According to the statistics released by the Turkish Automotive Distributors Association (ODD), in the first 11 months of this year the domestic passenger car and light vehicle market shrank by 10.1 percent compared to the same period last year, with sales declining to 662,361 units. In November, domestic sales of passenger cars and light vehicles totaled 71,710 units, up 12.65 percent compared to November 2011.
In the first 11 months, passenger car sales in Turkey totaled 475,354 units, falling by 5.8 percent compared to the first 11 months of last year, while sales of light commercial vehicles declined by 19.4 percent to 187,007 units, both on year-on-year basis. However, in November sales of passenger cars rose by 16.3 percent to 52,297 units, while light commercial vehicle sales totaled 19,413 units, up by 3.8 percent year on year.
The association noted that the increase in the Special Consumption Tax (ÖTV) and slowed economic activities continued to cause a decline in vehicle sales in the January-November period. It also stated the 14th International Auto Show held in November in Istanbul and the low tax atmosphere led to the increased sales in the month in question.
The ODD forecast that total sales in the Turkish automotive sector in 2012 will amount to 815,000 units, with a 10.5 percent contraction year on year.