Togg’s first work: SUV T10X with the brand emblem formed from two triangles to indicate a west-east axis on the hood. Beatrice Bohlig
Gürcan Karakas is a manager with international experience in the vehicle industry – and plans to stir up the European mobility industry with the Turkish company Togg.
Togg’s first product is an electrically powered SUV. Business Insider inspected the production facility for the Stromer T10X and tried out the electric four-door on a special route.
The new player intensively maintains a wide range of cooperations with German companies. But the entrepreneurs from the Istanbul region also use technology from China in their factory.
Gürcan Karakas worked for the Swabian automotive supplier Bosch for a good 28 years. Most recently as Executive Vice President/ Electrical Drives. The manager knows the German car market inside out. The 57-year-old has also been familiar with the horsepower and kilowatt business in Italy, Portugal and Great Britain for a long time: “No one in Europe is waiting for the next automobile manufacturer,” says Karakas.
And yet Karakas is now competing with a new car manufacturer – at the interface between Europe and Asia. Togg is the name of the company he has been CEO of since 2018. The headquarters of Türkiye’nin Otomobile Girisim Grubu” is located in the suburbs of the vibrant Turkish metropolis of Istanbul on the Sea of Marmara.