Türkiye's auto market showed signs of recovery last month after sales plunged earlier in July, industry data showed on Tuesday as combined sales of cars and light commercial vehicles grew slightly.

A total of 90,134 passenger cars and light commercial vehicles were sold nationwide in August, up 0.8% annually, the Automotive Distributors’ and Mobility Association (ODMD) said in a statement.

Passenger car sales alone rose slightly by 0.23% year-over-year to 69,288 units in August, according to ODMD.

The number of light commercial vehicles sold reached 20,846, marking a 2.6% increase in August.

Although modest, the latest increase in sales came after a contraction of 17.5% in July.

The association noted that Türkiye’s automotive market grew 48.9% last month compared to the 10-year average for August sales.

In the first eight months of the year, around 761,152 units of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles were sold, registering a 0.2% increase compared to last year.

In the same period, car sales ticked up 3% yearly to 605,639 units, while sales in light commercial vehicles were down 9.5% year-over-year to 156,513.

According to the data, SUV models remained the most preferred vehicle type in the country, accounting for 55.5% of the total market.