Bursa
Vehicle assembly and the deepest component cluster.
Bilateral target · $12.5B
Automotive & mobility
Türkiye is one of Europe's largest vehicle and component producers, already qualified into transatlantic supply chains through European OEM programmes.
Trade position today
Automotive & mobility
Turkish plants produce well over a million vehicles a year alongside a component base supplying nearly every European OEM. That base is IATF 16949 certified, accustomed to PPAP discipline and located within a week's sailing of U.S. East Coast ports — the combination American tier-one buyers look for when moving volume out of Asia.
Trade data
Bilateral trade in this sector
Indicative bilateral goods flow in this sector, USD billions. 2027–2032 figures are USTEDC corridor objectives, not forecasts. Baseline compiled from U.S. Census Bureau and TurkStat trade data.
Türkiye against the usual alternatives
| Metric | Türkiye | China | Mexico |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean transit to U.S. East Coast | 18–24 days | 30–40 days | 3–7 days (land) |
| Trade-policy exposure | Low — no Section 301 measures | High — tariff and remedy exposure | Low under USMCA, rules-of-origin heavy |
| IATF 16949 certified supplier base | Deep — Tier 1 and Tier 2 | Deep | Deep, capacity tight |
| Indicative unit-cost index | 100 (reference) | 92–98 before duty and freight | 105–115 |
| EU market access from the same plant | Yes — customs union | No | No |
Comparative ranges are practitioner estimates for planning purposes and vary by product, volume and incoterm. They are not quotations.
What U.S. buyers require
The qualification bar, stated plainly
- IATF 16949 certification and documented PPAP capability
- Capacity headroom verified by site audit, not by claim
- Sub-tier traceability and conflict-minerals reporting
- Tooling ownership and transfer terms agreed up front
Where the capability sits in Türkiye
Industrial geography
Kocaeli & Sakarya
OEM plants, powertrain and stamping.
İzmir & Manisa
Electronics, wiring and aftermarket production.
The concrete openings
What each side gains
For U.S. buyers
Dual-sourcing of stampings, castings, wiring harnesses, seating and aftermarket parts at European quality without European cost, with shorter transit than Asian alternatives.
For Turkish suppliers
Access to U.S. aftermarket and EV programmes at margins above European contract pricing, and localisation opportunities where U.S. content rules apply.
Why deals stall
The recurring failure point is qualification time: U.S. programmes require audit, sampling and approval cycles that stall without a party managing documentation on both sides.
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