The manufacturer of Türkiye’s first domestically developed automobile has officially kickstarted highly anticipated deliveries, as it shipped the first batch of cars to their owners across the country.
Togg launched mass production of its T10X, a C-segment SUV, last October, with the first automobiles making their way into the fleets of the Turkish ministries earlier in April, slowly replacing public inventories consisting primarily of traditional Western brands.
Over the weekend, Togg launched deliveries of the first batch of T10Xs to the buyers selected through a digital draw in late March. Nearly 180,000 people submitted preorders for the car in just 21 days. The demand prompted the carmaker to raise the number of units and now plans to deliver 20,000 vehicles, up from the initially planned 12,000, this year.
Videos on social media showed cars being transported from Togg’s factory in Gemlik town in the northwestern province of Bursa on Sunday before being delivered to the addresses of the first owners in cities across Türkiye.
Mathematics teacher Turgay Akgün and his wife Ayça from the eastern province of Elazığ were among the first to get their T10X, featuring gray color inspired by the Kula's grey splendor, which carries the earth's millions of years of history to the present day with natural features, rocks and valleys.
"Togg is much more than a car. Our people, our engineers, did this. We congratulate all Togg employees who work day and night from the bottom of our hearts and thank them," Akgün said.
"It is a product that completely reflects our culture and values. It has great handling and comfort," he added.
Togg CEO Gürcan Karakaş said last week the carmaker looks to deliver approximately 1,000 vehicles in May.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has long sought to fulfill a long-held dream of building Türkiye's first national automobile, part of his vision of turning Türkiye into an economic powerhouse.
The T10X will be initially sold with one engine type and two battery options. The model will feature battery packs with capacities of 52.4 and 88.5 kilowatt-hours, boasting ranges of 314 and 523 kilometers (195 and 325 miles), respectively.
The batteries of the Togg T10X can be recharged to up to 80% from 20% in less than 28 minutes at fast-charging stations.
The vehicle is being manufactured by a consortium of five Turkish companies called the Automobile Initiative Group of Türkiye, or Togg, in cooperation with the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB).
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.
Erdoğan said last week some 28,000 units would be produced this year, adding that the brand aims to produce 1 million vehicles across the five segments by 2030.
The president said Togg would begin to be exported as of 2025, while the initial production will be tailored for the domestic market.