Karsan Otomotiv Sanayii ve Ticaret : TO DELIVER ITALY 42 UNITS OF E-ATAKS!

Karsan Sets its Sights on Italy

in its Search for New Markets for its Range of Electric Buses

Karsan to deliver Italy 42 units of e-ATAKs!

Offering advanced technology mobility solutions with a vision to be "One Step Ahead in the Future of Mobility", Karsan continues to be one of the major players of electric mobility in Europe. The local manufacturer, which started off 2022 with the goal of doubling its export figures, is entering the Italian market with its electric range. Karsan signed a framework agreement with Consip, an Italian-based public procurement company, for 80 e-ATAKs in 2021. Under this agreement, the company has now received a total of 38 e-ATAK orders from seven different operators for delivery by the end of the year. In addition, Karsan, which won the public tender for electric buses for the first time in Italy, is preparing to deliver four e-ATAK vehicles to the Cagliari Municipality in 2022. Boasting 42 e-ATAK orders, Karsan is rapidly entering the public transport market in Italy, which is moving towards electrical solutions.

Karsan, one of the leading companies in the Turkish automotive industry, continues to offer high-tech mobility solutions for export markets. The local manufacturer, continuing its export initiative on all fronts in 2022, is entering the Italian market with its e-ATAK model. Karsan, which entered 2022 with a plan to double exports by stepping things up a gear, will supply four e-ATAK buses to the Cagliari Municipality for the first time in Italy. It also signed a very important framework agreement with the Rome-based public procurement company Consip for 80 e-ATAK buses, and 38 e-ATAK orders have already been received from seven different operators under this agreement. Karsan continues to grow rapidly in Italy, having received an order for 42 e-ATAK buses.

"We did pioneering work in tenders"

Okan Baş, CEO of Karsan, stressed that Karsan, which has succeeded in breaking new ground in tenders for electric vehicles in 2021, had made important deliveries to growing markets such as Germany, Portugal, France, Luxembourg, Bulgaria and Croatia and continued, "In 2021, we made a framework agreement with Consip/Italy for the delivery of 80 e-ATAKs and we have already received the first 38 orders. In addition, we won the Cagliari Municipality's tender for the first time in Italy for the delivery of four e-ATAK buses this year. Italy is one of our most important focus markets, where we aim to achieve a sustainable growth streak with our electric vehicles. The 42 e-ATAK orders we have received so far are the first steps towards achieving a growth in this market. The year 2022 will be a year for us to enter new export markets with our electric models and grow twice as much."

A sustainable growth target in Europe and North America!

Okan Baş, CEO of Karsan, who provided information about their efforts in overseas markets, said, "We achieved a turnover of TRY 1.6 billion in 2020. In 2021, this figure rose over TRY 2 billion. 70 percent of this is attributable to export activities." Explaining the company targets for this year, Okan Baş said, "We want to grow at least twice in electric vehicles. We appeal to the entire market and aim to be one of the top five players in the market. We plan to position the Karsan brand in the top five in Europe." Mentioning that Karsan drew strength from the vision "One Step Ahead in the Future of Mobility", Okan Baş said that they aimed for sustainable growth in Europe and North America in this context.

"We doubled our exports in 2021"

Stating, "If we look at the numbers, we doubled our exports in 2021 compared to the previous year," Baş continued, "Last year we sold 330 Karsan products to Europe. This was 147 in the previous year. This includes conventional vehicles, as well as electric ones. In 2021, 133 of our electric vehicles became part of the park in Europe. Since 2019, 306 of our Karsan electric vehicles have been traveling around the world in 16 different countries, mainly in France, Romania, Portugal and Germany."

"306 vehicles mean 3 million kilometers of experience for us"

Saying, "For us, 306 vehicles mean 3 million kilometers of experience," Baş went on to say, "In the last three years, about 345 electric minibuses and buses have been sold from Turkey to Europe. And 306 of them belong to us. This figure, which we have achieved in the last three years, represents about 90 percent of Turkey's exports of electric minibuses and buses. This is a serious achievement. As one of the leading companies in the Turkish automotive industry, we are proud of our success with exporting our products. We are also Turkey's leading brand in developing electric vehicles. To build on our success, we are aiming to double our exports this year."

About Karsan:

Celebrating its 55th anniversary this year in the Turkish automotive industry, Karsan has been manufacturing its own vehicles at its modern facilities as well as parts for the world's prominent brands in the commercial vehicles industry. The company has been engaged in commercial vehicle manufacturing since 1981, and its factory in Hasanağa, Bursa has the capacity to manufacture up to 19,870 vehicles a year on a single shift. The Hasanağa factory is a flexible installation that can manufacture all kinds of vehicles in the same facilities from passenger cars and heavy trucks to minivans and buses. It is located 30 km from the Bursa city center and is built on an area of 200,000 sqm, 90,000 sqm of which is closed space.

Karsan has been the only independent multi-brand vehicle manufacturer in the Turkish automotive industry for more than 50 years and the next phase for the company, powered and enabled by its business partners and licensers, is to develop derivative versions of the new and existing vehicles in order to extend its presence to all the segments of cargo and passenger transportation, in accordance with its vision of being one step ahead in the future of mobility. Working to develop "innovative products and services from conception into the market" in public transportation segment, Karsan primarily aims to strengthen its Main Manufacturer/OEM business line.

Karsan manages the entire automotive value chain, from R&D to production, marketing, sales, and after-sales activities. Karsan manufactures the Jest, Atak, and Star models under its own brand. It also manufactures and sells fully electric vehicles, the e-JEST and e-ATAK lines, in partnership with the world giant BMW, as well as the Level-4 Autonomous bus e-ATAK model and 10, 12, and 18m e-ATA buses in partnership with the local technology company ADASTEC. Karsan, which will start manufacturing Megane Sedan automobiles for Renault by the end of 2022, currently manufactures 10, 12 and 18m buses for Menarinibus. Besides vehicle manufacturing, Karsan also provides a range of industrial services in its factory located in the Organized Industrial Zone.