Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

Karakaş, who came to TOBB ETU with M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of TOBB ETU, as well as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of TOGG, gave a presentation on 'Journey to Innovation' to the faculty members.

Speaking at the beginning of the presentation, TOGG Chairman Hisarcıklıoğlu, reporting that they are working to start 'Turkey's Automobile' mass production in 2022 and want to exchange ideas and discuss what can be done with TOBB ETU faculty members.

Togg CEO Karakas stated in his presentation that Turkey is not too late and has the opportunity to build an electric car, adding that the window of opportunity for mass production in 2022 will still be open to become an important market player. Pointing out that TOGG will be a company that produces electric cars from the start, Karakaş said:

“All industrial property rights and legal rights of this car will be entirely owned by Turkey, which will give us great flexibility. In addition, our project will allow us to create more than just a car, it will be a mobility eco-system. Thanks to this mobility eco-system, our car will be able to use any intelligent system and connect with intelligent objects other than itself.”

Karakaş stated that they are open to partnerships in the production process of the car and that the production of electric cars already requires such partnerships, and that cooperation can be made with TOBB ETU at this stage. Karakaş, who explained that they want to work with start-up companies especially in the field of innovative systems, said it was no coincidence that they were in the Informatics Valley in Gebze. Karakaş emphasized that they expect Turkey to make a significant contribution to the Turkish brand in terms of the inclusiveness of the car, and therefore said that the process they are in should serve to create a unique, strong and sincere brand.

Stating that they project the employment of 20,000 people, the current account deficit of $7.5 billion improvement contribution, the national income increase of $50 billion at the end of TOGG's 15-year work, Karakaş said:

“Our partners do not expect us to transfer revenue to them for 15 years. The company will invest the money it earns in new technologies. We'll reach the consumer with 5 models. In 2022, we will enter the market by producing an SUV model and 18 months later our sedan model will be on the market. Other models will also be available on the market. Our ultimate goal is to produce 175,000 units annually. All of these cars can be produced on the same platform, which will give us significant possibility and power. We'll start with 51% locality, but we plan to increase it to 68% in 2025. Here we expect contributions from our universities, TOBB ETU. After all, i.e. this car and the mobility eco-system we will build will bring us into the world innovation league, the champions league, and make us an important player.”

Later, the faculty members and graduate and doctoral students who attended the meeting told Hisarcıklıoğlu and Karakaş what contributions they could make to turkey's automobile production, design and innovation processes. R&D cooperation opportunities were also discussed during the process of developing the next generations of Turkey's Car. At the end of the meeting, Hisarcıklıoğlu and Karakaş took commemorative photos with faculty members, graduate and doctoral students.