Will Koç Holding shift its investments abroad? A statement from Ali Koç

Koç Holding Vice Chairman of the Board Ali Koç responded to rumors that the company would shift its investments abroad while in the city of Craiova, Romania. Speaking at Ford Otosan's production facility in Romania, Koç firmly rejected the claims that have recently been on the agenda.

"The heart and soul of our business and the majority of our investments are in Turkey," said Koç, drawing attention to investments made particularly in the automotive sector. Stating that they have invested 9.5 billion dollars in the automotive sector alone over the last 6 years, Koç underscored that 95 percent of this figure was realized in Turkey.

''EXPANSIONS ABROAD ARE GROWING TURKEY''

Responding to questions posed by Ekonomim columnist Vahap Munyar at the Ford Otosan facility in Craiova, Ali Koç stated that investments abroad are being misinterpreted. Expressing that the factory in Romania has become one of the most efficient facilities in Europe, Koç said:

"These steps should not be perceived as ‘Koç is leaving Turkey’ or ‘Ford is leaving Turkey.’ Every point where we expand abroad creates an opportunity to further grow our production in Turkey. We want to make the economic success we have achieved in Turkey sustainable abroad as well."

Ali Koç also shared concrete data regarding investments in Turkey. Announcing that 95 percent of the 2 billion Euro mega-investment made in Kocaeli has been completed, Koç noted the following:

"Our production capacity in Kocaeli has reached 612 thousand. Our exports, which were 6.2 billion dollars in 2021, rose to 9.4 billion dollars as of 2024. Furthermore, in 2022, we produced Turkey's first fully electric commercial vehicle. By expanding our Yeniköy factory fourfold, we have made it Ford's electric commercial vehicle base in Europe."

THE MESSAGE: ''THE CENTER OF OUR BUSINESS IS TURKEY''  

Emphasizing that their global expansions are directly linked to the Turkish economy, Ali Koç gave the following message:

"We use our investments abroad to strengthen our production and exports in Turkey. The center of our business is Turkey, and it will always remain Turkey."