The Turkish President has unveiled prototypes of the first domestic
vehicle and two domestic electric vehicle prototypes expected to begin production in 2022. Produced 5 models in 15 years.

Gurkan Karakasi, head of the Turkish Automobile Cooperation Group (TOGG), a
automobile development consortium, said that work on the sedan of the C-segment, Turkey’s first domestic car, began on Friday.

TOGG plans to launch five models by 2030.

At an event in Gebze, northwest Turkey, Erdogan displayed a model of SUV and sedan, now known as TOGG, after a consortium of Turkish companies that will produce the vehicle in Gebze, in Turkey’s northwestern industrial heartland.

The president was scheduled to test drive a suspension bridge across the Gulf of Izmit. He offered to put his name on the pre-orderable list.

Turkish cars are expected to hit the market in 2022. “I know our people are looking forward to the day when we can own this car.”

Turkey’s leaders have long pressed entrepreneurs to build domestic cars as part of their vision to make Turkey an economic powerhouse. The car is produced by a consortium of five Turkish companies called the Turkish Automobile Initiative Group (TOGG) in cooperation with the Turkish Chambers and Commodity Exchanges.

According to Turkish press, the car was designed by Pininfarina, an Italian design firm that made models for Ferrari and California-based electric car maker Karma.

Erdogan said the car will be built at a plant that will be built on former military lands in Bursa province. Scheduled for completion in 2021, the plant is expected to employ 4,300 people.

TOGG CEO Gurkan Karakas said he hopes Turkey will produce five different car models within 15 years.

TOGG is Turkey’s second attempt to produce Turkish-made cars. In the 1960s, a group of Turkish engineers built a prototype car called the Devrim (Revolution or Revolution in English). The project was later abandoned.

Several foreign brands are assembled in Turkey, including Ford and Toyota.