27.12.2019 Gebze / Kocaeli
The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Turkey's Automobile Enterprise Group (TOGG) M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that Turkey's Automobile will be one of the most important global brands of the country in 2020, adding, “We will carry out our brand launch. In 2021, we will complete our factory and open it. In 2022, hopefully our first vehicle will come off the assembly line”
TOGG's
“Journey to Innovation” introducing Turkey's Automobile and Informatics Valley
Official Opening Ceremony was held in Gebze with the participation of many
guests, including President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Minister of Industry and
Technology Mustafa Varank, cabinet members, non-governmental organizations and
industry representatives.
Union
of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) and TOGG President M.
Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, in his speech here, stated that a giant step towards Turkey's
half-century dream has been taken, “At the TOBB General Assembly in 2017,
President Erdoğan issued a call to us and asked us to take over this endeavor.
So we set out and brought our braves together. Praise Allah, we have stood by
our promise. I am a proud son of this country. I am honored for the Turkish
private sector, which has achieved this.”
Hisarcıklıoğlu
stated that the automotive industry has evolved and opened a new window of
opportunity for Turkey, stating that the country missed this opportunity in the
1960s when it couldn’t roll out the “Devrim” car.
Rifat
Hisarcıklıoğlu, reiterating what they promised President Erdoğan in May 2017,
continued, “We said we would do our part., They made fun of us. We started our
joint venture in November 2017, they didn't believe it. We started our company
in June 2018, they laughed, but we didn't give up, we kept working. We know
we're still a long way off, but look, we're here today. The accumulation,
energy and love of the Turkish private sector are in this hall. Do you know why
we call it ‘Turkey's Automobile’? Because this is the car of the 82 million.”
Hisarcıklıoğlu,
said they will employ foreign engineers for their own patents, said they will
invest at least 22 billion TRY in 15 years.
Pointing
out that the car will not be produced only in Turkey, Hisarciklıoğlu said, “Brand,
patent, design will be ours. We're not going to buy licenses; we're going to
sell licenses. We're not going to assemble; we're going to have others assemble.
We will not work for someone else's patent.”
Hisarcıklıoğlu
noted that as TOGG partners will commit at least 3.5 billion TRY (500 million Euros)
of capital, showing great dedication, they will refrain from any dividends
during the 15-year investment period.
- “We'll break preconceptions”
Reporting
that the endeavor will provide 20,000 additional jobs in sub-industries, with
4,300 directly related, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “The numbers are big because our
goal is big. With the grace of Allah, the faith of our nation, and the
leadership and support of our President, we will succeed. In 2020, we will be
one of our most important global brands and we’ll hold our brand launch. In
2021, we will complete our factory and open it. In 2022, hopefully our first
vehicle will come off the assembly line. It's not easy to break the preconceptions,
but we're here to do it, and we're going to break preconceptions.”
Stating
that they have revolutionized 4 more areas with Turkey's Automobile, Hisarcıklıoğlu
said that the first and perhaps the most important one is the model of
cooperation.
Stating
that they were always told, ““Turks can’t form partnerships,” Hisarcıklıoğlu
said, “However, we gathered the braves from different ideas, different sectors at
the same table. We didn’t settle for small. We said, ‘Make it grand and make it
ours.’”
Hisarciklıoğlu
said that the second revolution was to reverse the brain drain, that for years
qualified employees and engineers in Turkey have been going abroad, with TOGG, one
of the world's most successful Turkish managers Gürcan Karakaş returned to
Turkey and took over the project; hundreds of talented brains including Turks,
Germans, Brazilians, Americans, Asians from around the world have begun to
gather in the Informatics Valley.
Hisarciklıoğlu
stated that, as the third revolution, for the first time, they are playing for
the top position in technology, “Now we're building an electric car. Whatever’s
being done today in America, Europe, China, we do the same. While diesel
vehicles are being banned around the world, we are developing a clean and
environmentally green product on a global scale. The latest change was also
carried out in industrial policy. In the old days, the government gave
incentives, waiting for investors. Now the government is setting targets. The
public-private sector determines the steps to be taken and the support is stipulated
together. The European Union and China have built all their industrial
strategies on this after 2020. We applied this this way of working for the
first time outside for the defense industry on this project.”
