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Korean auto titan Hyundai is set to launch its first electric vehicle production in Türkiye by August 2026 at its manufacturing plant in Izmit, Kocaeli, aiming to become the first automaker to sell locally manufactured 100% electric cars in the country after Togg.
The production will take place at Hyundai’s existing plant in Izmit, which currently exports 85% of its output to Europe.
To accommodate the electric vehicle (EV) line, the facility will reduce its output from 245,000 units in 2024 to 190,000 units in 2025, making room for a new dedicated assembly line.
The announcement came from Hyundai Motor Türkiye General Manager Murat Berkel during Hyundai Türkiye's launch event for its new electric model, the Inster, held in Antalya, where company executives outlined their long-term electric mobility strategy in Türkiye, the Turkish news outlet haberturk.com reported.
Türkiye’s automotive market has seen record sales in recent years, and Hyundai expects this momentum to continue.
The company projects overall market sales to reach 1.15 million units by the end of 2025. Berkel noted that demand could rise even further if credit interest rates were lower.
Hyundai aims to sell 65,000 vehicles in Türkiye this year and expand to 90,000 annual sales by 2030. For electric vehicles, the company targets 8,000 unit sales by the end of 2025, with 1,500 expected to come from the Inster model.
Hyundai also plans to introduce the larger Ioniq 9 to the Turkish market later this year. According to Berkel, the total EV market in Türkiye could grow to 150,000 units by the same period.
Developed under Hyundai’s new design language, the Inster is based on the styling of the gasoline-powered Casper, previously sold only in South Korea.
The A-segment model features a highly customizable interior and exterior, with plans to introduce a range of accessories through dealerships.
The company’s Türkiye president, YongJin Alex Kim, emphasized the strategic role of the Izmit plant in supplying European markets, adding that “the quality of automotive production in Türkiye is very valuable for us.”
According to data from the Turkish Automotive Distributors’ and Mobility Association, electric vehicle sales reached 42,856 units during the January–April period, marking a surge of over 85.5% and capturing a 13.9% share of the market.
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