Although Turkey is not a country that generally comes to mind when it comes to producing cars, the country has become a production hub for Ford Motor,* Hyundai, Toyota and Renault and Fiat. In fact, approximately one-third of cars sold in Turkey are made in the country by international manufacturers.
Now Fiat's Turkish partner, Tofas, has announced plans to export the Doblo small commercial van to Canada and the US. It is working on two new passenger cars, ,a compact sedan and a compact hatchback for local and export markets. The cars are set to go on sale after 2015, and will replace the Fiat Linea built by Tofas at its plant in Bursa, northwest Turkey, since 2007.
"Tofas has completed its study for plant and research and development for Doblo exports to North America," Tofas CEO Kamil Basaran told reporters in comments published on Sunday. "We are planning to export the Doblo at the end of 2014. We can expect 20,000 units once we start," he said.
Basaran said Tofas will disclose details of its two new cars in July. The cars, a compact sedan and a compact hatchback, are set to go on sale after 2015. They will replace the Fiat Linea built by Tofas at its plant in Bursa, northwest Turkey, since 2007.
Tofas will own the patent rights for both cars which are expected to be sold under the Fiat brand, although Chrysler Group will market a Ram-badged version of the Doblo
In the meantime, Both Reuters and Bloomberg News report that the Turkish government is “pressing local companies to build fully Turkish-developed and built car.”
*Ford currently exports the Transit Connect small van to the United States and Europe from its joint venture with Koc Holding, but will soon transfer production of the van to a Ford factory in Valencia, Spain.
Comments