Turkey's Economy
Turkey's Factories: Cars, Textiles and Drones
How Turkey built strong manufacturing in cars, appliances, textiles and defence, including its globally sold Bayraktar drones.
Turkey has a strong manufacturing base.
Cars
- Turkey produces over a million vehicles a year, many exported to Europe.
- Plants run by Ford Otosan, Toyota, Renault and Hyundai.
- Togg, a domestic electric car brand, launched in 2022-23.
Appliances
Arçelik (owner of Beko) is one of Europe’s largest appliance makers.
Textiles and clothing
Turkey is a major clothing supplier to Europe, benefiting from proximity for fast fashion.
Defence
- Baykar’s Bayraktar TB2 drones became famous in conflicts including in Ukraine and gained buyers in dozens of countries.
- Defence exports grew strongly.
Advantages
- Proximity to Europe for quick delivery.
- Customs union with the EU.
- Skilled workers.
Nearshoring
After the pandemic, European firms sought suppliers closer to home, boosting Turkish manufacturers.
The fast fashion order
A European clothing brand orders a new style from a Turkish factory and receives it within two weeks by truck, faster than shipping from Asia.
Thinking Turkey mainly exports raw materials
It exports cars, appliances, clothing and drones.
Key takeaways
- Turkey produces over a million vehicles a year.
- Arçelik is a major European appliance maker.
- Proximity makes Turkey a fast-fashion supplier.
- Bayraktar drones made Turkey a notable defence exporter.
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