Tesla’s sales in Turkey hit a record high in August, making the company the second-best-selling automotive brand in the country — reports Reuters.
According to data from Turkey’s automotive distributors association, Tesla sold 8,730 Model Y units last month, an 86% increase over July. The American EV maker also sold seven times more electric vehicles than its closest rival, BYD, capturing 50% of the nation’s EV market.
The August tally put Tesla ahead of traditional auto giants, including Fiat, Volkswagen, Toyota, and Hyundai, trailing only Renault. Analysts pointed out that the jump partly reflects fluctuating allocations from Giga Berlin, Tesla’s German factory, which supplies all vehicles destined for the Turkish market. Production there has sometimes caused uneven deliveries in Turkey — with sales as low as 100 units earlier this year, before climbing past 4,000 in June and July.
Tesla’s base Model Y, the only version available in Turkey, also benefits from the country’s lowest tax bracket for passenger vehicles, adding to demand. That’s a stark contrast to conventional combustion engine cars, which can face combined special consumption and value-added taxes as high as 284%. For many buyers, Teslas — priced in euros — are also seen as a hedge against the Turkish lira, which has lost more than 80% of its value in recent years.
Tesla first launched the Model Y in Turkey in April 2023, with deliveries starting the following month. Since then, the brand has quickly grown to dominate the EV market, with roughly 26,000 units sold from January through August of this year — more than four times higher than the same period in 2024.
Meanwhile, Giga Berlin just kicked off production of the refreshed Model Y Performance, which launched in Europe last week.
