Speaking at the opening ceremony of Bursa Uludağ University 2021-2022 Academic Year, Turkey's Automobile Enterprise Group (TOGG) CEO Mehmet Gürcan Karakaş said, “After the equipment is completed, it remains to prepare our vehicle for production on a station, band basis, until the middle of next year. We will start mass production at the end of next year.”
Bursa Uludag University 2021-2022 Academic Year opening ceremony Prof. Dr. It was held at the Mete Cengiz Cultural Center. Bursa Governor Yakup Canbolat, Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Alinur Aktaş, Bursa deputies, mayors, TOGG CEO Mehmet Gürcan Karakaş and academics attended the ceremony.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, where students also showed great interest, Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmet Saim Guide said, “We are aiming for a university that does not turn its back on the society and approaches the society with an imperious attitude, but is a member of the society and fulfills the task of the collective wisdom of the society. For this, we do not say no to the demands of municipalities, central administrations, NGOs, and anyone who receives them.”
“WE WILL START MASS PRODUCTION AT THE END OF NEXT YEAR”
Explaining the works at TOGG facilities, Karakaş stated:
There is not only production in our facility. I want to underline this. We said that the automobile requires more than the factory. That's why we think that there is a design center in this facility, a center where our prototypes are tested. The area where we gather all the competencies under one roof is planned. As seen in the photo we took with the drone here, you can see that the roof and side pallets of the paint shop are starting to close.
In the coming days, equipment will begin to settle inside the facility. Our plan here is as follows, by the end of the year, most of the manufacturing part will be finished. Until the middle of next year, after the equipment is completed, it remains to prepare our vehicle for production on the basis of the station and the band. We start mass production at the end of next year.
“WE WILL PRIORITY TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN OUR OWN COUNTRY”
Emphasizing that they are planning about 15 years step by step, TOGG CEO M. Gürcan Karakaş continued his speech as follows; “The most important for us; to start exporting to ensure sustainability. It is not only necessary to enter the market with the C segment, but also to offer 4 more models. We develop all our positions accordingly. We are considering exporting in our country, approximately 18 months after the launch. Because no brand that is not successful in its own country can be successful abroad. There is no example of this. That's why we focused primarily on production in our own country and sales to the domestic market.”
NATIONALITY RATE INITIALLY 51 PERCENT
Stating that they attach great importance to the issue of locality, CEO M. Gürcan Karakaş underlined that all intellectual and industrial property rights of TOGG belong to Turkey. M. Gürcan Karakaş pointed out that the rate of locality was 51 percent at the beginning of production; “Is that a good number? It's a good number for a start. We made a promise to both our shareholders and our nation. Passenger cars have been produced in our country for 60 years. When you enter the website of the Ministry of Industry, the local rate varies between 19 percent and 68 percent. As of the middle of last year, we have completed the selection of our suppliers. 75% of them are from our country. We have a roadmap for technologies that are not currently available in Turkey," he said. Explaining that they continue to work with the aim of becoming a global company, Karakaş said that Europe is the biggest market for them.
NEW GRADUATE AND INTERNSHIP PURCHASES WILL BEGIN WITH PRODUCTION
In the last part of his speech, TOGG CEO M. Gürcan Karakaş gave advice to the students; “One of the questions frequently asked by our young people is whether we have new graduates or not. We have not received any new graduates so far. The reason for this was that we were in a race with an experienced team before the window of opportunity closed very quickly. In the coming period, we will expand our staff and start to recruit new graduates. We are also asked if we have received an intern. We'll have to wait until production. Our facilities will become active in the middle of next year. Towards the end of the year, we start mass production. We will have these opportunities with mass production. Engineering and business areas are important to us. We are now in Gemlik. Our goal is; to increase the number of graduates of Bursa Uludağ University among us”.
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