Survey names Ford as Turkey’s 2016 export champion

By Sumeyye Dalkılınc and Dilara Zengin

ISTANBUL (AA) - Automobile company Ford Otomotiv Sanayi AS (Ford Otosan) was named Turkey's export champion for 2016, according to a survey by the Turkish Exporters’ Assembly (TIM) on Friday.

The company, a joint venture of Koc Holding and Ford, exported $3.9 billion worth of automobiles last year, up from $3.8 billion in 2015 and $3.4 billion in 2014.

Ford Otosan, established in 1959, produced 415,000 commercial vehicles, 80,000 engines and 140,000 powertrains by the end of 2015.

The top 10 Turkish exporting companies included four automotive manufacturers, three home appliance makers, two export services company and one energy company.

Ford Otosan was followed by the Italian automotive giant Fiat’s local partner Tofas Turk with $3.1 billion and Oyak Renault, a joint venture between Renault and Oyak, with $2.8 billion in the list.

Exports from Turkey are estimated to exceed $156 billion in 2017, which is 9.5 percent increase compared with last year, Mehmet Buyukeksi, TIM chairman said during his presentation on the survey.

Buyukeksi said Turkey's exports totaled $142.5 billion in 2016.

"We will be more active in export and international relations. We will grow our country by making export across the world," Buyukeksi said.

Kibar Dis Ticaret, which exports the products of a number of private and state industrial enterprises and also imports raw materials for them, took the fourth spot with $2.4 billion in the country’s export champions list.

Turkey’s energy giant TUPRAS ranked fifth with the export of $2.1 billion worth of petroleum products.

Vestel, one of Turkey’s leading durable consumer goods makers, was in sixth place with $2 billion, followed by Toyota Otomotiv with $1.8 billion.

Arcelik, a durable consumer goods producer under Koc Holding, was ranked eighth with $1.7 billion.

Bosch San. ve Tic. AS, the industrial conglomerate, and TGS, export service company, came ninth and tenth with $1.06 billion and $1.01 billion, respectively.

Exports from car sales reached $22.1 billion, followed by textiles and chemicals. Germany with $14 billion, the U.K. with $11.6 billion, Iraq with $7.6 billion, Italy with $7.5 billion and the U.S. with 6.6 billion topped the list of markets.