Vehicle sales in Türkiye rose nearly 63% year-over-year and marked the highest April figure ever, industry data showed Wednesday, maintaining a strong trend also backed by booming electric car sales.

Some 97,679 units of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles exchanged hands last month, the Automotive Distributors Association (ODD) said in a statement, marking the highest level since at least 2012.

It compared to 60,035 units sold in the same month a year ago. Sales stood at 61,488 units in April 2021, 26,457 in 2020, 30,971 in 2019 and 71,126 in 2018.

Consumers have been opting for cars they see as an investment tool to shield themselves from high inflation, keeping demand for vehicles high. Among others, easing supply chain-related availability problems has also led to increased sales since the beginning of the year.

Meanwhile, annual consumer price inflation in Türkiye slowed to 43.68% in April, official data showed on Wednesday, easing ahead of key presidential and parliamentary elections slated for May 14.

The inflation registered a notable decrease from 85.51% in October last year – a 24-year peak. The government says the downward trend will continue in the coming months.

Vehicle sales in the January-April period rose 57.3% year-over-year to 333,650 units, the ODD said.

In April, the passenger car market jumped 69.9% on an annual basis to 77,398 units, and the light commercial vehicle sales rose by 40.1% to 20,281, the data showed.

In January-April, passenger car sales increased by 55.7% to 252,819 units. The light commercial vehicle market rose 62.7% to 80,831 units.

Electric vehicle (EV) sales climbed to their highest monthly level to date, reaching 2,857 units in April, as more and more brands bring their battery-powered models to the market.

Electric vehicles accounted for 3.7% of total car sales, the data showed.

The trend is expected to gain a fresh impetus as the manufacturer of Türkiye’s first domestically developed electric vehicle has started deliveries over the recent days.

Togg launched mass production of its T10X, a C-segment SUV, last October, and looks to deliver approximately 1,000 vehicles in May, its CEO Gürcan Karakaş said last week.

Besides the SUV, Togg will manufacture four other models – a sedan, C-hatchback, B-SUV and B-MPV – by 2030. The sedan will follow the mass production of the SUV.

The current production capacity stands at around 100,000 vehicles per year, which is expected to reach 175,000 once Togg's factory reaches full capacity.

Some 28,000 units will be produced this year. The brand aims to produce 1 million vehicles across the five segments by 2030.

Togg plans to begin exports as of 2025, as the initial production will be tailored for the domestic market.