Togg aims for serial production by 2022

The Turkish electric car manufacturer Togg has specified the date for the start of series production of the country’s first electric car. The first model is an SUV with a range of up to 500 kilometres and will go into series production in the fourth quarter of 2022.

Company CEO Gürcan Karakas spoke to journalists in the Turkish city of Gebze about the company’s plans, as reported by the German publication Automobilwoche. According to the report, the vehicle will be available in two design variants – one for “western” and one for “more oriental tastes”. It will initially be sold exclusively in Turkey. Sales in Germany and Europe are not planned until one and a half years after the market launch. In August last year, it was still said that sales in Germany would start parallel to the planned market launch in Turkey.

“We designed the car as a smart device from the outset and are bringing it to the internet,” Karakas said. More than half of the technologies are being developed with local partners, he added. German companies are also involved. By the end of the year, Togg is expected to employ more than 800 people. A sales concept is currently being worked out.

Meanwhile, a plant with a capacity of 175,000 vehicles per year is being built in Gemlik, Turkey. Five models are to be realised on the electric platform by the end of the decade. The SUV will be followed by a sedan and an estate car, and later by a larger SUV and a van. The Togg headquarters is also to move to the port city near Bursa at a later date.

Togg wants to have the cells for the electric vehicle supplied by the Chinese company Farasis Energy from the planned factory in Bitterfeld (Saxony-Anhalt). According to Karakas, the foundation of a joint venture is about to be finalised. Recently, doubts arose about the Chinese timetable for the factory. According to media reports, the operation in Germany could possibly be delayed until 2024 – like Farasis customer Daimler, Togg is to be supplied with cells from the Chinese Farasis plants until then.

However, Farasis is not only a cell supplier to Togg, but also a partner for the assembly of the batteries. Farasis is currently building a battery assembly plant in Bursa, near the Togg factory. Production is to start analogue to Togg’s, with a capacity of 16 GWh, electrive has learned from the Chinese company. In the future, the plant will not only supply the Turkish electric car manufacturer, but also other customers.

According to the information from Automobilwoche, the construction of a charging network in Turkey is also planned. In the coming years, a total of 4000 charging stations including fast chargers are to be built.

The project for Turkey’s first electric car was significantly promoted by President Erdoğan. According to Karakas, a total of three billion euros is available for the project. Among others, the mobile phone specialist Turkcell, the conglomerate Anadolu Group and the commercial vehicle manufacturer BMC are involved in the project.

automobilwoche.de (in German)