Ford Otomotiv Sanayi A.Ş. (''Ford Automotive Industry'') is an
automotive manufacturing company based in
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
that is equally owned by
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...
and
Koç Holding
Koç Holding A.Ş. () is the largest industrial conglomerate in Turkey, and the only company in the country to be listed on the Fortune Global 500 as of 2016. The company, headquartered in Nakkaştepe, Istanbul, is controlled by the Koç family, ...
. It was established in its current form in 1977, with original relations dating back to 1928.
It currently operates five facilities throughout the country, and is headquartered in
Gölcük, with a second location in
İnönü.
History
The collaboration began in 1928, when
Vehbi Koç
Ahmet Vehbi Koç (20 July 1901 – 25 February 1996) was a Turkish entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded the Koç Holding, Koç Group, one of Turkey’s largest groups of companies. During his lifetime he came to be one of Turkey's wea ...
was assigned as a Ford dealer in
Ankara
Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...
. The following year, the Turkish national assembly granted Ford the right to install a local assembly operation in a free zone located in Istanbul's port area. Limited numbers of vehicles were assembled there until 1934, when these activities were suspended.
In 1959, the foundation of the Otosan factory was held in
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
, and in 1960 the
Ford Consul
The Ford Consul is a car that was manufactured by Ford of Britain from 1951 until 1962. The name was later revived for a model produced by Ford in both the UK and in Germany from 1972 until 1975.
Between 1951 and 1962, the Consul was the four-cyl ...
was the first model to be produced at the plant, followed by the
Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...
and the
Thames Trader van.
In 1965, the D1210 truck was added to production, and in 1966, the
Anadol
Anadol was Turkey's first domestic mass-production passenger vehicle company. Its first model, Anadol A1 (1966–1975) was the second Turkish car after the ill-fated Devrim sedan of 1961. Anadol cars and pick-ups were manufactured by Otosan Oto ...
, the first mass-production passenger vehicle developed in Turkey. In 1967, the
Ford Transit
The Ford Transit is a family of light commercial vehicles manufactured by the Ford Motor Company since 1965, primarily as a cargo van, but also available in other configurations including a large passenger van (marketed as the Ford Tourneo in ...
also began production and in 1973, the Anadol STC-16, the first sports car developed in Turkey.
In 1977, the company signed a license agreement with Ford and the company's name was changed to Ford Otosan. In 1979, took place the groundbreaking ceremony for a new factory in
İnönü, Eskişehir
İnönü is a town and district of Eskişehir Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. According to 2009 census, population of the district is 7,228 of which 3,980 live in the town of İnönü. The district covers an area of , and the a ...
, which began production of the
Ford Cargo in 1983.
Also that year, Ford increased its share of ownership in the company to 30 percent.
In 1985 the
Ford Taunus
The Ford Taunus is a family car that was sold by Ford Germany throughout Europe. Models from 1970 onward were built on the same basic construction as the Ford Cortina MkIII in the United Kingdom, and later on, the two car models were essentiall ...
began production at the Istanbul plant, and in 1986 the official opening ceremony was held for the İnönü engine plant.
In 1992, the newer
Ford Transit
The Ford Transit is a family of light commercial vehicles manufactured by the Ford Motor Company since 1965, primarily as a cargo van, but also available in other configurations including a large passenger van (marketed as the Ford Tourneo in ...
was put into production, and in 1993 the
Ford Escort replaced the Ford Taunus on the production lines.
In 1997, Ford further increased its share in the company to 41 percent, becoming equal partner with Koç Holding in the joint venture. In 1998, the groundbreaking ceremony was held for the new factory in
Gölcük, Kocaeli
Gölcük is a city and district of Kocaeli Province in the Marmara region of Turkey. The city is located at the northern gulf of Armutlu Peninsula on the coast of Gulf of İzmit, a branch of the Sea of Marmara, in the south of the province.
It ...
, that became operational in 2001, replacing the Istanbul facility. It is aimed mainly at commercial vehicle production, and manufactures the
Ford Transit
The Ford Transit is a family of light commercial vehicles manufactured by the Ford Motor Company since 1965, primarily as a cargo van, but also available in other configurations including a large passenger van (marketed as the Ford Tourneo in ...
and the
Ford Transit Connect, both models being marketed worldwide. In 2003, the company launched a new generation of the Ford Cargo heavy-duty truck.
In September 2012, Ford revealed its new version of the
Transit
Transit may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film
* ''Transit'' (1979 film), a 1979 Israeli film
* ''Transit'' (2005 film), a film produced by MTV and Staying-Alive about four people in countries in the world
* ''Transit'' (2006 film), a 2006 ...
, and in January 2013 the new Cargo heavy truck was unveiled.
The latter was co-developed by Ford Otosan in partnership with
Ford Brazil
Ford Brasil is the Brazilian subsidiary of American automaker Ford Motor Company, founded on April 24, 1919. The operation started out importing the Ford Model T cars and the Ford Model TT trucks in kit form from the United States for assembly ...
