The company will also expand the network of charging stations in our southern neighbor
Tesla shipped 936,000 vehicles worldwide last year, up 87 percent from 2020. The United States and China remain the company’s largest markets, but another large population will help boost sales in this year. This is Turkey, where the Americans are officially entering with a representation.
The electric carmaker has appointed Kemal Gedjer, the founder of E-Garaj, which has been importing Tesla machines and other environmentally friendly cars in the country, as its manager in Turkey. Gager is also the creator of the first specialized local website dedicated to electric cars of the American manufacturer. He also headed the Turkish branch of Lufthansa.
Along with its official representative office in Turkey, Tesla is also stepping up the development of the network of Supercharger charging stations in the country, as well as throughout the Balkan Peninsula. The company has already built fast stations in Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania and other countries in the region, and new locations are expected soon.
In the past 2021, 4,000 electric cars were sold in Turkey, compared to 1,600 in 2020. It is currently estimated that between 7,000 and 8,000 electric cars are registered in the country. Tesla’s official launch in the local market is expected to increase demand in the country, although the company’s expectations for the size of conversions have not been declared yet.
Currently, the best-selling cars on the Turkish market rely solely on internal combustion engines. The most sought after car among the neighbors is Fiat Egea, known in our country as Tipo, followed by Toyota Corolla and Renault Clio. All three bestsellers are produced in local factories, and the country has recently had its own “national” manufacturer, represented by TOGG, which plans to launch several electric models.