- “A new challenge”
Stating
that “Turkey's Automobile” does not mean just producing domestic brand cars, Hisarcıklıoğlu
said, “It is more than a car, it is more than a technological transformation,
it is the transition to digital economy, it alone will create 20,000 additional
jobs, 7.5 billion USD less current deficit, a $50 billion contribution to gross
domestic product. In other words, Turkey's Automobile is our new challenge to
the world."
Hisarcıklıoğlu,
pointing to the support given by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, “Our Minister
of Industry and Technology Mustafa Varank and Treasury and Finance Minister
Berat Albayrak, our minister of treasury and finance, Minister Faruk Özlü, who
we worked with the previous term, our deputy ministers and bureaucrats believed
in this project and gave full support.”
Hisarciklıoğlu
emphasized that they believe in this endeavor and said, “We will make the
necessary sacrifice. This is just the beginning; we've got a long way to go. As
Turkish entrepreneurs, we are pursuing bigger goals. A Turkey that invents and
exports technology. A Turkey that brings new traditions to the old village. a
Turkey which will attain the goal of modern civilization set by Gazi Mustafa
Kemal Atatürk. May Allah grace Turkey's Automobile with good fortune.”
Hisarcıklıoğlu
also called the braves, TOGG partners, to the stage.
Ahmet
Nazif Zorlu, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Zorlu Holding, recalling Hisarcıklıoğlu’s
invitation to invest in Turkey's Automobile, saying, “He asked me, ‘Are you in?’
We said, 'We are always in for our country and we always will be.”
Turkcell
Chairman Ahmet Akça also expressed his wishes for Turkey's Automobile’s
success.
Tuncay
Özilhan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Anadolu Group, said, “As a
group, we are very happy and honored to be a part of Turkey's Automobile. We
set out with great courage, made an important breakthrough. I hope that after 2
years we will have this happiness together when we complete our production and
put our first product on the market.”
BMC
Board Member Talip Ozturk also noted that as a company, they will always give
full support to TOGG.
-
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
President
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan began his speech with, “Today we witness a historic day
for our country, the realization of Turkey's 60-year-old dream," stating
that they have always expressed that they are worthy of much more than just assembly.
President
Erdoğan said they have increased the country’s automotive production potential
from 350,000, to more than 1.5 million.
Stating
that exports in this sector reached 32 billion USD, Erdoğan said, “Unfortunately,
we have not been able to produce our own car for a long time. We have taken
many steps in this regard, we have made attempts. Our dream was to have a car with
all rights owned by our country, kneaded with the efforts of our designers and
engineers, produced with national technologies and to carry our name to the
world. That's why we were looking for braves to take on this task. In the end,
the braves gave their hearts to this dream of our nation and founded Turkey's
Automobile Venture Group. I thank them on behalf of myself and our nation. They
put together a professional team focused solely on their work and brought their
work to this day. For this endeavor, over 100 Turkish engineers worked night and
day, worked at the expense of being separated from their homes and children.
Some of them are our friends who have left their prestigious jobs abroad and
returned home with great enthusiasm just to take part in this project, of which
is our CEO is one. I especially thank him.”
- “We have been chasing this dream
for nearly 60 years”
President
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said, “Today we are sharing the preview vehicles with you
for the first time, just as we promised two years ago.”
Erdoğan
stressed that they chose the location in particular, and that the area is Turkey's
Informatics Valley, Turkey's technology base that will shape the future.
Erdoğan
pointed out that they, in fact, are implementing two mega-projects on this historic
day at the same time, noting that they are carrying out the official opening of
the Informatics Valley and sharing the car's preview.
