Turkey's car production hits 10-year high

ANKARA

Turkey's auto production rose by 42 percent to over 400,000 vehicles in the first four months of 2017, compared with the same period last year, hitting a 10-year high, according to official data released Thursday.

A total of 402,094 cars were manufactured in January-April, marking the largest number of units produced in the country since 2007, according to a report by the Automotive Manufacturers' Association (OSD).

Automobile exports were also on the increase during the same period, going up by 57 percent to reach 337,000 units, the report said.

Overall production on the other hand -- including light commercial vehicles -- was up 22 percent year-on-year, standing at 573,239 units.

The OSD said auto sales were down nine percent to 237,717 units compared with the same period last year.

Thursday's report also revealed that overall exports were up 31 percent, reaching 473,000 units.

*Reporting by Murat Birinci; Writing by Tuba Sahin