Celebrating the 99th anniversary of the Republic of Turkey, the country will unveil its first homegrown electric car. The event will occur at the grand opening of a big factory in the Gemlik industrial zone southeast of Istanbul. Automobile Initiative Group of Turkey, or Togg, is the Turkish automaker responsible for making electric vehicles. On the road by spring of 2023 is a likely estimate.
Before the end of August, Togg gave away brand-new, never-before-driven examples of the nation's electric test vehicles.
Togg's CEO Gürcan Karakas, said the company would finish becoming certified and qualified to European standards by the end of the first quarter of 2023. Around that time, consumers can expect to see the first Togg model, an electric SUV, hit store shelves.
In addition, they stated that they would be releasing several models in addition to the Togg electric SUV. The aesthetic of the models will be consistent; it will be a synthesis of Western and Eastern influences. Thus far, Turkey is the only target market that Togg has considered.
In the past, Turkey's auto industry has attempted homegrown production of vehicles like the Anadol. Anadol was the first Turkish automaker to focus exclusively on the home market. After the failure of the Devrim sedan in 1961, the Anadol A1 (1966–1975) was the second Turkish automobile produced. Otosan Otomobil Sanayii in Constantinople produced Anadol automobiles and pickup trucks from 1966 until 1991.
When it comes to automobiles, Turkey may claim the first-ever design and production of the Devrim. On the day the first models were unveiled, President Cemal Gürsel took one for a ceremonial spin before it was refueled. The car drove for about a hundred meters before stopping. The President stepped out, walked around to the back, and got into a cream-colored prototype that took him to Antkabir.
The two vehicles finished their parade laps without more incident. It wasn't long before newspaper headlines read, "Devrim went 100 meters, and it broke down." As a result, people made fun of the vehicle for a long time.
The automobiles were hand-built prototypes, and the manufacturing method was never fully documented. Hence Devrim was never produced in large quantities. After all the negative publicity the cars received, it didn't matter how technically advanced they actually were. Last but not least, the low demand for automobiles in Turkey throughout the 1960s hampered any serious attempts to establish a national automaker's mass-market presence and sustain its reputation for quality.
As part of his plan to transform Turkey into an economic superpower, Turkish President Erdogan urged entrepreneurs to construct a homegrown automobile.
Five Turkish companies are working together to create automobiles for Turkey's first official national automotive manufacturing. Togg is one such platform, and it was developed in tandem with the Union of Turkey's Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB).
Almost two years after President Erdogan introduced the partnership, led by former tech-giant Bosch Executive Mehmet Gürcan Karakas, construction of Togg's engineering, design, and production facilities began in the middle of 2020.
In the Bursa neighborhood of Gemlik, where a large industrial complex has been established, a facility has been constructed on a plot of land measuring 1.2 million square meters.
Bursa is known as Turkey's automotive capital since it is home to factories for numerous international automakers. These include the Turkish-French joint venture Oyak Renault, the Turkish Koç Holding, and Italian-American automaker Fiat Chrysler's Tofas.
The first electric automobile in Turkey can be fully charged in under 30 minutes.
Togg has partnered with Farasis, a leader in lithium-ion battery technology, to manufacture its first battery for an electric vehicle. With fast charging, the electric vehicle can be recharged to 80 percent in under 30 minutes. The device will be capable of traveling between 300 and 500 kilometers.
Track tests revealed a zero-to-hundred kilometer-per-hour time of 7.6 seconds with 200 horsepower and sub 4.8 seconds with 400 horsepower.
Togg's SUV will be the first all-electric SUV made by a non-major automaker on the European continent.
Five different models will be available from the company until 2030: an SUV, a sedan, a C-hatchback, a B-SUV, and a B-MPV. The company's goal is to manufacture one million electric vehicles by 2030.
Pininfarina, an Italian design firm that has worked on Ferrari and Karma electric cars, was responsible for the vehicle's exterior.
