Brands News

AKO GROUP WILL CONVERT ONE FOURTH OF WASTE TIRES IN TURKEY ON ITS OWN

Having Petlas, the leading brand of the Turkish tire industry with domestic capital, within itself; AKO Group has put into service Europe's largest integrated End-of-Life Tire Recycling Facility, which will convert one-fourth of the waste tire generated in Turkey in a year into qualified raw materials, with an investment of 30 million dollars.

AKO Group will convert 75,000 tons of tire waste annually into reusable semi-finished products in Europe's largest integrated End-of-Life Tire Recycling Facility opened in Ankara Temelli, with 80 thousand square meters open and 21 thousand square meters closed. Regenerated rubber and steel obtained from recycled waste tires will be brought into production as a qualified raw material needed by industries such as steel. With the facility, which is considered as the biggest sustainability move of the tire industry, it is aimed to prevent 75 thousand tons of tire waste from harming the environment and to prevent 280 thousand tons of carbon emissions in a year. Waste tires to be collected through more than 1,200 dealers of Petlas, Starmaxx, Falken, Dunlop, Uzman Tire and Oto Çabuk affiliated with AKO Group, which has the largest sales network in Turkey, will be recycled in the Recycling Facility. In addition to its 30 million dollar investment for the End of Life Tire Recycling Facility, it will continue its environmentally friendly and sustainable production target with new investments of 40 million dollars to be made in the Petlas factory, for sustainability.

Evaluating the commissioning of Turkey's first integrated tire recycling facility, AKO Group Board Member S. Safa Özcan made the following statements by saying that; “In Turkey, approximately 300 thousand tons of used tires annually cannot be recycled and some parts are incinerated. This has a negative impact on the environment with the air pollution it creates. With this facility, which has the capacity to recycle approximately one quarter of Turkey's waste tire, we are taking a concrete step towards eliminating the environmental impacts of mobility. Unlike the old generation recycling facilities, the regenerated rubber and steel obtained with this investment will also be usable in production.”

ANADOLU ISUZU RANKS FIRST IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY IN "UTILITY MODEL" IN R&D 

Anadolu Isuzu ranked first in the "Utility Model" category, second in the "Design Registrations" category, and third in the "Number of Patents" category in the automotive sector rankings of the Turkey R&D 250 Research conducted by Turkishtime.

It is stated that; within the scope of the "Turkey R&D 250 Research" conducted by the Economy and Business World portal Turkishtime, Anadolu Isuzu ranked first in the "Design Registration and Utility Model Obtained in the R&D Center" branch in the automotive sector, and second in the "design registrations" field, and third in the number of patents.

DAIMLER TRUCK CONTINUES ITS EFFORTS TO DEVELOP AUTONOMOUS TRUCK TRANSPORT SYSTEMS IN THE USA WITH ITS INDEPENDENT SUBSIDIARY, TORC ROBOTICS

Daimler Truck, one of the world's leading original equipment manufacturers in the development of SAE Level 4 (L4) autonomous trucks with critical redundant safety systems, continues its efforts to develop autonomous truck transportation systems in the USA with its independent subsidiary Torc Robotics. Torc Robotics, in partnership with the truck original equipment manufacturer, safely and reliably tests a fleet of autonomous trucks on the US highways every day.

Torc Robotics, the independent subsidiary of Daimler Truck, which aims to further develop the implemented applications of autonomous truck transportation systems, has now started to cooperate with the leading logistics companies of the USA in line with this goal. In this context, Torc Robotics has established the Torc Autonomous Advisory Council (TAAC) with the industry's leading transportation companies, which will provide a deep perspective on its own development process. Daimler Truck and Torc Robotics predict that in the next 10 years, autonomous truck transportation will be implemented and the technology will be put on the market.

“R&D: One of Anadolu Isuzu's Most Important Power Sources”

Anadolu Isuzu General Manager Tuğrul Arıkan said in his assessment on the subject that; “Today, the automotive industry is going through a historical transformation. This includes the commercial vehicles category in which we operate as Anadolu Isuzu. While groundbreaking technologies increase their impact day by day, individual and corporate customers are now demanding more environmentally friendly, lower-emission, safer and more comfortable vehicles. The automotive industry is in a great race to respond to these trends and demands in the best way and to be in a strong position in the future. R&D, on the other hand, has a key importance for the automotive industry in this great race.  As Anadolu Isuzu, our R&D Center has a great role in the success we have achieved in exports in the last period. As Anadolu Isuzu, we are very happy with the success we have achieved in the automotive sector rankings in the Turkey R&D 250 Research 2021 conducted by Turkishtime. Anadolu Isuzu R&D Center, which is among the highest qualified R&D centers in Turkey with its expertise and technology infrastructure, will continue to create value for our customers, our company and our country, as it has done so far. We will continue to actively contribute to developments that shape the future of the automotive world and the commercial vehicles segment of which we are a part.”