Thanking
those who contributed to the project, especially Minister of Industry and
Technology Mustafa Varank and the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of
Turkey, Erdoğan said, “Turkey's search for the domestic car is not new. We've
been chasing this dream for approximately 60 years. The story of the first
domestic automobile experiment, ‘Devrim', is also an example of how our dreams
have been turned into nightmares. We saw the ‘Devrim’ car outside. The same
thing happened to our entrepreneurs who have made planes, developed engines and
produced weapons before, and the same thing happened to 'Devrim'. Let's not forget,
the mentality that prevented the ordering of the aircraft factory in Kayseri
and the export of orders from outside is still active today. We have seen over
time what the purpose of those who blew up the people who admirably established
the weapons factory under difficult conditions. Those did everything to prevent
Turkey from producing its own engine, are standing against us today again.”
- “We leave it to our nation to ask
for an account of what we lost in 65 years”
President
Erdoğan, stated that a campaign to put a stop to Turkey’s efforts with when
‘Devrim’ was being developed and said: “The interesting thing is that the
Minister of Industry of the period participated in this campaign. Those who
said that domestic automobiles cannot be produced both technologically and that
they do not have enough markets, welcomed the automobile factories established
by Western companies in our country a few years later. This, at a time when the
automobile market was starting rev up, if this initiative had been successfully
implemented, Turkey would be in a different place today. If the previous
aircraft, weapons and engine projects were carried out, we would be in a
different place today. 65 years after the Silver Motor attempt, we're still suffering
from not being able to build our engine. I would on this occasion commend the
indomitable defender of the idea of industrialization, the late Necmettin
Erbakan. I hope that when our projects initiated by our various institutions
are concluded, we will have solved the engine issue once and for all in a few
years to meet our every need. We also leave it to our nation to ask for an
account of what we lost in 65 years. We leave it to you.”
Stating
that they will attempt to put an end to Turkey's endeavor to build its own car again,
Erdoğan said, “But this time we will not allow it. They managed to prevent the ‘Devrim’,
but now we will not allow them to stop us this time.”
Underlining
that software is the most efficient and important component of new
technologies, Erdoğan told the participants: “We will experience a leap in
software here. To do this, we will rapidly increase the number of more than
170,000 developers to over 500,000. We will further increase educational
activities to give our children the competence to develop software. Our
Informatics Valley will also host one of the next generation software schools
we will open. We work with technology companies, NGOs and related institutions.
Informatics Valley will also be the center of the Open Source Platform. Because
of all these advantages, Informatics Valley is also hosting Turkey's Automobile
Project. The factory where our car will be physically produced will be in
Bursa, the heart of this industry. You wonder, ‘Where in Bursa?' I'll give you the
good news. We have a large place in Gemlik that belongs to our Armed Forces,
and hopefully we will allocate 1 million square meters of this area of
approximately 4 million square meters, and hopefully we will start the
construction of our factory. I hope this investment to prove beneficial for
Gemlik, Bursa.”
Erdoğan
said the vehicle, whose intellectual and industrial rights are owned by Turkey,
will be introduced as a competitive Turkish brand in the world.
Stating
that all strategic decisions regarding this brand were taken by Turkey and that
the ideas were implemented by Turkish engineers, Erdoğan said, “We do not
receive licenses and certificates from anyone for the steps taken, all technical
features are ours. In other words, we're setting the rules for the game now.
We're setting them in Syria. We are setting them between Libya and Turkey.
We're setting them in the defense industry.”
Stating
that the world automotive industry is at a new crossroads and that the changes
are being followed, Erdoğan said, “New production models are emerging under the
leadership of electric autonomous and networked technologies. Everyone's on
equal footing in this race right now. we have to adapt our automotive sector,
whose exports are 32 billion USD, to this change. We can't take it slow. We're
going to do it fast. Artificial intelligence is increasingly prominent in
automobiles as it is in all areas. We want to prepare our industry for the next
era with all its elements. Our technology accumulation in Turkey's Automobile
project will pave the way for many other sectors and will also be the igniter.
We can't afford to make mistakes. After we're the ones who set the rules, it
doesn't matter who we support in this endeavor and who we employ. Engineers
from Turkey's most prominent institutions are currently working on the
mathematical modeling and endurance tests of the domestic car. We will
hopefully produce the largest internal volume, highest performance and most
cost-effective vehicle in its class. Our vehicle will operate with zero
emissions and never pollute the environment. When we go into mass production,
hopefully we will have Europe's first and only indigenous electric SUV.”