, and will be manufactured in both countries.
In September 2018, at the IAA Commercial Vehicles show in Hannover, Germany, Ford introduced an electric tractor trailer concept vehicle dubbed the F-Vision, which would have Level 4 autonomous driving capability.
In March 2022, Ford Otosan announced that company would acquire
Ford Romania from
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...
.
Facilities
The company operates five facilities throughout the country. The Kocaeli Plant, located in
Gölcük, was opened in 2001, and has been the main global production center for the
Transit
Transit may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film
* ''Transit'' (1979 film), a 1979 Israeli film
* ''Transit'' (2005 film), a film produced by MTV and Staying-Alive about four people in countries in the world
* ''Transit'' (2006 film), a 2006 ...
and the
Transit Connect
The Ford Transit Connect is a compact panel van sold by Ford since 2002. Developed by Ford of Europe, the model line replaced sedan-based vans ( Ford Escort and Ford Courier vans) with a dedicated commercial vehicle platform. The model line i ...
.
It has an annual production capacity of 320,000 vehicles and has its own port.
The
İnönü Plant, located in Eskişehir, began operating in 1982,
and has been the production center of the Cargo heavy truck, as well as for engines and powertrains. It has an annual capacity of 10,000 trucks, 66,000 engines and 45,000 gearboxes.
The Kartal Parts Distribution Center, located in the
Sancaktepe
Sancaktepe is a district in the suburbs of Istanbul, Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located ma ...
district of Istanbul, has been operating since 1998,
and it is the marketing centre of the company's marketing, sales, after-sales and spare parts operations.
The Sancaktepe Engineering Center, located in the
Sancaktepe
Sancaktepe is a district in the suburbs of Istanbul, Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located ma ...
district of Istanbul, was established in 2014, and is responsible for the development of the newest products and technologies. It employs over 1000 product development engineers.
The Yeniköy plant started production of the Transit/Tourneo Courier in the second quarter of 2014. It is located within the Kocaeli facility, but as a different production plant, with a starting capacity of 110,000 vehicles per year.
Products
Current
*
Ford Transit
The Ford Transit is a family of light commercial vehicles manufactured by the Ford Motor Company since 1965, primarily as a cargo van, but also available in other configurations including a large passenger van (marketed as the Ford Tourneo in ...
(1965–present)
*
Ford Cargo (1983–present)
*
Ford Transit Custom (2012–present)
*
Ford Transit Courier (2014–present)
*
Ford F-MAX
The Ford F-MAX is a heavy-duty truck produced by Ford Otosan. It was introduced in 2018.
It was unveiled during the IAA 2018 in Hannover, Germany. It was also chosen to be the International Truck of the Year 2019.
The truck was designed by For ...
heavy truck (2018–present)
Historic
![2014_Ford_Tourneo_Courier_(fl)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/2014_Ford_Tourneo_Courier_%28fl%29.jpg)
*
Ford Consul
The Ford Consul is a car that was manufactured by Ford of Britain from 1951 until 1962. The name was later revived for a model produced by Ford in both the UK and in Germany from 1972 until 1975.
Between 1951 and 1962, the Consul was the four-cyl ...
(1960–1961)
*
Thames Trader (1961–1965)
* Ford D1210 (1965–1983)
*
Anadol
Anadol was Turkey's first domestic mass-production passenger vehicle company. Its first model, Anadol A1 (1966–1975) was the second Turkish car after the ill-fated Devrim sedan of 1961. Anadol cars and pick-ups were manufactured by Otosan Oto ...
(1966–1984)
*
Anadol
Anadol was Turkey's first domestic mass-production passenger vehicle company. Its first model, Anadol A1 (1966–1975) was the second Turkish car after the ill-fated Devrim sedan of 1961. Anadol cars and pick-ups were manufactured by Otosan Oto ...
STC-16 (1973–1975)
*
Ford Taunus
The Ford Taunus is a family car that was sold by Ford Germany throughout Europe. Models from 1970 onward were built on the same basic construction as the Ford Cortina MkIII in the United Kingdom, and later on, the two car models were essentiall ...
(1985–1993)
*
Otosan P100 (1986-1997)
*
Ford Escort (1993–1999)
*
Ford Transit Connect (2002–2013)
See also
*
Ford Ecotorq engine
*
List of companies of Turkey
Location of Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Turkey is a transcontinental parliamentary republic in Eurasia, mainly on the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia, with a smaller portion on the Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. Turkey ...
References
External links
*
{{Coord, 40, 43, 24, N, 29, 51, 11, E, type:landmark, display=title
Motor vehicle manufacturers of Turkey
Economy of Kocaeli Province
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1959
Joint ventures
Koç family
İzmit
Ford Motor Company
Companies listed on the Istanbul Stock Exchange
Turkish companies established in 1959