Turkey Expects to Fully Recover from the Crisis in 2011

2010 was a year of recovery for most carmakers but even so, producers from around the world are still struggling to reach pre-crisis levels. That's the case of Turkey, the country that tried to support the local industry recover after the dramatic drop the whole industry dealt with in 2009, but better times are expected this year. A report issued by Business Monitor International suggests that Turkey could post a complete recovery in 2011, with production estimates to go just under 1.1 million units.

In the first 10 months of 2010, Turkey rolled out a total of 893,119 vehicles, 27.7 percent more than in the same period of the previous year. Things were pretty much the same in October when the vehicle output experienced a 30.9 percent rise to 108,624 units, while November brought an 165 percent increase.

Turkey is fully backing the local auto industry and expects 2011 production figures to exceed those posted last year. The country has received several major investments in the last years, especially from Chinese carmakers that are looking into ways to expand their operations in Europe and intend to use Turkey as an export hub.

For instance, the Chinese Chery revealed in October 2009 that it wants to use Turkey as the entrance to the European market, so the company sketched plans for a factory that would roll out models addressed to both the local and surrounding markets. Chery even granted a $500 million investment for the facility that was supposed to produce 100,000 vehicles per year.