Stating
that 3 years after beginning of passenger car production in Turkey, the highest
domestically produced ratio product will be Turkey's Automobile, Erdoğan
stressed, “Recently, Istanbul Driver's Chamber announced it would not be buying
vehicles until the end of 2020 and then would buy our own domestic car from the
moment production is made. In 2022, our charging infrastructure will be ready
all over Turkey. All our institutions have already begun preparations.
Therefore, this car is domestic and national. But there are those who don't
understand indigenousness and nationality, and they're none of our business.
We're going to get on with it. No one should try to disguise this fact.”
“By
producing Turkey's Automobile as an electric vehicle, we are reaching directly
to the technology of the future, not the past or present,” Erdoğan said, adding
that with his design, battery, charging stations, this car project will prepare
the country for the world of the future.
- “We're pursuing a global brand”
President
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, expressing that there are very few countries in the world
that can do this, continued his speech, “Turkey enters the field of electric
cars from the very beginning, not one but a few steps ahead of everyone else.
We don't just build this car for our own needs. We're looking to be a global
brand. Starting from nearby markets like Europe, we will have reached our goal
the day we see this car on the roads all over the world. We determine our
production and export strategy accordingly. And I know our nation is looking
forward to owning this vehicle. Ahead of 2022, when this car will be
commercially available, a pre-sale process will be initiated to show our
nation's support for the project and the national technology move. We can
implement this method used in similar projects in the world in our country. I
sincerely believe that our nation will embrace this project with the demand it
will put forward in pre-sale. As Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, I place the first
pre-order myself here. I would like to thank our braves who have demonstrated
all their courage and perseverance for this project.”
Erdoğan
thanking TOBB, coordinating the private sector, and the Ministry of Industry
and Technology, coordinating the public administration and the Ministry of
Treasury and Finance and everyone who contributed, said, “In this you will be
the heroes to make our country's 60-year-old dream come true. Your name will go
down in history. Future generations will discuss your success. As President, I
will always be with you, as I have been since the first day. I personally
follow every step you take. With the grace of Allah, Turkey will be the country
of the future, where the steps it takes are followed with admiration. When we
believe in ourselves, when we trust ourselves, there are no obstacles that we
cannot overcome.”
Erdoğan
congratulated the companies in the initiative group and the team involved in
the project.
- Minister of Industry and
Technology Mustafa Varank
Minister
of Industry and Technology Mustafa Varank said that Turkey had an industrial
infrastructure that could export $36 billion in 2002 with low sectoral
diversity, and lacked mechanisms to encourage innovation, entrepreneurship and
R&D.
Noting
that a strong R&D and entrepreneurship ecosystem has been created in 17
years under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Varank said, “Today
we now have an export volume reaching 170 billion USD. We can produce in almost
any sector. With over 1,500 R&D and design centers and 85 technoparks that
we have established from scratch all over Turkey, it hosts the transformation
of new ideas into products.”
Minister
Varank stressed that Turkey has written a new success story, especially in the
defense industry that the whole world is talking about, adding that the rate of
indigenousness in this field has risen from 20% to over 70%.
Varank
underlined that they want to make Turkey one of the countries producing high
technology and guiding technology in every field, and that the 2023 Industrial
and Technology Strategy prepared in spirit of National Technology Move is part
of this vision. He said, “Today, on the way to strengthening our economic and
technological independence, we are officially opening the Informatics Valley,
the biggest technopark of our country. Many initiatives in this center, home to
Turkey's Automobile Initiative Group, will be at the forefront of critical
domestic and national technologies. Public, university, industrial and
non-governmental organizations, which are stakeholders of the Informatics
Valley, will create a strong synergy. With the concrete projects here, we will
ensure the formation of our global brands and the emergence of Turkish
initiatives whose value is measured in billions of dollars. I believe Informatics
Valley, which will continue on its path with bigger steps, will strengthen our
country’s position in the 21st century."