STRONG PERFORMANCE IN ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIAL AND MANAGEMENT AREAS WITH GREEN COMMITMENT FROM DKV MOBILITY

DKV Mobility, Europe's leading business-to-business platform for toll road payments and solutions, has published its 2021 Sustainability Report. The report featured the company's progress in green commitment and its strategies in the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) areas. DKV Mobility has set itself ten targets for 2025 in the ESG. Among the targets is to increase the proportion of women in managerial positions to 35% by 2025.

DKV Mobility, which reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 43 percent in 2021 compared to 2019, also increased its electric vehicle charging points almost twice (from approximately 240 thousand to 310 thousand on average). It has further expanded its network of alternative fuel stations in Europe (around 20,000) and has made significant progress towards strengthening gender diversity and improving corporate citizenship performance by comprehensively implementing its ESG strategy.

Marco van Kalleveen, CEO of DKV Mobility, said that; “2021 has been an extraordinary year for us. We reduced our greenhouse gas emissions while growing our business dynamically. One of the key issues we focus on is to play a facilitating role in energy transformation. We do this by helping our customers transition to alternative energy sources with our products and services.”

DKV ANALYTICS WON THE GERMAN INNOVATION AWARD

The strong contribution of DKV Mobility's new digital instrument DKV Analytics in terms of cost control and transparency to truck and fleet customers has been confirmed with a prestigious award.

DKV Mobility, one of Europe's leading B2B platforms for toll road payments and solutions, won the 2022 German Innovation Award given by the German Design Council for the first time. The success of DKV Mobility's digital reporting product, DKV Analytics, was confirmed by the award it received in the "Excellence in the Business-to-Business Model - Information Technologies/Functional Software" category.

SALES OF 290 VEHICLES FROM IVECO BUS TO PORTUGAL

IVECO BUS has recently signed a key contract for the delivery of 290 buses to TST, a passenger transport operator developing its operations on the Setúbal Peninsula south of Lisbon and serving a population of around one million.

IVECO BUS and TST have recently signed an important contract covering a period of 7 years. The contract was signed for  290 CROSWAY buses and DAILY minibuses, including various versions that shall meet the features and needs of the lines that TST will operate as of July 1, 2022.

Among 290 vehicles included in this important contract are 194 CROSSWAY LE 12m City Euro VI-E versions, 25 CROSSWAY Low Entry Line 12m Euro VI-E versions, 17 CROSSWAY Low Entry 12M City CNG versions and 54 DAILY 7.2 ( IVECO 70C21 A8 CCP - Euro VI-E) minibus.

Arriva Portugal Managing Director and TST Chairman of the Board Paulo Pires and TST Operations Director Fernando Epifânio, IVECO BUS Business Director Fabrizio Toscano and IVECO BUS Portugal Commercial Director Artur Oliveira attended the event.

MOBILE EDUCATION VEHICLE FROM IVECO TO THE AEGEAN CONTEMPORARY EDUCATION FOUNDATION (EÇEV)

The IVECO Daily mobile education vehicle, which was donated to ECEV, was delivered at a ceremony held at the Istanbul headquarters of Iveco Turkey and attended by Iveco and EÇEV executives. On behalf of EÇEV, Chairman of the Board of Directors Yıldız Ünsal, General Manager Şule Bilir, Field Coordinator Meral Karakaya, Head of Foreign Services Adem Şaşmaz, Student Representative Eren Şaşmaz attended the ceremony while General Manager Hakkı Işınak, Asia Region Human Resources Director Gülay Hantal, Iveco Light and Medium Vehicles Sales Manager Erkan Erşin, and Iveco Automotive Company Manager Rüştü Başargan attended on behalf of IVECO At the end of the ceremony, EÇEV officials presented separate plaques to Iveco General Manager Hakkı Işınak and Asian Region HR Director Gülay Hantal.

