Tesla Officially Enters Turkish Market To Expand Its European Footprint

Tesla delivered a record 936,175 in 2021 and is eager to hit the one-million mark this year by boosting production. Series production at the new Gigafactory Texas and Berlin will start in the coming months to meet the demand for the Model Y electric crossover. At the same time, the company is interested in growing its presence across the world, with Turkey now being among the countries where Tesla is active.

Responsible for Tesla Turkey’s operations will be Emir Tunçyürek, and while sales targets have yet to be announced, demand will be encouraged by developing a local Supercharger network. More and more fast-charging stations are being added in nearby countries, including Romania, Serbia, and Bulgaria. Sales of EVs almost hit 4,000 units in 2021, but that number should significantly increase in 2022 now that Tesla has landed in Turkey.

The automaker has been gradually expanding its European footprint in recent years by selling cars in Slovenia, Hungary, Romania, and Poland. Turkey now joins them to cement Tesla’s coverage on the Old Continent where legacy automakers are dominating the EV segment. It should be mentioned the local government increased the special consumption tax on electric vehicles from the previous 3-15% to 10-60%.

For an electric car with up to 85 kilowatts of power, the tax has increased from 3% to 10% while for those with anywhere between 85 to 120 kilowatts has jumped to 25% from just 7%. In the case of more potent EVs exceeding 120 kW, Turkish authorities have bumped the tax from 15% to a whopping 60%. The changes made about a year ago will certainly hurt Tesla’s sales, but we’re fairly certain its newest entry will turn out to be a profitable decision in the end.

As a final note, it’s estimated there are up to 8,000 EVs on the roads of Turkey where cars powered by internal combustion engines still reign supreme for the time being since they’re much cheaper.

Source: Tesla