Varank,
stating that Turkey's most eminent companies came together under the auspices
of President Erdoğan, to introduce Turkey's Automobile to the world, “Bright
minds, all more experienced than each other, are developing this car here at
the R&D center in the Information Valley. This car is Turkey's automobile
with all intellectual and industrial property rights and engineering decisions.
Every lira earned from this car is Turkey's gain. This pride is the pride of
our 82 million citizens, of Turkey. Turkey's Automobile is not just a car
production project. It is Turkey's move to capture new window of opportunity.”
Varank
pointed out that the automotive sector is going through a radical process of
change, and said that the connected, autonomous and electric car market
provides great opportunities for new ventures alongside established brands.
"Today,
electric and connected vehicles have only 1% of total vehicle sales revenue,
while after 15 years the rate will increase to 40%. We have the opportunity to
develop these cars and all the critical technologies that will be included in
the accompanying mobility ecosystem. Thus, we will increase our export capacity
and employment volume of $32 billion in the automotive sector.”
- Turkey's Automobile Enterprise
Group Senior Manager Gürcan Karakaş
Turkey's
Automobile Enterprise Group (TOGG) Senior Manager (CEO) Gürcan Karakaş said, “I
would like to underline that the way we are going to innovate is also a path to
a higher league.”
Karakaş,
who said that it is a very opportune time to develop the car, said that the
rules of the game in the automotive field in the world are being rewritten.
Noting
that car users' expectations have changed, Karakaş said, “The car is becoming a
smart device. Transformed into a smart device, the car can be used as a living
space. It's an autonomous vehicle. In short, what happened to the mobile phone
will happen to the automotive sector.”
Karakaş
stated that they chose the right timing because of the transformation in the
automotive industry, said: “I want to talk briefly about automotive trends. In
automotive technologies, electric vehicles have become more long-range, more accessible
in terms of price appeal, and then there are cars connected to the Internet of
Things (IoT). We're talking about a world where the vehicle itself is on the
Internet,
So
as our cities get smarter, as our homes get smarter, as our factories become
smarter, our car becomes a living space. It's becoming an area where everything
is intertwined, everything is connected. That's why we're saying we set off at
the right time. Because as the rules of the game change, so do the rules for
success. Now, not the big ones as they used to be, but the agile, creative,
collaborative companies and organizations that put the user at the center of
their activities can be successful.”
Karakaş
said they aim to create a global brand with the most up-to-date state, whose intellectual
industrial property is 100% owned by Turkey.
Evaluating
the developments in the world of electric vehicles, Karakaş explained that they
want to develop a car electric from the ground up, “Not only in our country,
but all over the world want to carry our car to a competitive position. The
final part of our goal is, when we enter the market in the second half of 2022,
to be Europe's first non-global SUV manufacturer. Our second goal is to build
the core of Turkey's mobility ecosystem.”
Gürcan
Karakaş said, “When we say, ‘More than a car,’ of course we start with a car.
First to develop the concept, production, after-sales. But from the beginning,
we develop this car, for 2025 and after, with intelligent devices in mind. We
are already designing electrical and electronic architecture. Therefore, these
smart devices can create new solutions within smart cities, plus provide a
basis for mobility services, provide jobs in data-based services, and offer
more jobs with smart grid-charging opportunities. we're talking about the
system as a whole.
We
examined 18 companies before starting this project. Their good aspects and bad
aspects. Why they succeeded, why they failed. And in this context, we prepared
a comprehensive 15-year plan.”
Gürcan
Karakaş stated that they keep the customer, user and consumer the customer,
user and consumer in the forefront of what they do, “Our competitors are not
big organizations, but competitors at the start-up-entrepreneur level. That's
why we think we should have an agile organizational structure. Do we have the
luxury of working with the best in the world when we're doing all this and
talking about global competition? No. When we find the best of the world in
Turkey, we work together until. If that is not possible we work together and
transfer know-how to domestic actors. Since we know our target audience very
well, we have seen that the best of Turkey in research companies are the best
in Europe. That's how we started.”