Giving a speech at the delivery ceremony, Gülay Hantal, Human Resources Director of Iveco Asia Region, stated that they are very pleased to contribute to such a non-governmental organization that supports education as Iveco and continued her words by saying that; “Every year, we provide various aids in our country within the scope of the sustainability project. One of the moments that we will not forget in all these aids is when a girl going to primary school asked, “Madam, can I work in Iveco like you one day?” So, we can inspire our children with these efforts”. “While we were talking about what we can do together with ECEV so that we can think bigger and touch more children in need this year, we thought about what a mobile vehicle could be, and for this we developed this project with our colleagues”

Erkan Erşin, Iveco Turkey Light and Medium Vehicle Sales Manager, stated that the vehicle is a classroom with an area of ??18 square meters with a library and that 12 students can be trained at the same time and said that; “When the side wall of the vehicle is opened, it is possible to carry out activities such as theater. While there are 4 solar panels on the roof of the vehicle as a renewable energy source, there is also a heating system, air conditioner, generator and toilet for summer and winter education”.

KOÇ GROUP STARTS ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING NETWORK MANAGEMENT WITH ITS NEW COMPANY: WAT MOBILITY

WAT, Opet, Otokoç Otomotiv and Entek Electrics took a strategic step in the electrification transformation in the automotive industry and established WAT Mobility, which will operate in the field of electric vehicle charging network operation.

WAT Mobility also commissioned an electric vehicle charging station at Koç Holding Nakkaştepe Campus. Fatih Kemal Ebiçlioğlu, Chairman of Koç Holding Durable Goods Group, said that; “As Koç Holding, we continue to resolutely transform our business models, products and services on the way to combating the climate crisis and within the scope of our goal of being carbon neutral in 2050. As Koç Group, we have also taken a strategic step in the field of electric vehicle charging network operation. We established our WAT Mobility company in February, which will manage our technology and operation investments in this field. WAT Mobility, which was established with the partnership of our group companies WAT, Opet, Otokoç Otomotiv and Entek Electrics, will handle electric vehicle charging stations with a holistic approach that focuses on customer experience.”

MERCEDES-BENZ eACTROS WAS PUT INTO SERVICE AS WASTE COLLECTION VEHICLE IN COLOGNE

The scope of heavy-duty use applications of the Mercedes-Benz eActros, the world's first electric heavy-duty truck and put into mass production in 2021, continues to expand gradually. It was stated that the model of eActros, designed as a waste collection vehicle, to which Mercedes-Benz Turk Trucks R&D team made significant contributions from the prototype to the mass production process, was put into service by REMONDIS, which is stated to be one of the largest recycling, water and service companies in the world.  

It was stated that REMONDIS, which uses Mercedes-Benz eActros in the city in Cologne to provide waste collection service, also plans to provide urban waste collection service in the Rhineland region with the eActros.

OTOKAR CONTINUES TO STRENGTHEN ITS DEALER NETWORK THROUGHOUT TURKEY

Turkey's leading automotive industry company Otokar continues to expand its dealer network. Cindilli Automotive in Erzurum and Reisoğlu Heavy Vehicles in Trabzon became Otokar's new dealers.

One of the Koç Group companies, Otokar continues to expand and strengthen its effective dealer network throughout Turkey. The new dealers of Otokar, Turkey's leading commercial vehicle manufacturer, became Cindilli Automotive in Erzurum and Reisoğlu Heavy Vehicles in Trabzon. While Cindilli Automotive will be Otokar's dealership in both the bus and truck segments, Reisoğlu Heavy Vehicles has assumed the role of Otokar dealership in the truck segment.

The opening ceremony of the Otokar dealership of Cindilli Automotive, one of the well-established companies in Erzurum, which currently carries out the dealerships of many global brands, took place in Cindilli Plaza with the attendance of Erzurum Deputy Governor Hamdullah Suphi Özgödek, Erzurum Metropolitan Deputy Mayor Fevzi Polat, Provincial Police Chief Levent Tuncer, Head of Provincial Tax Office Selahattin Atabek, Yakutiye Mayor Mahmut Uçar, Aziziye Mayor Muhammet Cevdet Orhan, Pasinler Mayor Ahmet Dölekli, ETSO Council President Saim Özakalın, President of Chamber of Craftsmen Rasim Fırat, President of Erzurum Commodity Exchange Hakan Oral, Chairman of Erzurum Chamber of Minibuses and Dolmus Operators Avni Haki, Chairman of Cindilli Automotive Board of Directors Muammer Cindilli, Otokar Deputy General Manager Basri Akgül, Domestic Market Commercial Vehicles Sales Director Murat Tokatlı and the company executives.

Expressing that they are happy to work with Otokar, a world brand company whose commercial vehicles are used in more than 50 countries, Cindilli Automotive Chairman of the Board Muammer Cindilli said that; "We are proud and happy to have undertaken the truck and bus dealership of such an important company. Thank you to everyone who attended our opening today. We will continue our efforts to carry a brand like Otokar with honor.”

