Togg/Karakaş: Togg will be on the market with a competitive price

Togg CEO Karakaş said, "The price of Togg will be announced in February. Togg will have a price that will compete with vehicles in its class, including internal combustion engines. All pre-orders will start being taken as of February 2023." Togg CEO Gürcan Karakaş and the authorities accompanying him showed the press members how the body of the vehicle is produced by robots in the body section of the factory and the paint stages of "Turkey's automobile" in the paint shop, which has the title of "Europe's cleanest paint shop." Informing the press members, Togg CEO Gürcan Karakaş said that Togg made an investment of 3.5 billion euros spread over 15 years. Explaining that this investment covers 5 different models of "smart devices", 175 thousand production and the core of the mobility ecosystem, Karakaş said, "A total of 1.8 billion euros will be spent for Togg by the end of 2023. This resource also includes investments made to develop smart devices, campuses and technology." Karakaş emphasized that Togg currently ranks first among the companies operating in the mobility sector in Turkey with 4 billion 336 million 274 thousand liras, and noted the following: "Togg set out with a plan where smart device revenues and other revenues are balanced. It will generate revenue from both the sale of devices and the use of mobile services. At the same time, since it can control battery and software costs, this will also contribute to its profitability. Togg's price will be announced in February. Togg, which will set off as a smart device with advanced technology, will have a price that will compete with vehicles in its own class, including internal combustion engines. All pre-orders will start to be received as of February 2023. There will be a production of 20 thousand units in the first year. Orders will be received with priority for individual users and will be delivered throughout 2023. After the first smart device hits the road at the end of March, it will enter the European market approximately 18 months later. The sedan model smart device will be on the market in the first half of 2025." “Togg is one of the ambitious players of the ‘YeniLig’” Explaining that Togg has a production target of 1 million by the end of 2030, Karakaş reported that 30 thousand Toggs will be sold to the public by 2035. Stating that new opportunities emerge for new players in these periods when technology and paradigms are changing, Karakaş said, “Togg calls this period the ‘YeniLig’. The successful players of YeniLig will be companies that develop by focusing on new generation technology users. Togg is one of the ambitious players of YeniLig. First of all, there will be technologies that are not at the forefront in the automotive sector. For example, ‘gamification’, ‘cyber security’, ‘big data and data analytics’, ‘sensor technologies’, ‘fintech’ and ‘blockchain’.” Emphasizing that these innovative technologies are not available in the automotive sector and large corporate companies, Karakaş noted that Togg has met with more than 300 startups to date and is currently working with 19 startups. “It is not the number of parts you use that determines localization, but the property rights” Emphasizing that Togg is a national project, Karakaş said, “The intellectual and industrial property rights of which belong 100 percent to Turkey, and from this perspective, it is naturally a 100 percent local project. Today, it is not the number of parts you use that determines localization, but the property rights. For its first smart device, C-SUV, Togg provided 75 percent of its suppliers from Turkey. This ratio corresponds to 51 percent in terms of value. Togg’s goal is to reach a 68 percent localization rate in the next three years.” Karakaş explained that the Togg Technology Campus, which was officially opened in Gemlik on October 29, also houses body, paint, and assembly facilities, as well as R&D, style design, prototype development and test center, strategy and management center, and user experience park units. Referring to the construction process of the campus, Karakaş said, "44 thousand concrete columns were used for the ground reinforcement of the campus. This figure corresponds to 7 50-story skyscrapers with a base of 1500 square meters. There are a total of 250 robots in the production lines. The campus, built on an area of 1.2 million square meters, has a closed area of 230 thousand square meters. The cleanest paint shop in Europe is on the campus. With an emission of less than 5 gr/square meter of 'volatile organic compound', it is the cleanest in Europe with a value of 1/9th of the legal limit in Turkey and 1/7th of the legal limit in Europe. The campus, designed according to paperless, digital working principles, has high automation. There is 90 percent automation in the body workshop." Employment will increase to 4,300 people Karakaş noted that employment will increase to 4,300 people when the production capacity reaches 175 thousand units at Togg, where a total of 1400 people currently work. Underlining that Togg, which puts the user at the center of every step, has decided to reach users through direct contact in its sales strategy, Karakaş continued his words as follows: "The physical contact points that Togg will directly manage are three types: seasonal experience center, brand experience center and 360-degree experience centers that will offer all sales and after-sales services. Togg, which opened the first of the experience centers in Zorlu Center, will increase this number to 12 by the end of 2023 and to 35 points in 2025. The company also continues its work to create flexible delivery points according to the demands of the users. Togg, which will open 25 fixed after-sales experience centers (service) in 2023, will have 30 fixed service points in 2025. The number of mobile service vehicles of the company, which will be 8 in 2023, will exceed 40 in 2025. Togg, in order to provide its users with an end-to-end online/digital experience, will use both the Togg mobile application and the artificial intelligence-supported digital assistant. It will activate ToggCare." Emphasizing that Togg is currently sending its devices that have come off the mass production line to accredited test centers abroad for certification and homologation processes, Karakaş said, "The devices are subjected to 92 different tests, 16 of which are new regulations. The number of devices sent for tests will be 165 in total by the end of December. The devices will complete their tests and receive type approvals. Following the receipt of type approvals, mass production for users will begin with the orders. The Togg smart device will be on the roads at the end of March." Noting that the "smart device" has 2 different versions: rear-wheel drive (159.9 kW) and four-wheel drive (320 kW), Karakaş said that the range options are "300 and 500+ kilometers." Karakaş, who stated that Togg took action with the aim of providing an uninterrupted and problem-free experience to users in Turkey with its 100% owned "Trugo" brand, said, "Togg, which set out to install 1000 high-performance chargers in over 600 locations in 81 provinces, established its first stations in the lively HighWay Rest Area of Bolu, the most important transition point between Istanbul and Ankara. Togg will provide service with devices with charging capacities of 180 kW and 300 kW." Togg’s CEO Gürcan Karakaş stated that Togg, which cooperates with Shell on charging, has determined 400 Shell stations in line with Trugo’s goals, and noted the following: “Togg will be responsible for the installation of devices in 320 of these locations, and Shell & Turcas in 80. The number of high-performance chargers to be installed in these 400 locations is approximately 600. Chargers will be installed every 25 square kilometers on routes with high traffic density, and every 50 square kilometers in areas with low traffic density. With high-speed chargers, a battery’s charge rate will be able to reach 80 percent charge rate from 20 percent charge rate in an average of 25 minutes. 100 percent renewable energy source certified service will be provided in the devices.” Karakaş reminded that Togg, with the awareness of the importance of the battery in the value chain as well as the charging infrastructure, established Siro Silk Road Clean Energy Storage Technologies Inc. as a 50-50 joint venture with Farasis Energy, which has the highest energy density Li-ion NMC cell technology. Emphasizing that Togg also aims to develop battery technologies with this initiative, Karakaş concluded his words as follows: "Siro will start mass production of battery modules and packs in the Battery Technology Center building next to the Togg assembly production unit as of the beginning of 2023. In 2023, Siro will start developing battery cells on the latest technologies developed by Farasis and will have the intellectual property of all products and solutions it develops. Siro, which will start production on its own campus as of the end of 2024, will become an integrated energy storage manufacturer, including battery cells, as of 2026. Its production capacity will reach 20 GWh as of 2031. Siro will be directly responsible for 120 countries in the region as well as Turkey, and will have a presence in a wide area with micromobility, industrial applications, marine vehicles, and stationary energy storage applications for renewable energy in addition to automotive."