Hyundai Motor Türkiye to produce EVs at its İzmit plant
ISTANBUL
South Korean carmaker Hyundai is preparing to produce electric vehicles at its plant in the northwestern district of İzmit.
The company, which currently manufactures i10, i20, and Bayon models at the İzmit factory, will commence the production of an electric vehicle starting from the second half of 2026.
This EV model, details of which have not yet been officially announced, will replace the A-segment i10 model, according to daily Hürriyet.
Hyundai will gradually phase out the production of the i10 model, which has reached an annual production of 80,000 units in İzmit. The new model could be a B-segment SUV, Hürriyet said.
With this investment, Hyundai Motor Türkiye will become the second company to produce next-generation battery electric vehicles in Türkiye after Togg.
Renault started producing electric Fluence in Bursa in 2010, but this move was short-lived due to low demand, insufficient technology and infrastructure issues.
The capacity of the İzmit factory has reached 245,000 units and more than 200,000 units of production are exported to Europe, said Murat Berkel, general manager of Hyundai Türkiye Motor.
President of Hyundai Motor Türkiye, Sangsu Kim, stated that their discussions with the relevant ministries regarding the production of electric vehicles are ongoing.
There will not be battery production in Türkiye for now and they will be in talks with local suppliers, Berkel said.
Hyundai Motor Company entered Türkiye in 1990 in partnership with Kibar Holding. Hyundai Motor later purchased 97 percent of the shares and changed the name of the company from Hyundai Assan to Hyundai Motor Türkiye.
Following Hyundai's decision to produce electric cars, three more new and fully electric cars will be manufactured in Türkiye within two years.
The production of Togg's sedan model T10F will begin this year. Then, in 2026, South Korean Hyundai's electric vehicle will follow. At the beginning of 2027, Chinese BYD's electric car will hit the roads.
