Turkey’s TOGG to be Europe's first electric SUV

23 December 2021 18:27 (UTC+04:00)

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By Vugar Khalilov

Turkey’s domestic electric car - TOGG will be Europe’s first electric SUV following the mass production in the last quarter of 2022, Yeni Shafak has reported.

Turkey’s Automobile Enterprise Group (TOGG) aims to present five different models to consumers by 2030. Electric, connected and the new generation TOGG will be produced in a factory built on 1.2 million square meters in Gemlik, Turkey.

On the other hand, according to a statement from the Industry and Technology Ministry, Turkey has taken an important step in the field of battery production, which is the most critical part of electric cars.

It was added that the Siro company, in cooperation with TOGG and Chinese energy giant Farasis, is building a battery cell and module generation facility in Gemlik. The $2.9 billion (30bn TL) worth project with the 15-gigawatt-hour battery cell and 19.8-gigawatt-hour battery module capacities will contribute to the technological transformation of Turkey's electric vehicles and mobility ecosystem.

Following the Gemlik factory, Siro plans to produce energy storage solutions that will be developed for automotive and non-automotive applications.

As a producer of TOGG's battery modules and packages, Siro aims to reduce energy dependence and accelerate the development of a clean and efficient power system in Turkey.

The company plans to employ some 2,200 people, including 400 qualified personnel with the framework of the project.

Earlier, on its official Twitter account, TOGG reported that the SIRO Silk Road Clean Energy Solutions Company will contribute to the technological transformation of the mobility ecosystem in Turkey.

"We have achieved another strategic development that will contribute to the technological transformation of the mobility ecosystem in our country and we have established SIRO Silk Road Clean Energy Solutions Industry and Trade Inc," the report added.

Under the agreement signed between TOGG and U.S-based Farasis in 2020, Siro and Farasis will collaborate on the production of vehicle batteries.

Turkey's Automobile Joint Venture Group Inc. (TOGG) is an automotive company founded as a joint venture in 2018. Anadolu Group, BMC Turkey, Kok Group, Turkcell, and Zorlu Holding are major stakeholders under the umbrella institution TOBB. In the joint venture, TOBB has a 5-percent share and other companies own 19-percent shares for each.