Tofaş Reaches a New Milestone by Producing Its 7.5 Millionth Vehicle in Bursa

Tofaş marked a new milestone in its production history spanning more than half a century with the 7.5 millionth vehicle produced at its Bursa Plant. The vehicle rolling off the line was a Fiat Ulysse ; announced on October 19, 2026, this figure summarizes a production journey that began in 1971 with an annual capacity of 20 thousand units and has now reached an annual scale of 500 thousand units. Calculated as a calendar-day average, over the roughly 55-year period the plant has produced an average of 375 vehicles per day.

Why Is the 7.5 Millionth Vehicle an Important Milestone?

In the life of an automobile plant, millionth vehicles are not merely production figures; they are also a record of what the plant was able to produce in which era. Looking at Tofaş's list is almost the same as reading a certain chapter of Türkiye's industrial history. The first million was completed with the Fiat Tempra , in the sedan era of the 1990s. Fiat Palio Go carried the second million; the Fiat Fiorino , which carried two separate millions, became an indicator of the plant's multi-brand production capability.

In recent years it was the turn of the Egea family: the 5 millionth vehicle was the Fiat Egea Hatchback, the 6 millionth the Fiat Egea Sedan, and the 7 millionth the Fiat Egea Cross Wagon . By contrast, the Ulysse rolling off the line at the 7.5 million mark is no coincidence. When Egea sedan production was completed at the end of June 2026, the plant had shifted its product mix toward light commercial and multi-brand production. The fact that the carrier of the milestone is a Stellantis model also symbolizes the new era the plant has entered.

From 1968 to Today: A Production Journey Growing from 20 Thousand to 500 Thousand

Tofaş's foundations were laid in 1968; series production began in 1971. For those who remember how this business used to be run, the figure is striking: in the early years, the plant produced with an annual capacity of 20 thousand units, thanks to the labor of roughly 600 employees. Back then, even 20 thousand vehicles a year was considered a serious industrial achievement; the Murat 124 setting off from Bursa onto the roads was one of the starting points of mass-produced automobiles in Türkiye.

Today the picture is completely different. The company's announced annual production capacity is 500 thousand units. It is worth adding a small note here: in some industry records, the factory capacity is listed as 450 thousand units; the company's current statement points to 500 thousand, and it should also be remembered that the capacity figure does not mean actual production. Still, the comparison with the early period is sufficient to show the change in scale: over 55 years, annual capacity increased 25-fold.

Tofas 2.0: A New Era Under the Stellantis Umbrella

The company management describes the 7.5 million milestone not merely as a production figure, but as the shared achievement of more than half a century of industrial accumulation, evolving engineering capability, and the workers who have toiled in the factory across generations. The most striking emphasis concerns the future: with Stellantis's Türkiye operations being consolidated under the Tofas umbrella, it is stated that a new growth period for the company, briefly known as Tofas 2.0, has begun.

The concrete content of this new era is already clear. The company announces that it has strengthened its multi-brand production structure and increased its production volume and product diversity with new investments. In terms of quality and efficiency, the factory is counted among the strongest facilities in the Stellantis world. For Bursa, this shows that the factory's role within the group has not shrunk; on the contrary, it has grown.

K0 and K9 Projects: The Door to the US Reopens

Two projects are at the center of the factory's future plans. The light commercial vehicle coded K0 is planned with a production forecast of approximately 1 million units by 2032; of this amount, 230 thousand units will be exported to North America starting from 2027. The vehicle will be sold in the US market as the Ram ProMaster City. The resumption of North American exports in early 2027 is an important threshold for Tofas; the company had previously entered the European and American markets, exported its 2.5 millionth vehicle in July, and had recently focused on the African market.

The K9 project, meanwhile, will carry the factory's place in the Stellantis world even further. Under this project, 256 million Euros of investment is foreseen. The project's first tangible output is already on the line: the Opel Combo is being produced in Bursa starting from the third quarter of 2026. This means the brand is producing in Bursa again after 26 years. The company management announced that the multi-brand production ceremony for the K9 model family will also take place within October.

The Egea Bids Farewell, Making Way for a New Strategy

On the road to the 7.5 million figure, the Egea's share is undeniable; but that page has now been closed. The Fiat Egea completed its 11-year production run with 1,417,047 vehicles. Of this production, 671,005 units were exported, under the Dodge brand, to more than 40 countries including the US market. The last Egea to come off the line was an Egea Sedan Lounge 1.6 MJet DCT 130 HP in Dynamic Blue. The end of sedan production was not surprising: the shift in demand from sedans to the SUV and crossover segments also shaped the production calendar. Production, initially expected to end at the close of 2025, had been extended to the end of June 2026.

The company is moving into the post-Egea period with a new strategy focused on SUVs and crossovers, expected to reach 1 billion Euros. With the K0 and K9 projects added to this picture, the Bursa plant's product mix is evolving into a structure entirely different from the sedan era.

The Place of This Figure in Türkiye's Automotive Production

To evaluate Tofaş's milestone, one also needs to look at the overall industry picture. Industry data show that in the first nine months of 2026, total automotive production declined by 6 percent and total exports by 11 percent; the export volume 685,671 units remained at that level. Against this backdrop, reaching an accumulation of 7.5 million becomes even more meaningful as an indicator of the plant's long-term corporate strength.

From a broader perspective, Türkiye ranks 12th in the world and 5th in Europe in motor vehicle production, while we rank 16th in the world in automotive exports. In 2025 the industry $41.5 billion reached a historic export record, and new records are targeted for 2026. Bursa is the heart of this picture; at Oyak Renault, another plant in the city, Dacia B-SUV production is also expected to begin in the last quarter of the year with a 400 million euro investment. Tofaş's seven-and-a-half-million threshold, in this context, offers a tangible account of both the company's and the city's industrial accumulation.

Conclusion: The Line Keeps Turning

The 7.5 millionth vehicle is also meaningful because it was a Ulysse that rolled out of Bursa. It is not the final stop of a story that began with the Murat 124; it is the starting point of the new era referred to as Tofaş 2.0. When the return to the US with the K0, the deepening of multi-brand production with the K9, and the new SUV-focused strategy come together, it would come as no surprise if the next milestone arrives much sooner than this recent one.

Sources

• 7.5 Millionth Vehicle Produced at Tofaş
• Produced the 7.5 Millionth Domestic Vehicle
• Tofaş Produced Its 7.5 Millionth Vehicle
• Tofaş Turkish Automobile Factory
• Tofaş - History
• Tofaş Completed the 11-Year Production Run of the Fiat Egea with 1.4 Million Vehicles
• Once Again After 26 Years: Opel Will Start Producing Its Light Commercial Vehicle in Bursa
• Automotive Industry September 2026 Results - OSD