Türkiye's first domestically made car made its way into the fleets of the Turkish ministries on Monday, pitching itself as a candidate to soon replace public inventories consisting primarily of traditional Western brands.
The deliveries come just days after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev became the first owners of the indigenous electric vehicle (EV) Togg.
Erdoğan accepted his Togg T10X model in Ankara, while Aliyev had his vehicle shipped to Baku. The leaders' fully electric C-segment SUVs both feature the "Anadolu" color, inspired by red, reflecting Anatolian lands' sincerity and passion.
Almost all of Türkiye's ministers Monday announced they had accepted the deliveries before briefly touring around with the cars that will now serve as public cars at their institutions.
Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ, Family and Social Services Minister Derya Yanık, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Youth and Sports Minister Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu, National Education Minister Mahmut Özer and Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu all got behind the wheel.
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank also accepted the deliveries of their cars.
"Riding Türkiye's first domestic and national car is a great honor and excitement for us," Bozdağ said, expressing his pride with the fact that the car is domestic, electric, environmentally friendly and equipped with the latest technology.
In a statement, Bozdağ emphasized not everyone gets the chance to dream, design and eventually implement a project, highlighting Erdoğan's role in envisioning and supporting the indigenous car project and bringing the vehicle onto the roads.
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 deliveries come after buyers of the first batch of T10Xs were selected through a digital draw late last month. 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.
"We have started using Türkiye's car as our official vehicle. We are on the roads with our domestic and national T10X smart device Togg," said Minister Ersoy, sharing footage of his ride on Twitter.
"We thank everyone who contributed to realizing our 60-year-old dream, especially our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan."
Minister Yanık also took Togg for a spin for the first time in traffic as her official vehicle, touring around the vicinity of the ministry building.
She emphasized that Togg is a product of Türkiye's ambition and desire to have a domestic and national car. "It has become a source of pride for all of us as a national value, truly lifting our spirits," she said.
Minister Soylu said Togg "fits our ministry very well in the Century of Türkiye," also hinting at the fact that 2023 coincides with the 100th anniversary of the republic.
"Our country's revolution, our domestic and national car Togg, is now in our ministry's inventory. Thanks to our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has turned another dream into reality, and to everyone who contributed," Soylu noted.
"We will continue to work toward bringing many more grand projects like Togg to our country under the leadership of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, for the sake of our children and the future of our country," said Minister Özer.
For his part, Kasapoğlu shared a video of him touring around the capital Ankara and chatting with excited citizens who sought to examine Togg.
Having had its mass production launched in late October, Togg said 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 first version of the T10X can accelerate from zero to 100 kph (62.14 mph) in 7.6 seconds; while the second, for which delivery will start on Oct. 29, can accomplish zero-100 kph in 4.8 seconds.
Togg's first model will have a price ranging from TL 953,000 ($49,500) to around TL 1.22 million.
The Automobile Initiative Group of Türkiye, or Togg, a consortium of five Turkish companies, manufactures the vehicle in cooperation with the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB).
The batteries of the Togg T10X can be recharged to up to 80% from 20% in less than 28 minutes at fast-charging stations.
Besides the SUV, Togg will manufacture another four 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 in Gemlik district, in the northwestern province of Bursa, reaches total capacity.
The brand aims to produce 1 million vehicles across the five segments by 2030.