The dealer opening ceremony of Reisoğlu Heavy Vehicles, which carried its experience in the international transportation sector to the automotive sector 3 years ago and achieved rapid growth in Trabzon, was held with the attendance of Trabzon Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TTSO) Chairman M. Suat Hacısalihoğlu, board and council members, AK Party Ortahisar District Head Selahaddin Çebi, Deputy Mayor Coşkun Şahin, Reisoğlu Heavy Vehicles Board Chairman Önder Reis, company officials, Otokar Deputy General Manager Basri Akgül, Domestic Market Commercial Vehicles Sales Director Murat Tokatlı and the company executives.

Stating that they are proud of their cooperation with Otokar, Reisoğlu Ağır Vasıta Chairman of the Board Önder Reis said that; “As Reisoğlu Ağır Vasıta, we are proud of being an Otokar dealer. We hope our cooperation will continue for many years to come.”

Stating that Otokar has offered solutions suitable for the needs of its customers with its own technology, design and applications since 1963, Deputy General Manager Basri Akgül said about the opening ceremonies that; "We owe our leadership and leadership in the sector to the strength we derive from our dealers and services. We offer comfortable and safe public transportation to millions of passengers every day with our modern, durable and environmentally friendly vehicles in more than 50 countries. On the other hand, we relieve the heavy workload of trade with our new generation trucks in the light truck segment. We have strengthened it even more. I wish our cooperation to be beneficial for all parties. We fully believe that we will achieve greater success with our developing dealer network and new dealers."

PETLAS RANKED 3TH IN “TURKEY R&D 250 RESEARCH”

Succeeding in producing many firsts in the tire industry in Turkey with its own know-how without technology transfer, Petlas was ranked third in the "R&D Project Top 100" category in "Turkey R&D 250 Research".

While Petlas was the first tire company to carry out the most R&D projects in the list, it ranked 59th in annual R&D expenditures with an R&D expenditure of 37 million 781 thousand TL. According to the research in which R&D expenditures in Turkey have been measured since 2013, the R&D expenditures of the first 500 companies amounted to approximately 17 billion TL. Being the sector leader in terms of the number of R&D projects in 2021, Petlas showed a growth performance in production and R&D while the Turkish economy experienced a decline in 2020, which was in the shadow of the pandemic.

PIRELLI TURKEY MET WITH BUSINESS PARTNERS FOR 150TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION.

As part of the worldwide 150th anniversary celebrations of tire leader Pirelli, Pirelli Turkey's long-established business partners came together at Kuruçeşme Divan on 7 July. At the meeting where the renewed Scorpion tire series for SUVs (Sports SUVs), the most popular vehicle segment of the world, was introduced, the trends in the tire industry were evaluated and the Pirelli 150th Anniversary exhibition was also visited.

The business partners of Pirelli Turkey, which has been operating in Turkey for more than 60 years and produced the first domestic tire in 1962, met at Kuruçeşme Divan on July 7 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the global brand. Pirelli Turkey's senior executives, nearly 150 business partners from different cities, and veteran automotive journalist Okan Altan participated in the event, where the global journey of the brand and its achievements in Turkey were conveyed, while the trends in the automotive sector were also mentioned. At the meeting, where the new Scorpion family, which was recently introduced to the market and stands out with its environmentally friendly features, was also introduced, it was emphasized that Pirelli has been producing solutions for premium models with tailor-made designs for many years and its leadership in its field.

SCANIA INTRODUCED ITS FULL ELECTRIC MODELS

Scania introduced its fully electric trucks to be produced for regional long-distance transportation as part of its efforts to ensure the transition to sustainable transportation.

It was stated that the Scania fully electric truck series was initially produced as a 4x2 tow truck or 6x2*4 truck with R and S cabin options. It was pointed out that with its 624 Kwh battery, it has the potential to meet and even exceed the expectations of modularity, sustainability and traditional trucks in regional long-distance operations.

It is stated that the charging capacity of up to 375 kW provides a range of 270 to 300 km with a one-hour charge. The continuous power output level of the vehicles is 410 kW, which corresponds to 560 HP.

It was stated that the new Scania electric truck series can work in truck or tractor-trailer combinations used in many areas such as temperature-controlled food transportation. It is stated that while their range varies according to weight, configuration and topography, a 4x2 tractor with six batteries offers a range of up to 350 km with an average speed of 80 km / h on the highway.  

It is reported that the serial production of Scania fully electric vehicles is expected to start in the last quarter of 2023.  Scania continues its journey on the electrification roadmap to achieve its Science Based Targets for CO2 reduction.

Toyota to Develop Hydrogen Engine for Heavy Commercial Vehicles?

