ISTANBUL -- Turkey's vehicle production dropped 29 percent to 518,727 in the first half, according to a statement by the Automotive Manufacturers Association (OSD) published on Sunday.
Output in June was down 5.4 percent from a year earlier to 103,273 units, a marked recovery from the decline of 54 percent in May, as the economy stirred back to life following the shock of coronavirus.
Since June, buyers of domestically-made cars have been able to finance purchases with low-interest long-term loans from state banks.
Turkish vehicle exports fell 27 percent to 70,813 in June, the OSD data showed, versus 60 percent in May.
Many factories halted operations after Turkey identified its first COVID-19 case on March 11 and production amounted to 11,164 vehicles in April and 63,145 in May.
Turkey has an annual production capacity of nearly 2 million vehicles.
Reuters contributed to this report
