Will TOGG EV Be Another Turkish Airlines, Turkish Cargo? A Ground-Based Flagship? Marketing Strategy- Embassies, Consulates, IST, And Presidential Complex In Ankara.
Turkish Airlines is an airborne embassy. Turkish Cargo is an airborne chamber of commerce. Will TOGG be Turkiye’s ground-based flagship?
The global marketing strategy for TOGG should include:
Display a TOGG in the center of the main terminal of Istanbul Airport (IST). [NOTE: There is now a vehicle on display at IST- See Image Below]
TOGG vehicles covered in the colors and logo of Turkish Airlines for use within the perimeter of IST.
A modified (armored) TOGG for use by President Erdogan within Turkiye and when traveling; and for use by visiting heads of state and heads of government.
Install TOGG charging stations at the Presidential Complex in Ankara.
Among first recipients of TOGG- each of the 124 Republic of Turkiye embassies and 165 Republic of Turkiye consulates.
On Saturday, 31 October 2022, in the Gemlik district of Bursa Province there was Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Turkiye, behind the steering wheel in the right seat driving the first TOGG electric vehicle off an assembly line. His wife, Emine Erdogan, beside him in the left front passenger seat.
In 2018, the resources of the government of the Republic of Turkiye and Turkiye-based companies Anadolu Group, BMC Turkey, Turkcell, Zorlu Holding, and TOBB, created Turkiye’s Automobile Joint Venture Group Inc. (Türkiye'nin Otomobili Girişim Grubu A.Ş.) with a goal to manufacture Turkiye’s first electric vehicle (EV) for both the domestic and international marketplace. The facility is 1.1 million square meters. The investment thus far exceeds US$1.2 billion.
The TOGG is neither 100% designed in Turkiye nor 100% part-sourced in Turkiye: Cambiano, Italy-based Pininfarina S.p.A., was retained for design and Ganzhou, People’s Republic of China-based Farasis Energy, was retained for lithium battery production. The goal is to steadily increase the percentage of Turkiye-based components in each vehicle.
Inflation is higher than anyone wants it to be. Food prices are higher than anyone wants them to be. Energy prices are higher than anyone wants them to be. Housing prices are higher than anyone wants them to be. The value of the Lira is lower than anyone wants it to be. Yes, a preponderance of less than beneficial statistics.
Yet, here is TOGG, Turkiye’s first electric vehicle, whose journey commenced prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in January 2020, continued through the commercial, economic, and political stresses resulting from the pandemic- which have yet to be conquered; and continued through the global impact from 24 February 2022, the date of the invasion and further invasion of Ukraine by the armed forces of the Russian Federation.
There is a substantial amount of Turkiye taxpayer funds supporting TOGG; that’s what governments do. There is a potential of more than 4,000 employment opportunities directly connected to the production of TOGG. That’s what the private sector should do. The TOGG is expensive and will remain so- most electric vehicles are. Eventually, prices will decline and electric vehicle charging infrastructure will expand. Last Saturday was a good day for the tulip. Hope to have a TOGG in my garage…
Electrive.com
Berlin, Germany
31 October 2022
The Turkish electric car manufacturer Togg has inaugurated its first production facility in Gemlik. The first model is scheduled to roll out in Turkey in March 2023. For the coming year, Togg plans to produce 17,000 to 18,000 electric cars. Within five years, the annual capacity is to grow to 175,000 vehicles.
With Togg, Turkey wants to build its own electric car brand. While the manufacturer’s vehicles will be designed and assembled locally, the main components such as batteries and motors will come from abroad. According to Deutsche Welle, initially, 51% of the materials used to build the vehicles will come from Turkey. In the next few years, this share is to be increased to 65 %.
Against this background, among other things, a battery factory is to be built on a plot of land adjacent to the vehicle plant. According to the Turkish government, the groundbreaking ceremony is imminent. “We have agreed with a leading company in the world to produce Togg’s lithium-ion batteries in our country. We will soon break ground for the battery factory, which will be built in the 609,000-square-meter plot right next to the Togg facility,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced.
As reported, the partner is Farasis Energy. Together, Togg and Farasis have already founded the battery joint venture Siro and started initial production tests in August. As was already known, this will initially only involve the assembly of supplied battery modules and packs, which will then be installed in the Togg vehicles in Gemlik. Only in a further step is cell production planned at Siro.
Erdogan himself gave the keynote speech at the factory inauguration: “When the Togg Gemlik Facility reaches its full capacity, 175,000 vehicles will be produced here annually. Around 4,300 people will be employed directly and 20,000 people indirectly. One million vehicles will be produced here until 2030, which will contribute over $50 billion to our national income and $7 billion to reducing our surplus deficit.”
While the president pointed out that Turkish citizens will be able to order the first Togg model towards the end of February and the price will be announced by then, Deutsche Welle reports that the Turks’ debut electric SUV will cost 900,000 Turkish liras (around 50,000 euros) and will be followed by a more affordable model in a year or two. In a picture published on Twitter, Togg announces a sedan and a coupé as further planned models.
According to earlier information, the electric SUV will be launched on the market in several variants. In terms of design, Togg distinguishes between a version for western and oriental tastes. In terms of technology, there will be battery options for 300 or 500 kilometres of range, and a 147 kW rear engine and a 294 kW all-wheel drive with two engines are also planned.
Independently of this, Togg also wants to get involved in infrastructure development. Under its own brand Trugo, 1,000 fast-charging stations are to be built in Turkey at a good 600 locations in all 81 provinces of the country. However, no timetable for the roll-out is mentioned.
Togg was founded in 2019 as a joint project of six large Turkish groups – with the aim of establishing its own Turkish carmaker. So far, Turkey has mainly produced vehicles and components for international brands.
