October 13, 2015•Update: October 15, 2015
ANKARA
Science, Industry and Technology Minister Fikri Isik announced on Tuesday that three prototypes of the first Turkish-made car have been developed, and are now in the testing stage.
In an exclusive interview with the Anadolu Agency Editors' Desk, Isik said that each of the three car prototypes will be tested with different engine types including electrical, gasoline and extended range electric vehicle engines.
“Currently we have produced three prototypes and the 4th prototype, which is nearly ready, will be produced as a crossover platform,” Isik said.
“One of them is gasoline-powered, one of them is fully electric powered and one is an extended range electric car which uses a small fossil-fuel powered generator to charge the batteries for long-distance driving.”
As electric engine cars are a relatively new technology, Isik said that in this area Turkish industry could compete with other nations and car manufacturers on an equal footing.
“This technology is now easily accessible to everyone in the world. In the future, it will depend on R&D and innovation for development,” Isik said.
“We aim to produce 30-40 vehicles to test in all weather conditions, and then to start production in Turkey by the end of 2019,” Isik said.