Pointing
out that they have been working with sub-industrialists and suppliers in Turkey
for months, Karakaş said: “How is the charging infrastructure' we are working
together with our ministries. We believe that turkey's charging infrastructure
problem will be solved in 2022. As a collaboration in Informatics Valley, we
will establish and grow Turkey's mobility ecosystem with them because we have
the infrastructure you need as entrepreneurs. First of all, we have established
an ecosystem of partnership structure. We started from scratch for zero
emissions vehicles. It's a smart device. The Turkish mobility company is being
developed for the first time in Turkey.”
Karakaş,
emphasizing that there will be 5 models in 15 years in the product range, gave
the following information: “Starting with the SUV in the first 2 years and then
bringing our C segment sedan in 18-24 months. Since we will develop all of
these technically on the same platform, we think we will increase our
competitive power. Why did we choose an SUV? The first is the world's largest
segment. Turkey's largest segment that will grow in the next 5 years. It's a
segment that's 95% imported now. The type of vehicle most desired by users.
It's good for the family, too. It's spacious and comfortable. We also see it as
the most suitable segment for creating a brand.
We
investigated the brand process very quickly with customer, target audience and
professional approach and defined our brand essence. In doing so, we went down
to our client's subconscious and noted their expectations. Our customers expect
us to have an original, strong, confident, transforming, sincere and innovative
brand. We intend to complete the naming process of this brand by the middle of
next year. In doing so, we will progress through our target markets by
conducting our tests.”
Karakaş,
referring to the original design of Turkey's Automobile, “When we look at our
car from the outside, it is lean and prestigious, dynamic and sharp,
technological and innovative. When we enter, a design that contains elements
inspired by our culture have been created within the framework.”
Karakaşstated
that the product will have two alternatives of 200 horsepower and 400
horsepower, said, “We designed our vehicle as rear-wheel drive or dual engine
all-wheel drive. With our 200-horsepower vehicle in 7.6 seconds, with our
400-horsepower vehicle, we will officially glue the speed lovers between you to
the seat in 4.8 seconds. With a range of 500 kilometers and a fast charge, we
can charge for under 30 minutes. Intelligent connection and updating software over
the internet will be standard in our car. We're also starting with a technology
that's ready for autonomous driving level 3. One of the things we care about
most is driving safety. We are already preparing for technical specifications
that will occur in 2022. In doing so, we are moving forward to shorten the
product development process by considering all kinds of simulations and
predictions from the beginning.”
Pointing
to the prominent properties of Turkey's Automobile, Karakaş said, “We are
talking about the car with the longest axle distance in its segment. It will
have the widest internal volume and the highest performance. In total cost of
ownership, it will be the most suitable vehicle with the advantage of being an
electric vehicle. When we start mass production in 2022, our company will be
the car company with the highest paid equity capital.”
Karakaş,
drawing attention to technology focuses, said: “Our technology focus is on our
unique technology, for example, we develop the battery from scratch, we do not buy
it from anywhere, we do not license from anywhere. We have excellent engineers
in the defense industry in our country, we have carried over the modeling experience
of the helicopter, the aircraft, to our automobile. With the modeling of our
car, we can do a lot of simulations very quickly and efficiently. We're talking
about a technology that can be connected with the tools in your home, which you
see outside in the foyer to do more than the car by moving forward with
technology and thinking about the needs of the future consumer. We want to
differentiate with systems, such as holographic assistants, which will shake up
the navigation system and some information systems in transportation.”
“What
does ‘Turkey's Automobile’ mean?" Karakaş emphasized that he wants to
answer the question, “First of all, it is a global brand of Turkey. It is a
company that can make its decisions independently, we sit behind the wheel and
create its own ecosystem. By combining technology with other technologies of our
country, leadership brings the infrastructure and application areas that can
lead to the next level. Above all, 100% of intellectual industrial property
rights are owned by Turkey. When we look at our competencies and our market, it
is evident we set out at the right time and place. This path to innovation is
also one which will lead us into a higher league.”