Karsan

Founded in 1966, Karsan operated under Koç Group between the years 1979-1998 and later began operating under Kıraça Holding when İnan Kiraç acquired the majority shares in the company in 1998. The company has been producing commercial vehicles with 100 percent local capital since 1981. The investment for its manufacturing plant located in Akçalar/ Bursa was started up in 1998 and the manufacture of vehicles in this facility was launched in October 1999. The Karsan Akçalar Plant, which currently has a capacity to manufacture 67 thousand vehicles in two, and 95 thousand vehicles in three shifts, also has the potential capacity to produce more than 100 thousand vehicles with additional investments. The Akçalar Plant, designed with the flexibility to manufacture all types of vehicles, ranging from automobiles to trucks and from minivans to busses, is located 30 km away from the Bursa city center, and occupies a closed area of 80 thousand and a total area of 200 thousand square meters.

As Turkey’s only independent multi-branded vehicle manufacturer in the automotive industry since 2002, Karsan signed a strategic partnership agreement with BreadaMenarinibus in September 2010 within the scope of the new vision set up by the company as “Limitless Transportation Solutions.” The company thereby increased the number of brands it manufactures to six. At present, Karsan is engaged in the manufacture of Peugeot Partner, Hyundai HD 35/75, Renault Trucks Premium and Premium Lander under the Renault license, Citroen Berlingo under the Citroen license, its own brand Karsan J Series and BredaMenarinibus brand busses. Furthermore, Karsan also provides marketing, sales and after-sales services for Karsan J Series minibuses, Hyundai HD Series trucks, and BredaMenarinibus busses. In addition to vehicle manufacturing, Karsan provides industrial services such as pressing, welding, cataphoresis , painting and assembly at its factory in the Industrial Zone.

In line with its new vision, defined as “Limitless Transportation Solutions,” during the forthcoming period, Karsan aims to become a company that develops, manufactures, sells and renders after-sales services for a wide range of products in the field of public transportation, ranging from taxis to busses. The Company, which especially intends to grow strong as an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer), is focusing on developing innovative products and services “from the concept to the market” in all segments of public transportation. In line with this vision and with the belief that Turkey should have its own local brand, Karsan participated in the bidding for the “Taxi of Tomorrow – (ToT)” tender held in New York/ USA in May 2010, fortified with the design support of its sister company, Hexagon Studio, succeeding in becoming one of the three finalists. Karsan developed the “Karsan V1” model for world metropolises to be manufactured under its own brand.

Manufacturing about 26 thousand vehicles in 2010, Karsan achieved an approximate turnover of 600 million TL in 2010. The Company, standing as Turkey’s 7th in manufacturing and 6th in exports, intends to have a voice in the 75 billion-dollar export target set for the Turkish Automotive Industry in the year 2023, the centennial of the establishment of the Turkish Republic.

According to the survey conducted by the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce in 2011, Karsan, climbed up 18 rungs over the previous year to ranking as 91st in the list of “Turkey’s Top 500 Industrial Organizations.” The Company currently works with 1002 employees. Of Karsan’s shares, 63.46 percent is held by the Kıraça Group, 8.19 percent by the Diniz Group, 1.73 percent by İnan Kıraç, and 26.62 percent are traded on the Istanbul Stock.