Automobile sales go down in first five months 2012

Automobile sales decline one-fifth in five months

The number of cars and light commercial vehicles sold in the first five months of the year was nearly 21 percent less that it was for the same period a year earlier, according to an Automotive Distributors Association (ODD) report.

The report, available on the organization’s website, shows that sales were 20.79 percent lower year-on-year in January-May, at 269,565 units. In the same five-month period of last year, automobile manufacturers were able to sell 340,299 cars and light commercial vehicles.

Automobile sales are the number one source of export revenue for Turkey. Last year, the country earned more than $20 billion in overseas sales. The industry is also a key area, offering employment to tens of thousands of people in Turkey, particularly in the province of Bursa, where the ODD is also based.

National export volume was nearly 20 percent higher at $134.6 billion in 2011 compared to a year earlier. In the past 12 months, the figure edged up to $140 billion, but the government aims to increase it to $150 billion by the end of this year.