a B-SUV and a C-MPV.
• TOGG plans to produce one million cars across five models using a single platform by 2030.
TOGG is manufactured in its facility in Bursa, Turkey. The all-electric car has three variants as a single-motor RWD (rear-wheel drive). These variants are:
The specifics of the T10X V2 RWD long-range are as follows:
One of the uncertainties about TOGG is safety compliance. The Euro NCAP safety tests are still unavailable for TOGG. CEO Gürcan Karakaş said in March that TOGG will be brought independently by Euro NCAP officials for tests after its commercial release.
According to Turkey's Electric and Hybrid Vehicles Association (TEHAD), sales of BEVs in Turkey jumped 188% in 2022 compared to the previous year and reached 8,210 units. On the other hand, hybrid sales went down around 8.5% and decreased to 19.126. Yet, 2023 displayed a strong adoption of EVs in the first eight months, with HEV and BEV sales surging 65.7% (60,489 units) and 597.3% (22,891 units), respectively, according to ODMD (Automotive Distributors' and Mobility Association). As a result, BEVs grabbed a 3.9% share in total automobile sales, while hybrids jumped to 10.4% in Turkey.
According to Voltify, the İstanbul based EV leasing company, total sales can reach 60,000 by the end of 2023. Yet, electrification in the lease market has a long way to go. According to the Turkish leasing and rental association TOKKDER, plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) have only a 1.5% share in fleets, while battery-electrics (BEVs) have just 0.4% in the first half of 2023.
The top-selling EVs in Turkey by October 2023 and their prices are as below:
The Turkish EV market has a wide range of passenger cars and premium models, such as the Kia EV6 and Jaguar I-Pace, tempting drivers tired of high gasoline prices and consumers who want to dive into the EV segment with a luxury model. The pace of adoption is faster in the consumer market than in the fleet market; nevertheless, Turkey is promising in electrification as a Research and Market report predicts 2.5 million EVs to be on the roads by 2030.
The main image is courtesy of Shutterstock, 2372830611. The in-article photo is courtesy of Shutterstock, 2322660923.