March record in automotive sales

Automotive sales across Turkey increased by 5.7 percent in March compared to the same period in 2023, reaching 109 thousand 828 units.

According to the March data from the Automotive Distributors and Mobility Association (ODMD), 109 thousand 828 cars and light commercial vehicles were sold across the country last month.

While car sales increased by 9.9 percent last month compared to the same period in 2023, reaching 87 thousand 71 units, the light commercial vehicle market declined by 7.9 percent to 22 thousand 757 units. The car and light commercial vehicle market showed an increase of 50.9 percent compared to the 10-year average for March.

25.2 PERCENT INCREASE IN THE FIRST QUARTER

The total car and light commercial vehicle market increased by 25.2 percent year-on-year in the January-March period, reaching 295 thousand 519 units.

In the first quarter, car sales increased by 33.05 percent to 233 thousand 389 units, while the light commercial vehicle market rose by 2.6 percent to 62 thousand 130 units.

When examined by segment in the first 3 months of the year, 88.6 percent of the market consisted of vehicles in the A, B, and C segments, which have lower tax rates. C-segment cars accounted for 57.3 percent with 133 thousand 712 units, while B-segment cars accounted for 30.8 percent with 71 thousand 917 units.

SUV CARS WERE THE MOST PREFERRED

When evaluated by body type, the most preferred body type was SUV cars with a 51.7 percent share and 120 thousand 699 units. They were followed by sedans with a 28.5 percent share and 66 thousand 451 units, and hatchback (H/B) cars with an 18.1 percent share and 42 thousand 145 units sold.

In the January-March period, 67 percent of the cars sold were gasoline, 14.2 percent were hybrid, 10.8 percent were diesel, 7.1 percent were electric, and 0.9 percent were autogas vehicles.

It was observed that 78 percent of car sales consisted of vehicles under 1600cc. Cars with automatic transmissions accounted for 89.3 percent of sales, while those with manual transmissions accounted for 10.7 percent.

When the light commercial vehicle market is evaluated by body type in the January-March period, van body type vehicles ranked first with a 71.9 percent share, while pickup truck body types ranked second with a 13.8 percent share.

News Source: AA