Toyota continues to work to produce different solutions and alternatives in order to achieve carbon neutrality. Within the scope of these studies, Toyota, which cooperated with Isuzu, Denso, Hino and CJPT, started planning and researches to use hydrogen engines in heavy commercial vehicles. These researches will pave the way for hydrogen powered heavy commercial vehicles that will extend the use of internal combustion engines.

Toyota is developing a variety of engine options, including hybrid vehicles, fully electric vehicles and fuel cell vehicles, in line with the energy conditions in different countries and different customer needs on the road to carbon neutrality. Hydrogen engines also stand out as one of these options. The hydrogen-powered Corolla, which has been used in some racing series in Japan since last year, is leading the development of this technology. In addition to these efforts, efforts to reach the hydrogen community are accelerating with the increase in the number of partners in hydrogen production, transportation and use.

Reducing CO2 in transportation and logistics by heavy commercial vehicles is critical to achieving a carbon neutral society, and Toyota believes this social challenge can be solved with partners with the same vision. Collaborating with Toyota; Isuzu, Denso, Hino and CJPT aim to find a solution to this problem with hydrogen engines, and each company's technology and know-how will be used in this process.

With this work, Toyota will contribute to creating an even better society by developing options to achieve carbon neutrality.

TRUGO WILL EQUIP TURKEY WITH END-TO-END CHARGERS

Setting out with the goal of installing end-to-end high-performance chargers in Turkey, Togg received the charging network operator license as a result of its application to the Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA) with the Trugo brand.

Togg CEO M. Gürcan Karakaş stated that they have taken all the necessary steps to become a licensed player in the sector and said that, “We received our charging network operator license from EMRA.  With our 'Trugo' brand, we will offer an uninterrupted experience to all electric vehicle users with devices over 180 kWh in 81 provinces. The countdown has begun on the way to our goal. After the completion of the homologation process, our first smart device C-SUV will be launched in March 2023”.

VOLVO TRUCKS BUSINESS PARTNERS CAME TOGETHER

Volvo Trucks, whose Turkey distributorship is undertaken by Temsa Construction Equipment, shared its customer-focused service approach, its strategy of being a solution partner, and its future vision with its business partners.

Volvo Trucks, whose Turkey distributorship is undertaken by Temsa Construction Equipment, came together with its business partners in 4 provinces, Mersin, Hatay, İstanbul and İzmir, with the participation of approximately 1000 people, between 9th and 30th of June.

shared its plans for the coming period with its service-oriented vision and celebrated their cooperation.

The meetings were attended by Temsa Construction Equipment General Manager Eşref Zeka, Volvo Trucks Middle East and Turkey Director Björn Andersson, and Temsa Construction Equipment Truck Sales and After-Sales Services Director Kıvanç Kızılkaya and senior executives.

Changing the rules of the game in the industry and redefining competition with its investments in technology and innovation, Volvo Trucks, as the solution partner of its customers, manufactures proven safety, durable, comfortable and environmentally friendly vehicles suitable for all weather conditions and working conditions, while Temsa Construction Equipment always with its service-oriented approach. works to offer the best. Combining Volvo Trucks' wide and innovative product range with the brand's vision for the last 5 years, Temsa Construction Equipment continues to add value to its business partners as a solution-oriented service company, not just sales, and continues to move "together" with them with the goal of sustainability.

Making the opening speech of the event, Eşref Zeka, General Manager of Temsa Construction Equipment, said that; “The most important criterion that started our cooperation 5 years ago was that we had the same vision. We are a brand that focuses on the customer, develops its technologies with the aim of being a solution partner and directs the sector. Since the day we started our distributorship, we have been working to grow the Volvo Trucks brand. In parallel with this goal, we are here to be your long-term solution partner, to offer you and your needs special service and to grow together. I hope that our cooperation will continue for many years by winning and growing together.”

Volvo Trucks Middle East and Turkey Director Björn Andersson said in his statement: “After the distributorship agreement we signed with Temsa Construction Equipment in 2017, we doubled our market share in Turkey. Temsa Construction Equipment is the distributor of Volvo Trucks with the largest operation in the Middle East and Turkey markets.”

Kıvanç Kızılkaya, Temsa Construction Equipment Truck Sales and After Sales Services Director, said that; “We continue on our way with the power that Volvo Trucks' innovative identity provides. We will continue to stand by our business partners in the future, as we do today, by expanding our widespread authorized dealer and service network throughout Turkey, while offering financing solutions with sales and after-sales services as a whole.”

Taking the stage at these special events of Volvo Trucks, Gülben Ergen gave a magic touch to the organization with her songs.