20.01.2020 Ankara
Gürcan Karakaş, CEO of Turkey's Automobile Enterprise Group (TOGG), met with Professor Güven Sak, Rector of TOBB ETU, faculty and students of the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture and Design.
Karakaş,
who came to TOBB ETU with M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, Chairman of the Board of
Trustees of TOBB ETU, as well as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of
TOGG, gave a presentation on 'Journey to Innovation' to the faculty members.
Speaking
at the beginning of the presentation, TOGG Chairman Hisarcıklıoğlu, reporting that
they are working to start 'Turkey's Automobile' mass production in 2022 and
want to exchange ideas and discuss what can be done with TOBB ETU faculty members.
Togg
CEO Karakas stated in his presentation that Turkey is not too late and has the
opportunity to build an electric car, adding that the window of opportunity for
mass production in 2022 will still be open to become an important market
player. Pointing out that TOGG will be a company that produces electric cars
from the start, Karakaş said:
“All
industrial property rights and legal rights of this car will be entirely owned
by Turkey, which will give us great flexibility. In addition, our project will allow
us to create more than just a car, it will be a mobility eco-system. Thanks to
this mobility eco-system, our car will be able to use any intelligent system
and connect with intelligent objects other than itself.”
Karakaş
stated that they are open to partnerships in the production process of the car
and that the production of electric cars already requires such partnerships,
and that cooperation can be made with TOBB ETU at this stage. Karakaş, who
explained that they want to work with start-up companies especially in the
field of innovative systems, said it was no coincidence that they were in the
Informatics Valley in Gebze. Karakaş emphasized that they expect Turkey to make
a significant contribution to the Turkish brand in terms of the inclusiveness
of the car, and therefore said that the process they are in should serve to
create a unique, strong and sincere brand.
Stating
that they project the employment of 20,000 people, the current account deficit
of $7.5 billion improvement contribution, the national income increase of $50
billion at the end of TOGG's 15-year work, Karakaş said:
“Our
partners do not expect us to transfer revenue to them for 15 years. The company
will invest the money it earns in new technologies. We'll reach the consumer
with 5 models. In 2022, we will enter the market by producing an SUV model and
18 months later our sedan model will be on the market. Other models will also
be available on the market. Our ultimate goal is to produce 175,000 units annually.
All of these cars can be produced on the same platform, which will give us
significant possibility and power. We'll start with 51% locality, but we plan
to increase it to 68% in 2025. Here we expect contributions from our
universities, TOBB ETU. After all, i.e. this car and the mobility eco-system we
will build will bring us into the world innovation league, the champions
league, and make us an important player.”
Later,
the faculty members and graduate and doctoral students who attended the meeting
told Hisarcıklıoğlu and Karakaş what contributions they could make to turkey's
automobile production, design and innovation processes. R&D cooperation
opportunities were also discussed during the process of developing the next
generations of Turkey's Car. At the end of the meeting, Hisarcıklıoğlu and Karakaş
took commemorative photos with faculty members, graduate and doctoral students.