Turkish Electric Car Togg T10X – Pride of the Nation

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Wuxi InfiMotion Technology Co., Ltd.

With the SUV Togg T10X, the first Turkish electric car is now entering the market. A flagship project for a proud nation overcoming an automotive trauma.

The Turkish automotive dream begins on October 29, 1961, with a nationally significant comedy. Selected engineers are commissioned by the government to build the first car developed in Turkey. Four prototypes of the unassuming sedan named Devrim (translated: Revolution) are created. Transported by train to Ankara, the models are ceremoniously handed over to President Cemal Gürsel on Republic Day. The Turkish leader's honorary lap ends abruptly and without a punchline in front of the assembled press after just a few meters. In the excitement, they had forgotten to refuel.

The Devrim never goes into production but finds its place in the history books as the '100-Meter Car.' Every Turkish child knows this story, and it is essential to understand the significance of the new SUV Togg T10X for Turkey. This flagship project is built on the hope of an entire nation. For a few days now, the first Toggs have been driving on domestic roads. The first Turkish electric car is somewhat of a promise from Erdogan to his 85 million people; it is meant to be the nucleus of a new automotive era. The message is: 'Look, we can do this too.'

Industrial giants form a consortium

Behind Togg are heavyweights from the Turkish economy. Five industrial giants, each the largest in their respective sectors, have joined forces to form a consortium named Türkiye'nin Ottomobili Girişim Grubu, foregoing any dividends for 15 years. They are investing approximately 3.5 billion euros. The majority of this investment goes into the brand-new, state-of-the-art production facility in Gemlik, near the industrial city of Bursa. According to Togg, it is "the cleanest car factory in Europe." 
On an area of 1.2 million square meters, 175,000 vehicles are expected to roll off the assembly line each year. Five models can be produced simultaneously. Currently, it's the SUV T10X, with a sedan and a crossover joining in 2024, followed by a compact SUV and a van a year later—all, of course, with electric propulsion. Togg is also investing an additional 2.2 billion in the battery cell production of the newly established joint venture "Siro" with the Chinese battery manufacturer Farasis Energy.

177,000 orders in twelve days

So much patriotism resonates with proud Turks. Despite record inflation, a sluggish economy, and a nationwide rudimentary charging system with only a few thousand public stations, over 177,000 orders were received in twelve days. To underscore the seriousness, each person had to deposit 3,000 euros, and 20,000 vehicles were raffled in a lottery for future owners. 
Is the hype justified? Hard to say. Firstly, the 4.59-meter-long SUV is a handsome fellow. Cloaked in modern styling and balanced proportions by Pininfarina, the T10X stands robustly on its self-developed platform. A chrome-framed grille, inspired by the design of the tulip, a deeply rooted symbol of Anatolia, dominates the front. At the rear, a narrow, continuous light strip ties together a powerful rear.

Togg CEO: Turkish Elon Musk

However, the prestige project aims to be much more than just another electric SUV. Listening to Togg CEO Gürcan Karakas, one is reminded of the early Elon Musk. Passionate, emotional, and full of conviction, the charismatic former Bosch manager enthusiastically promotes the advantages of his Turkish Tesla in fluent German. Parallels to the Californian electric pioneer are indeed recognizable. Like Musk, there was no alternative to electric propulsion for Karacas; combustion engines were never an option. And similar to Teslas, Toggs are meant to be more like rolling supercomputers. 
Karakas: "We are building much more than a car; we are building digital ecosystems." This ecosystem is fed by the Toggers through the in-house Truemore app (one million downloads in 40 days). With Truemore, tolls can be paid automatically, charging processes organized and billed, parking spaces reserved, hotels booked, or restaurants reserved—all, of course, "over-the-air" updatable. Together with powerful partners, Togg aims to introduce a rewarding point system, where, for example, you earn miles with Turkish Airways for charging—and vice versa, earning a credit for charging when flying.

Gigantic, freely configurable display

Togg reflects the vast digital world inside the car on a powerful 41.3-inch display. The impressive, crystal-clear monitor is freely configurable and stretches almost across the entire width of the vehicle. There's also a lot of "gadgetry" for the Digital Natives 2.0. Turkish art designers contribute their digital works to the system, painted by artificial intelligence. AI also composes. In an endless loop, the radio plays sounds from the driver's favorite genre that exist only at this moment and never again. The songs are not reproducible. 
Many have started with the approach to redefine the car, and many have failed. As mundane as it sounds, in the end, the T10X is just a vehicle with four wheels that must compete with its rivals. To ensure success, Togg has enlisted the help of reputable suppliers for the development of the chassis, steering, and brakes. The platform is modular and scalable for additional models. Togg offers two lithium-ion batteries with capacities of 52.4 kWh and 88.5 kWh, and the Turks claim ranges of 314 and 523 kilometers, respectively. Togg provides the standard eight-year warranty for the batteries.

Initially rear-wheel drive, later also all-wheel drive

At the rear axle sits an electric motor with 160 kW/218 PS, and an all-wheel-drive version with an additional front motor and 320 kW/435 PS is planned for October. These are details that we don't need to remember just yet because the launch outside of Turkey is scheduled for no earlier than the end of 2024. Initially in Scandinavia, and then in early 2025 for us. Turkish insiders, on the other hand, view the late start critically. After all, the T10X was presented two years ago. By the time it arrives here, the design could have gathered some patina. 
On the other hand, Togg wants to play it safe when entering the lion's den. Understandable. Initial short test drives showed that the chassis still lacks some fine-tuning. In fast corners, it appears under-damped, the SUV dives deep into the springs, then feels nervous and quite unstable. The steering could also use better feedback. The build quality of the pre-production cars we drove is generally okay, although some plastic parts in the entirely vegan interior should be better finished. 
The T10X costs about 50,000 euros (approx. USD 54,500) in Turkey, where a confusing tax system dictates the price. It is said to be 20 percent below market value to ensure the success of Togg. Whether people in our region will specifically wait for a Turkish SUV remains to be seen. On the other hand, there are around 2.9 million people in Germany with Turkish migration backgrounds - and they would surely be proud owners of the first Turkish electric car.