Istanbul: Trkiye’s passenger car sales dropped 4.1% year-on-year with 223,793 units sold in the first quarter of 2024, according to industry data released on Thursday.
According to Anadolu Agency, the overall auto market in the country, which includes both passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, experienced a 6.5% decline, totaling 276,284 units during the January-March period. Data from the Automotive Distributors’ and Mobility Association (ODMD) highlighted that light commercial vehicle sales faced a sharper drop, plummeting 15.5% to 52,491 units over the first three months.
Despite the overall downturn, electric and hybrid cars showed significant growth, defying the negative trend. Hybrid vehicles accounted for 28.5% of total car sales, almost doubling from the previous year to reach 63,884 units. Electric vehicle sales also increased substantially, soaring 78.8% at an annualized pace to 29,594 units, and now making up 13.2% of the total market.
Conversely, traditional internal combustion engine vehicles saw notable declines. Petrol car registrations fell by 29%, and diesel vehicle sales decreased by 26.8%.
In March, there was a slight year-on-year growth in the car market, with a 5.5% increase to 91,828 units, while light commercial vehicle sales rose by 10.2%, reaching 25,072 units.