Turkey’s automobiles sales rose to 700,000units in 2020, up by 61pc from the prior year, according to data circulated by the national auto body, Automotive Distributors’ Association (ODD).
Light commercial vehicles sales rose 77pc to 162,679 units from Jan-Dec compared to 2019 while passenger car sales is up by 58pc to 610,109 units. Despite the pandemic affecting the country sales has picked up in 2020. Fiat, Renault and Ford were amongst the top sellers in 2020.
In December, car sales rose around 14pc to 70,829 units relative to a year ago. Light commercial vehicle sales rose 20pc in December to 23,579 units from the preceding year. Total auto sales is up 15pc to 104,239 units in December from 2019 levels.
Turkey’s auto sales growth has fueled strong consumption of metals by the auto sector. This has resulted in higher metal and scrap prices. Through 2020, global ferrous scrap prices were largely dictated by Turkish buying. Auto demand may continue to grow in 2021, according to industry experts.