German magazine calls TOGG 'Turkish Telsa'

By Cuneyt Karadag and Bahattin Gonultas

BERLIN (AA) - Germany's leading automobile magazine Auto Bild praised Turkish-made electric vehicle TOGG.

A report published on Saturday called the T10X model produced by Türkiye's Automobile Initiative Group (TOGG) the “Turkish Tesla”.

It also gave good reviews of the car's interior and exterior.

Six years ago, "a handful of Turkish industrial giants from key sectors such as mechanical engineering, trade, electronics and communications joined forces to build the first car manufacturer of modern times,” the report said.

“Türkiye's Tesla made its debut" at the CES technology in Las Vegas which introduces new products and technologies in the consumer electronics industry, the report read.

A thousand electric car charging stations were ordered at a factory in the Gemlik district of Türkiye's Bursa province and their installation started across the country.

"As a mid-range SUV, it aims to be on the same level as electric cars such as the VW ID4, Renault Megane E-Tech, Tesla Model Y and indeed the new Audi Q6," the report said.

However, the T10X is offered at a more affordable price than the vehicles in the same segment, it added. The basic version starts at $43,400 or approximately 40,000 euros.

TOGG plans to produce more than 40,000 vehicles this year and is targeting international markets for sales. The vehicle will also be offered for sale in Germany starting this fall.

The article praised TOGG CEO Gurcan Karakas, who grew up near Germany's Bielefeld and learned his profession at Bosch, saying: “He knows that the world does not need another start-up producing electric SUVs. That's why he takes things one step further and, like all visionary bosses, talks about the car as a smart device on wheels.”

The article also added T10X's driver's screen is larger than its competitors and is equipped with various applications.

*Writing by Serdar Dincel from Istanbul