Turkish auto industry racks up $34B in exports, setting new record for past 10 months

By Ali Canberk Ozbugutu and Emir Yildirim

ISTANBUL (AA) — The Turkish automotive industry achieved its highest 10-month performance with $34 billion in exports this January–October, according to Turkish Exporters’ Assembly (TIM) data.

This marked the third consecutive year the Turkish auto industry broke a 10-month export performance record. Auto exports were $26.3 billion in 2018, $28.7 billion in 2023, and $30.5 billion in 2024, the data showed.

Türkiye’s total exports in January–October were up 3.9% on an annual basis to $224.5 billion, while rising 2.2% to $24 billion in October alone.

Auto exports rose 11.6% over the same period, while the share of the auto sector among total exports reached 17.5%.

Germany was the largest recipient of Turkish auto exports in January–October with $5.6 billion, followed by France with $3.9 billion, the UK with $3.4 billion, Spain with $2.9 billion, and Italy with $2.7.

As for the dollar amount of the increase, Turkish auto exports to Germany surged $1.5 billion, Spain $843.2 million, Slovenia $470.5 million, France $449.4 million, and Romania $315.9 million.

The northwestern Turkish province of Kocaeli sold the most auto exports, totaling $10.1 billion, followed by Bursa with $7.4 billion, Istanbul with $7.2 billion, Sakarya with $4 billion, and the capital Ankara with $1.4 billion.