Ford focused on Turkey

DETROIT

By Michael Hernandez

As Europe’s auto market continues to wrangle with the fallout from 2007’s economic downturn, Ford Motor Company is keen to keep its lead in the Turkish market.

“For us, Europe doesn’t just end at the borders of Western Europe,” said John Gardiner, Director of News Operations at Ford of Europe while speaking exclusively to AA at the North American International Auto Show.

Gardiner explained that Turkey is the third largest market in Europe and a critical one for Ford “I’m not sure many people realize that, but after the UK and Germany, Turkey is number three. We’re also market leader in Turkey as well.." he said. 

He added,” We have two very important joint ventures, one in Russia with a company called Sollers.., and in terms of Turkey we have Ford Otosan, which is a joint venture between Ford Auto Company and Koc group. That’s actually one of the most successful joint ventures in the automotive industry globally.”

Ford Otosan has manufactured vehicles in Turkey for over fifty years, and has three factories in Turkey in Kocaeli, Inonu and Yenikoy.

Gardiner elaborated on Ford Otosan’s manufacturing facilities in Kocaeli, noting that the plant there is the leading producer of the Ford Transit. He added that production will be expanded this year to include a larger two-ton model of the Transit, as well as the Transit Courier, which is the smallest commercial vehicle offered by Ford. The Transit Courier will be produced at a nearby facility.

Beyond production, Turkey continues to be an incredibly hot market for Ford products and according to Gardiner is a salient point for Ford Motors as Europe's auto market hit a dramatic decline following 2007's recession, though some analysts have predicted that it might begin to rebound this year. 

Still, Turkey has shown great demand for the Ford Focus and Transit, according to Gardiner. Ford offers a wide array of models in Turkey including the Fiesta, B-Max, Yeni Kuga, Yeni C-Max and Galaxy.

englishnews@aa.com.tr