Türkiye’s vehicle registrations drop 29.3% in February amid slumping auto sales
File photo shows vehicles crossing the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge in Istanbul, Türkiye, accessed on Mar. 18, 2025. (Adobe Stock Photo)
The number of newly registered vehicles in Türkiye fell by 29.3% year-over-year in February, dropping to 136,810, as declining car sales and a slowdown in auto production took a toll, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) reported on Tuesday.
On a month-over-month basis, the number of vehicles registered in February declined by 17.5% compared to January.
Despite the monthly drop, the total number of registered vehicles in Türkiye increased by 8.4% year-over-year, rising from 29.14 million in February 2023 to 31.6 million this year.
Auto sales decline sharply
According to the data, 50.2% of the vehicles registered in February were passenger cars, while 32.7% were motorcycles, 9.2% were light commercial vehicles (LCVs), 3.3% were tractors, 2.2% were trucks, 1.5% were minibuses, 0.8% were buses, and 0.1% were special-purpose vehicles.
Compared to January, the number of motorcycles registered surged by 61.9%, followed by buses (52.6%), tractors (47.2%), special-purpose vehicles (41.2%), and minibusses (16.8%). However, registrations of light commercial vehicles plunged by 48.3%, while passenger cars fell by 34.1% and trucks by 21.4%.
The slowdown in registrations reflects the broader cooling trend in Türkiye’s automotive industry. According to the Turkish Automotive Manufacturers Association (OSD), the sector started the year on a weaker footing, with total vehicle production falling by 9% and automotive exports declining by 4% in unit terms.
