President Erdoğan officially becomes first owner of Türkiye's Togg car

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on April 3 officially became the first owner of Türkiye’s indigenous electric vehicle (EV), as long-awaited shipments start.

Erdoğan, accompanied by first lady Emine Erdoğan, was delivered Togg’s EV model T10X in a ceremony at the Presidential Complex in the capital Ankara, Daily Sabah reports.

Their fully electric C-segment SUV features the “Anadolu” color, inspired by red, reflecting Anatolian lands’ sincerity and passion.

"Today, we are witnessing together the realization of the 60-year dream of our nation," Erdoğan said.

The second vehicle delivered on Monday will be used as an official car, Erdoğan said.

It features the Gemlik color, which has been named after the blue waters of the district that houses the Togg's campus, shaded by olive trees.

The delivery comes just days after buyers of the first batch of T10Xs were selected through a digital draw.

The demand had been so high that the carmaker had to raise the number of units. Eventually, it will start delivering 20,000, up from the initially planned 12,000 as of April.

Over 177,400 people submitted preorders for the vehicle in just 21 days. The deliveries are planned to start in the coming days.

"Togg was born as a symbol of the technological development, economic development and global reputation of our country," Erdoğan said Monday.

"Starting today, we will start seeing Togg on the roads."

The second delivery is set to be made to Erdoğan’s Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev.

Erdoğan had offered to put his name down on a possible list for advance orders back in December 2019, when he first unveiled Togg's prototypes.

The president has long sought to fulfill a long-held dream of building Türkiye’s first national automobile.

He has long pushed industrialists to build a domestic car as part of his vision for making Türkiye an economic powerhouse.

Having had its mass production launched in late October, Togg said T10X would be initially sold with one engine and two battery options.

The model will feature battery packs with capacities of 52.4 and 88.5 kilowatt-hours, boasting ranges of 314 and 523 kilometers, respectively.

The first version of the T10X can accelerate from zero to 100 kph (62.14 mph) in 7.6 seconds, while the second, for which delivery will start on Oct. 29, can do zero-100 kph in 4.8 seconds.

Togg’s first model will have a price ranging from TL 953,000 to around TL 1.22 million.

Called the Automobile Initiative Group of Türkiye, or Togg, a consortium of five Turkish companies, manufactures the vehicle in cooperation with the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB).

The batteries of the Togg T10X can be recharged to up to 80% from 20% in less than 28 minutes at fast-charging stations.

Calling itself a technology brand that blends digital and physical experiences, Togg has joined hands with multiple startups to create a new mobility ecosystem.

Besides the SUV, Togg will manufacture another four models – a sedan, C-hatchback, B-SUV, and B-MPV – by 2030. The sedan will follow the mass production of the SUV.

The current production capacity stands at around 100,000 vehicles per year, which is expected to reach 175,000 once Togg’s factory in the Gemlik district of the northwestern province of Bursa reaches total capacity.

The brand aims to produce 1 million vehicles across the five segments by 2030.