Turkey said Fiat again

Volkan DEMIRKUŞAK
The thirteenth ODMD Sales and Communication Awards, organized by the Automotive Distributors and Mobility Association (ODMD) to reward the sales and communication achievements of brands, took place. We touched on the subject a little during the week and left the details to today. Now let’s dig deeper into the subject. The reality of Turkey is price and therefore Fiat. To say that it sold so much because of the price alone would be to underestimate Egea’s rightful success. That’s why it’s best to say that Turkey’s car was again Egea. We are talking about a 6-digit model that exceeds 100,000 by itself. It achieved a well-deserved success with the variety of models, durability and local needs; brand and became the leader of the passenger car market for the fourth time. Fiat Brand Director Altan Aytaç, who said that they are proud of the total sales of 146,435 units, said, “Despite all the uncertainties and difficulties experienced, we again achieved very important business results as the FIAT brand in 2022. Today, we experience the happiness and pride of maintaining our leadership in the Turkish market even more strongly. On top of our total market leadership we achieved for the fourth time in a row, the fact that we are catching the leadership in the automobile market after a long hiatus this year increases the value of our work this year even more.” Let’s see if Fiat will be at the top with new products and services in 2023.
Volvo and Cupra blew
In particular, the rise of the SUV segment has reflected very positively on some brands. Volvo, on the other hand, broke the Turkish record with the support of both SUV and electric models and exceeded its own bar with 8,228 units. As a journalist who has used Volvo models in the past and participated in many world launches, it is obvious that there is a firm return to the Swedish brand with the XC40 and other models in the innovation wind that started with the XC90. Let’s see what the next target of the brand will be? Cupra is one of the brands that caught my attention while I was playing with the numbers. Cupra, which is remembered by many car enthusiasts as a version of Seat, and transformed into a brand positioned above Volkswagen with the decision of the VW Group, became the “Fastest Growing Car Brand” in December with a total of 2,792 units for 370 years. Seeing that Cupra, which I attended in the last press event in Spain, will be on the streets with very different models in the next 2 years, I can say that the brand has the opportunity to go much further with the wind.
High taxes forced 1.6
For a middle or low-income Turk, it has been a dream for years to get into a 1.6 liter and above automobile. The figures show that cars with 1.6 liters and above are now far from dreams. Cars with an engine volume of 1,600 cc and below increased by 2 percent compared to the previous year and reached 87 percent, while cars in the 2000 cc range received a share of 0.2 percent. While in many developed countries, automobile taxes are determined by emission rates, it is still a matter of criticism that engine size is still taken as a basis in our country. 38.7 percent of the cars sold at emission rates that are important for the environment are 100-120 g/km according to carbon emission rates.
Everybody’s chasing SUVs
Among the reports prepared by ODMD General Coordinator Hayri Erce and his team, the rise in the SUV market is remarkable. Formerly known as the sedan country, Turkey is now the only real SUV models. According to body types, 41.4 out of every 100 cars are SUVs, which means that 245,410 SUV models were sold in Turkey in 2022. Brands see the trend in this direction and continue to focus on SUV models. SUV models are followed by Sedans with 36.6 percent and hatchbacks with 20.1 percent. One of the most striking figures is gasoline. 69 of every 100 cars sold in Turkey are gasoline powered. While the demand for diesels is decreasing, interest in electric cars is increasing, although they are still very few in number. 7,733 electric cars are also a sign of the developing market.

22 people bought Ferraris
The supersport brands that adorned everyone’s walls also had no trouble finding buyers. Last year, 22 Ferraris, 15 Bentleys and 14 Lamborghinis were sold. Another remarkable brand from my point of view was Lexus. The adventure of Lexus in Turkey, which we have seen for years in Europe and America, started very late. At that time, the short-term goals of the brand were to exceed 100. Lexus, which completed last year with 336 units, has a near-term target of 500. Lexus Operations Director Murat Ertuğrul, whom I had the chance to have a short conversation with during the meeting, said that they aim to exceed 500 units per year with the new models.
Turkey loved automatic transmission
Automobile users in Turkey liked the automatic transmission. The situation is reflected in the figures for 2022. Cars with automatic transmission in sales last year; While 464 thousand 338 units took a share of 78.3 percent, cars with manual transmission took a 21.7% share with 128 thousand 322 units.
Top 5 of light commercial
Looking at the light commercial vehicle segment, Ford took the first place in the list with 66 thousand 132 sales. Ford was followed by Fiat with 49 thousand 81 sales and Toyota with 11 thousand 661 sales. Renault was fourth with 11,433 sales and Volkswagen fifth with 10,646 sales.

Brand within brand Accord
I try to test cars as much as I find time between car launches and meetings. Reusing some cars also leaves different tastes to the user. So I spent this week with the Honda Accord. Carrying the brand along with the Civic, the Accord gave me traditional feelings. Instead of lots of toys, giant multimedia screens, minimal gears or controls in the interiors of cars, Accord was before me as a traditional car that we know. Spacious interior, plenty of storage space, efficient quiet engine, plenty of safety equipment are the signs that Honda lovers should not give up on the Accord. Of course, now the model renewal period is coming, we will see many innovations in Civic in the next Accord. Let’s also note that Honda Turkey completed the last year with sales of 21 thousand 249 units.
Deadline for MTV and debt restructuring installments is 31 January
The first installment of the motor vehicle tax (MTV) for this year and the installment payments for debt restructuring must be made by the end of Tuesday, January 31. The first installment payment period of MTV for 2023 started on January 1, 2023. MTV is accrued annually in January each year by the tax office of the place where the registration and registration of vehicles is made. The applied MTV is paid in 2 equal installments in January and July.