The Automotive Distributors Association (ODD) disclosed that sales of cars and light commercial vehicles in Turkey were 32,235 units in May 2020, a fall of 2.4% on the figure for the same month of the previous year. Sales of cars fell 7.6% to 25,073 units, whereas sales of light commercial vehicles increased 21.6% to 7,162 units in May 2020 compared with the same month of the previous year. The introduction of cheaper automotive loan packages as of October 1st, 2019 from Turkish state banks Ziraat Bank, Halkbank and Vakıfbank, and similar packages offered since by Turkish private banks had helped boost automotive sales over the last seven months. However, the coronavirus pandemic, which started to make itself felt in Turkey in March, has continued to have an adverse affect on automotive sales in May 2020. With much of the working population being sent home to isolate, many potential car buyers will be delaying their purchases, and depleted income will also have a negative impact. Most automotive manufacturing companies will have restarted production as from mid-May and shortfalls in supplies will gradually be corrected. The fall of 2.4% in sales of cars and light commercial vehicles in May 2020 is an improvement on the 14.6% fall in the previous month of April. However, the results for May are still insignificant in comparison to the close to 90% increase in sales recorded in January and February 2020.
In the first five months of 2020, sales of cars and light commercial vehicles in Turkey were 183,095 units, 20.1% higher than the figure for the same period of the previous year. Sales of cars increased 21.7% to 146,528 units, and sales of light commercial vehicles increased 13.9% to 36,567 units.
In the first five months of 2020, sales of diesel automobiles were 43.6% and sales of automatic gearbox automobiles were 70%. Of commercial vehicle sales, 27,060 (74%) vans, 4,574 (12.5%) light trucks, 2,275 (6.2%) minibuses, and 2,658 (7.3%) pick-up trucks were sold.
In the year 2019, sales of cars and light commercial vehicles in Turkey were 479,060 units, 22.9% lower than the figure for the previous year. Sales of cars decreased 20.4% to 387,256 units, and sales of light commercial vehicles decreased 31.8% to 91,804 units. Sales in 2019 of diesel automobiles were 52% and sales of automatic gearbox automobiles were 66.5%. Of commercial vehicle sales, 66,704 (72.7%) vans, 10,838 (11.8%) light trucks, 7,203 (7.8%) minibuses, and 7,059 (7.7%) pick-up trucks were sold.
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