Hyundai Motor Türkiye will begin producing the new version of its Bayon crossover at its İzmit plant in December, with sales in Türkiye planned for early February, company executives said at the Paris Motor Show, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported on Oct. 21.
The South Korean carmaker has manufactured in Türkiye for 30 years and has built more than 3 million vehicles at İzmit, in the industrial province of Kocaeli east of Istanbul. In 2026 the plant also started producing Hyundai’s first Turkish-made electric car, the IONIQ 3.
Bayon and Tucson updates
Bayon production began at İzmit in 2021, and nearly 250,000 units have been built so far, with exports to more than 40 countries, mostly in Europe. The new model, unveiled in Paris, will launch with a 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine, and a 1.6-litre hybrid will follow later, according to the company.
Hyundai also gave the new Tucson its European premiere at the show. The SUV, first launched in 2004, has sold more than 11 million units worldwide, including over 2 million in Europe. It is due to go on sale in Türkiye in the second quarter of next year with turbo petrol, hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions.
Alex Kim, chief executive of Hyundai Motor Türkiye, told AA that Türkiye plays a key role in the brand’s electrification strategy in Europe.
Electric car targets
Electric vehicles make up about 10% of Hyundai’s sales in Türkiye, AA reported. Murat Berkel, the company’s general manager for sales, marketing and after-sales, said the brand aims to raise that share next year and to rank among the top two or three EV sellers in the country. Hyundai’s target for 2026 is 9,000 electric cars sold in Türkiye.
The IONIQ 3, offered in four trim levels with a stated range of 482 km, was chosen by more than 500 customers in about two weeks, and the company is targeting more than 3,500 sales by year-end.
Türkiye’s EV market has grown fast. Electric cars now account for about 19% of total sales, up from roughly 1% five years ago, and the country has more than 45,000 charging points, according to figures cited in the report. Turkish-made EVs also include Togg, the domestic brand backed by a group of Turkish companies.
Wider auto sector
The investment news comes as Türkiye’s car industry faces a softer year. Vehicle production fell in the first nine months of 2026, and Ankara is lobbying Brussels to keep Turkish factories inside the EU’s planned "Made in Europe" industrial rules, given that Europe is the main export market for plants such as İzmit. Neighbouring Sakarya, home to Toyota’s Turkish factory, exports about two-thirds of the vehicles it builds.
For foreign residents, car prices and running costs remain a major item in the household budget; see our cost of living in Türkiye 2026 guide for an overview.
Sources
Photo: Alexander-93 / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
