Turkey "builds own car by 2021"

President Erdogan wants Turkey to have its very own car brand - again. And not just any brand, but a Tesla-rivalling electric-only one. A consortium uniting Turkcell and 4 other giants, called “Automobile of Turkey”, is to develop an electric prototype by 2019. Production is slated to start in 2021.

Fiat, Hyundai, Toyota, Renault: they all have factories in Turkey, which is a booming market of about one million cars per annum. The country is also one of the biggest car parts exporters in the region. Electric cars, however, are anything but widespread. If the charging infrastructure expands and prices are contained, the new Turkish brand might just change that.

Picture copyright: Reuters, 2017